5G Exposure and Network APIs: How Will the Telecom Ecosystem Capture New Opportunities with Developers?

Description

This IDC Market Perspective covers the fast-developing network API ecosystem and seeks to answer key questions related to how the ecosystem is developing and who is shaping it. In addition, this document covers our thoughts on key consortia, including CAMARA and Open API Gateway, as well as the focus APIs that are being explored first."Curating and offering advanced 5G network APIs that can then be aggregated and sold to enterprises to enrich applications is fast-emerging as a strategic initiative within the world's leading comms SPs," says Patrick Filkins, research manager, IoT and Telecom Networks at IDC. "However, as part of that, many comms SPs will need to rethink how they engage with prospective customers. In focus, comms SPs could develop multiple routes to market, which could include selling network APIs direct on top of internal platforms or using a third party to aggregate and potentially harmonize APIs across multiple comms SPs."

Product Code: US51172223

Executive Snapshot

New Market Developments and Dynamics

Comms SPs Will Leverage 5G as Inroads to Drive More Engagement with the Developer Community
5G Network and Service Exposure Defined: The Marriage of Mobile Networks and Application Developers
Why Now for Network and Service Exposure? The Comms SP Business Dilemma
Telecom Ecosystem Evolution: API Market Makers and Likely Roles
Considering the Business Model Structure: How Can Stakeholders Generate Revenue from Network APIs?
- Considering the Business and Go-to-Market Models
  - Go-to-Market Models
  - Business Model Considerations
    - Comms SP with a Partner Platform
    - Comms SP Direct
    - Vendor Direct to a Partner Platform
    - Additional Pricing Strategies That Could Be Employed
Industry Consortia: CAMARA and Open API Gateway at the Forefront of Enablement
- CAMARA: The Industry's First Step in the 5G API Journey
- Open API Gateway: Critical to Scaling the API Opportunity
Telco Cloud Infrastructure Will Help Comms SP Truly Differentiate in the Telecom API Arena