Aduna adds to its partner roster

• The network API aggregator is building up a long list of partners
• New Zealand telco Spark and Brazil’s Vivo are among Aduna’s new collaborators

Network application programming interface (API) aggregator Aduna is having a busy week. Having announced a handful of new partnerships with the likes of SK Telecom and Maxis that will broaden its exposure across Asia Pacific, the recently formed company has added further names to its roster of collaborators. 

In New Zealand, Spark announced it has “signed a New Zealand first partnership with global API platform aggregator Aduna, enabling the development of new commercial models that monetise Spark’s significant network investment”, which has included the deployment of a 5G standalone (5G SA) network. 

According to Spark, the partnership enables it to “explore new ‘network-as-a-service’ (NaaS) commercial models, with an initial focus on developing SIM Swap detection and Number Verification APIs, which will provide businesses with secure, real-time tools to verify identity and reduce fraud.”  

The telco’s network and operations director, Renee Mateparae, stated: “Our partnership with Aduna enables us to monetise our network investment in new ways and capture value from the broad capabilities of our network. For our business customers, this provides new opportunities to access more sophisticated connectivity solutions that help solve business problems. One of the first API solutions we will be focusing on is fraud prevention. SIM swap fraud occurs when a mobile number is transferred to a new SIM card without the account holder’s consent. By providing a timestamp indicating when the SIM card associated with a phone number was last changed, the API allows businesses to identify recent SIM swaps which could suggest unauthorised access and enables businesses to take action – such as blocking transactions – to protect the end user.”

In Brazil, Vivo, which is Telefónica’s main Latin American operation, is “deepening its engagement with Aduna to scale the commercialisation of network APIs across industries,” the companies noted in this announcement. “Our mission is to make Brazil’s networks a trusted foundation for digital growth,” stated Leonardo Silva, Vivo’s head of B2B messaging, CPaaS (communication platform-as-a-service) and Open Gateway. “By working with Aduna, we can extend the reach of our capabilities into new sectors, simplifying integration for enterprises and strengthening the security of digital experiences,” he added.

As long ago as 2023, Vivo and Brazil’s two other major operators, Claro (part of the América Móvil group) and TIM Brasil (part of the Telecom Italia group), teamed up to launch a range of network APIs to developers – see Brazil goes nuts for network APIs.

Aduna, the joint venture between Ericsson and 13 major telcos that became a formal company at the end of July, has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sekura.id, now a part of mobile identity and numbering intelligence specialist XConnect. “The collaboration will accelerate the adoption of Camara-compliant APIs, such as Number Verification (NV), SIM Swap (SS), and Know Your Customer (KYC), while establishing a foundation to enable future APIs that support emerging digital identity, authentication and fraud protection use cases,” stated Aduna in this press release.

And the API aggregator is also set to enter into a strategic collaboration with Soprano Design, a leading Australian provider of enterprise messaging and digital engagement solutions. See this announcement for further details.  

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV