Network APIs gain traction across Asia

• Telcos are collaborating on the deployment and launch of common network APIs in multiple markets across Asia
• India’s three leading mobile operators are helping to tackle fraud with coordinated offerings
• Network operators in Malaysia and Indonesia are also collaborating to provide critical national scale 

Mobile network operators in multiple markets across Asia are collaborating on the deployment and launch of common network APIs that can ultimately help to tackle serious problems such as digital fraud, with India the latest market to show how coordinated activity among service providers that are more commonly rivals can have a meaningful impact.

In India, the country’s three leading mobile operators are “working together as a mobile ecosystem, through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, to provide banks and other online platforms with new, federated ways to verify customer identities and combat digital fraud,” noted the GSMA in this announcement.  

The Open Gateway initiative has proven to be effective in corralling the efforts of the mobile operator community around a common approach to network API deployments: Since it was launched in early 2023, it has provided a framework of industry standard network APIs that have been developed to the specifications of the Linux Foundation’s Camara project, which just announced its latest ‘meta’ release of network APIs – see Camara Project’s latest drop boasts 60 network APIs.

According to the GSMA, the Open Gateway programme is now supported by more than 79 mobile operator groups representing 291 networks that deliver services to almost 80% of the world’s mobile connections, and initial network APIs have been launched in markets all over the world.

India’s Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are among those supporters and, while they have their own individual initiatives to tackle fraud, they have also already collaborated on the coordinated launch of the SIM Swap API, which helps banks “prevent account takeover attacks, where fraudsters use social engineering techniques and stolen personal data to take control of the account owner’s SIM card”, noted the GSMA.

And now the telco trio plans to launch a Camara-based Number Verification API before the end of 2025. The GSMA noted: “This API is a more secure replacement for SMS One-Time Passwords (OTPs). It allows businesses to verify a mobile user’s identity by matching their phone number against real-time network data to protect Indians against digital scams, simultaneously ensuring a seamless customer experience.”

Digital fraud is a major issue in India, as it is in many markets around the world. The GSMA has published new research, the India Consumer Scam Report 2025, which shows that a staggering 53% of Indian consumers have been affected by digital scams, with 10% having fallen victim in the past year. 

The coordinated deployment of network APIs by any market’s mobile operators is critical in addressing such issues, as it provides the reach and scale that encourages developers to create new applications that make use of the mobile network functionality that can be accessed via the APIs. 

And as was pointed out in TelecomTV’s latest free-to-download DSP Leaders publication, the 21-page Network APIs Market Opportunity Report, scale is still an issue, with only about 10 markets in the world currently boasting the coordinated mobile network coverage worthy of developer engagement, according to Evan Conroy, director of partnerships at Trulioo, which provides online identity verification services to businesses. 

India will be one of those 10 countries as, between them, Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea account for 92% of India’s 1,178 million mobile connections, according to the market statistics for the end of August – see India in focus: Modi, BSNL, 6G and more.

For more on the GSMA’s efforts in India, the scam report, and the coordinated network API efforts of India’s mobile operators, see this announcement.

News of the planned Number Verification API deployment came as India’s telecom sector gathered in New Delhi for the India Mobile Congress event, where the country’s three main mobile operators have teamed up with the GSMA and Nokia for an Open Gateway Hackathon – dubbed India Connected – APIs for a Billion Lives. According to the GSMA, the initiative has received “more than 2,300 registrations and 400 ideas, or solution concepts, from developers, startups, and innovators with 100 finalists invited to attend and build new API-powered solutions to address real-world challenges across India’s diverse landscape.” The industry organisation added: “Using Open Gateway APIs, and Nokia’s Network as Code platform, participants will create services that improve lives, unlock new revenue streams, and demonstrate the transformative potential of network intelligence.” 

Collaboration in Indonesia and Malaysia

In Malaysia, the country’s leading mobile operators – CelcomDigi Berhad, Maxis, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia (TM) and YTL Communications – recently unveiled plans to “launch a new federated network service for online businesses to help them combat fraud and digital identity theft” through the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative. 

The operators plan to provide enterprise developers at banks and online retailers with federated access to the Number Verification API, which will verify a customer’s mobile number to provide strong authentication and an improved user experience.

The API “is a groundbreaking innovation and a potentially more secure replacement for SMS one-time passwords,” noted the operators in this announcement. “It allows businesses to verify a mobile user’s identity by matching their phone number against real-time network data to protect Malaysians against digital scams, simultaneously ensuring a seamless user experience,” they added. 

Maxis CEO Goh Seow Eng stated: “As an early supporter of the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, Maxis has been a key driver in the adoption of telco APIs in Malaysia. We have already demonstrated the power of the Number Verification API to combat digital fraud through two key initiatives: Our Mobile Identity solution for Malaysian enterprises, and a landmark regional collaboration with operators in Thailand and Singapore. Building on this foundation, we are fully committed to this industry-wide collaboration to accelerate API-driven innovation, creating a more seamless mobile experience and building a more secure digital Malaysia for everyone.”

Julian Gorman, head of Asia Pacific at the GSMA, stated: “Online scams and fraud are a growing concern for everyone across the ASEAN [Association of South-east Asian Nations] region and unless tackled properly could erode public trust in the digital economy. We commend this proactive initiative by Malaysia’s leading operators, which is a milestone for the GSMA Open Gateway programme. By providing banks and online commerce sites with standardised, seamless access to the rich mobile functionality available in networks, we can help accelerate industry efforts to tackle online crime.”   

In Indonesia, Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) and XLSmart have launched the country’s joint Telco API Alliance initiative, “aimed at accelerating the standardisation of telco API protocols in Indonesia. Through this alliance, the three operators have agreed to adopt a unified telco API protocol based on the international Camara standard, enabling easier, safer and more inclusive integration between each operator’s ecosystem and various applications across Indonesia’s digital landscape,” the operators noted in this announcement.

The formation of the alliance follows (albeit some time after) the GSMA Open Gateway initiative agreement struck by the three operators in February 2024.  

The alliance members plan to “gradually introduce six solutions, most of which focus on enhancing customer protection against account hacking or fraud,” they noted. The six solutions are Mobile Number Verification (MNV), Scam Signal, SIM Swap, Active Inactive, Device Location and Recycle Number. 

Telkomsel’s director of planning and transformation, Wong Soon Nam, stated: “This collaboration stems from a shared commitment to advancing together in building a strong and sustainable national digital ecosystem. Through the Telco API Alliance, Telkomsel reaffirms its consistency in leveraging the latest technology to deliver solutions that benefit the Indonesian people, particularly in protecting them from digital crime. This effort also reflects Telkomsel’s commitment to creating more opportunities for society to be increasingly competitive in the digital era.”

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV