MasOrange, Telefónica, Vodafone Group, and the i2CAT research centre have teamed up to launch the first multi-operator Open Gateway API lab in Europe, a developer-ready environment that will allow companies and creators to explore and leverage telco capabilities through standardised APIs. The lab aims to accelerate the adoption of interoperable APIs, creating joint use cases and unifying performance in an accessible and collaborative environment. The working group will set up tests and testbeds to reach consensus on the deployment of APIs, both existing and newly created, as well as to foster an open discussion environment based on technological and business innovation criteria.
This lab is part of Open Gateway, a global telco initiative led by the GSMA that aims to transform telecommunications networks into programmable platforms to bring network capabilities to everyone. The APIs are developed under the common framework of CAMARA, an open source project of the Linux Foundation and TM Forum that allows a single development with these integrated APIs to support all telco networks. Open Gateway implies a change in the role of telecommunications operators, which open their capabilities to facilitate more agile and efficient developments that improve the experience of companies and user entities.
The lab will provide advanced tools, test environments, and technical support, facilitating the development of applications that take full advantage of multi-operator network capabilities and optimising interoperability in the digital ecosystem. The joint innovation lab, coordinated by the i2CAT Foundation, will function as a connection point between operators and developers in a multi-operator environment. i2CAT will not only lead the integration of performance testing into existing APIs, but will also collaborate in the creation of new APIs, ensuring an optimised development experience and unified performance for innovative applications. The definition of new use cases will also take into account the needs of various industries to ensure a product that delivers harmonised and tailored performance.
Víctor del Pozo, General Manager of Innovation, Alliances and New Services at MasOrange, praised the Open Gateway initiative, “which represents a paradigm shift in the way the telecommunications sector designs and markets new mobile applications and digital services. Spain is once again a pioneer in the creation of an open framework for collaboration, led by the GSMA and the operators, which now also includes i2CAT as a key technological partner with the aim of seeking specific solutions to the challenges that companies and administrations face on a daily basis. We are convinced that these challenges can be managed even better thanks to the additional capabilities that the APIs derived from Open Gateway will provide”.
Irene Bernal, director of product and strategy for Telefónica Open Gateway, said: “Thanks to this collaboration, we will create an innovation environment with specific use cases that enhances multi-operator cooperation, an essential component of the Open Gateway initiative. In addition, we are relying on the leadership of i2CAT, a benchmark in technological research with which we have already collaborated on multiple projects. The participation of operators, customers and public-private links will enhance the capacity to develop new opportunities for the entire digital ecosystem”.
For the director of i2CAT, Sergi Figuerola, “the initiative and implementation of this innovation laboratory is an important milestone for a centre like ours because, for the first time, a strategic innovation project is proposed within a global and disruptive initiative such as Open Gateway and it is done jointly with very relevant operators at a European level who are also part of the i2CAT board of trustees. On a technical level, the laboratory will allow us to transfer our cutting-edge knowledge in technological research to the network platforms market, demonstrating the transformative potential of public-private collaborations”.
