THE SILK ROAD TO TELCOS'.DIGITAL RICHES

Telcos must master the language of APIs to bridge untapped network assets with enterprise demands, transforming connectivity into highvalue revenue streams.

- PRATIMA HARIGUNANI

Entering a foreign country is both exciting and intimidating, especially when you are not a tourist but someone who intends to spend some time there, dig in one’s heels, pitch some tents and make efforts to settle in. This takes a lot of logistics work, but the real challenge comes after all that furnituremoving: speaking to and understanding the people there. This cannot happen unless ‘they’ know ‘your’ language or vice versa.

Until the language barrier is ironed out, you will always feel out of place at best; make serious mistakes, stir up dangerous misunderstandings, and run into some ‘not so pretty’ pickles. You have to be open. You have to be flexible. And you have to be brave. Once that is resolved, you can start using any path that works—a global language like English, mastering a new common sign language, or taking a course in telepathy. No matter how it goes, for telcos, the land of new realities starts with Network APIs or application programming interfaces.

THE FIRST CLASS: LEARNING THE ALPHABETS

Network APIs are the couplers and connectors that bring together telco-bogies to new-world engines and compartments. Without these interfaces, it is hard for telcos to move forward. They must be conversant in the language that the new world of 5G, 6G, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) speak.

Network APIs are bridges-connecting telecom infrastructure directly with developers hungry to build tomorrow's game-changing apps.

Sylwia Kechiche, Senior Director, Industry Analysis at Opensignal, observes that Network APIs are becoming increasingly relevant for the future of the telecom industry, particularly considering their potential to transform end-user experiences. "By enabling developers to access and utilise network capabilities programmatically, APIs unlock new possibilities for personalisation, performance optimisation, and service innovation."