MasOrange, Telefónica, Vodafone Grupo, and the i2CAT research centre have partnered to launch the first multi-operator Open Gateway API lab in Europe. This developer-ready environment will allow companies and creators to explore and leverage telco capabilities through standardised APIs. This 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 implement tests and testbeds to reach a consensus on deploying existing and newly created APIs and foster an open discussion environment based on technological and business innovation criteria.

This lab is integrated into Open Gateway, a global telco industry initiative led by the GSMA 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 will 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 environment, and technical support, facilitating the development of applications that take full advantage of multi-operator network capabilities and optimising interoperability in the digital ecosystem.  Coordinated by the i2CAT Foundation, the joint innovation lab 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. Still, it will also collaborate in creating new APIs, ensuring an optimised development experience and unified performance for innovative applications. The definition of new use cases will also consider the needs of various industries to provide a product that delivers harmonised and tailored performance.

Víctor del Pozo, MasOrange director general of Innovation, Alliances and New Services, has highlighted the Open Gateway initiative, “which represents a paradigm shift in how the telecommunications sector designs and markets new mobile applications and digital services. Spain is once again a pioneer in creating an open framework for collaboration, led by the GSMA and operators, which now also incorporates i2CAT as a critical technology partner to find concrete solutions to the challenges faced daily by companies or administrations. We are convinced that these challenges can be managed even better thanks to the additional capabilities the APIs derived from Open Gateway will provide.

Irene Bernal, Telefónica Open Gateway director of Strategy and Product, says: “Thanks to this collaboration, we will create an innovation environment with specific use cases that will enhance the value of cooperation between several operators, an essential component of the Open Gateway initiative. In addition, we rely 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 the public-private partnership will enhance the ability 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 a relevant 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 European operators that are also part of the i2CAT board of trustees. At 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”.