ETSI Announces New Software Development Group for Common API Framework

Sophia Antipolis, 9 November 2023: ETSI is delighted to announce the establishment of a new Software Development Group, called OpenCAPIF. OpenCAPIF is developing an open-source Common API Framework, as defined by 3GPP, allowing for secure and consistent exposure and use of APIs. 

Beyond 3GPP APIs, OpenCAPIF can be leveraged for third-party APIs and will support other standardization activities by enabling PoCs, Plugtests, and API testing, in order to contribute feedback to standardization work. For instance, OpenCAPIF can support NFV deployments by enabling consistent API exposure by Network Functions, and it can also contribute to network automation scenarios in ZSM. Plus, at the edge, it can be used not only to expose MEC APIs but also to validate the mapping between ETSI MEC APIs and those defined for the Edge Computing Enabling Layer specified by 3GPP. 

SDG OpenCAPIF will collaborate with other ETSI software and open-source projects, such as Open Source MANO, TeraFlowSDN and OpenSlice, in order to share best practices and find synergies, joint activities, and opportunities for component reuse.

The code developed by SDG OpenCAPIF will support specifications from 3GPP SA6 and SA3 Release 17, and it will seek to align and provide feedback for future releases. The newly-created ETSI group will enable developers to test their network applications using CAPIF to publish and consume APIs, reducing the friction and accelerating time-to-market for the deployment of these applications in 5G Networks. ETSI OpenCAPIF builds on code seeds developed by European Research.

The OpenCAPIF community will find synergies and collaboration with external fora and open-source projects developing and exposing APIs such as TM Forum, GSMA, CAMARA, and LFE Sylva. For example, the code developed by SDG OpenCAPIF can be used as CAPIF Core Function (CCF), a cornerstone for the facilitation and testing of interactions among various functions and applications exposing and consuming APIs. This would be key to ensure alignment between the Linux Foundation and GSMA-backed CAMARA project and 3GPP Specifications. SDG OpenCAPIF will find collaboration with CAMARA, in order to minimize code duplication and potential misalignments.

“ETSI SDG OpenCAPIF represents a pivotal enabler that empowers network applications to seamlessly interface with 5G networks through APIs. It will significantly enhance service innovation and ecosystem diversity.” says David Artuñedo, Telefónica, convenor of ETSI SDG OpenCAPIF. 

The founding members of the OpenCAPIF group include Fogus Innovations and Services, Keysight Technologies, Motorola Mobility, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Telefónica SA and University of Málaga. 

The SDG OpenCAPIF kick-off meeting will be held in Madrid, in January 2024. To find out more or to join us, please visit https://ocf.etsi.org or contact SDGsupport@etsi.org.