The GSMA (News - Alert) announced the launch of a commercial pilot project in Canada along with mobile operators Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications and TELUS (News - Alert).

 

This is part of the OneAPI initiative aimed at verifying the benefits of providing a standardized application programming interface for mobile networks. The OneAPI initiative enables GSMA to promote the adoption of a common, lightweight and Web-friendly set of APIs.

 

This provides application developers easy access to mobile operator network capabilities. Developers will now have commercial access to network assets of multiple operators from a single gateway using the OneAPI, explained GSMA sources.

 

“A common set of APIs will benefit the entire mobile industry by making it much more attractive for developers to create innovative applications and services by utilizing the capabilities and information provided by operators about their networks,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer at the GSMA.

 

“Our OneAPI initiative will help eliminate fragmentation and aid the growth of the mobile applications ecosystem, resulting in a larger addressable market, encouraging innovation, enhancing the customer experience and creating new revenue opportunities for mobile operators and developers alike,” O’Hara said.

 

The OneAPI initiative’s main focus is on exposing mobile network capabilities like payment, messaging and location which are underexploited by Web-centric developers presently because each operator uses different APIs to expose their network assets. This makes it difficult for developers to create applications that work seamlessly across different networks.

 

By using a common set of network APIs and leveraging the capabilities developers and enterprises will be able to deploy applications with a richer customer experience, said GSMA officials.

 

Nauby Jacob, Bell Mobility’s Vice President of User Experience and Content, said “OneAPI helps wireless providers and developers alike in the overall ecosystem by enabling developers to deliver innovative apps faster to wireless clients across all carriers.”

 

The payment API allows developers and enterprises to employ commercial relationships between operators and their customers to enhance the market potential for applications without needing to establish new, commercial relationships with each individual customer. Also developers will be able to increase the size of their customer base by collecting payments for applications and services through operator billing systems. They can also use the resources and expertise in customer billing offered by operators.

 

The GSMA will be collaborating with Aepona for the pilot. Aepona will offer its Universal Service Platform and its managed services to connect to the three operators in a hosted environment.