From Ambition to Execution: How Open Gateway Is Scaling the Global API Economy

GSMA Open Gateway at MWC26 Barcelona

By Henry Calvert, Head of Networks, GSMA

Three years since we unveiled it at MWC23 Barcelona, Open Gateway has moved from ambition to execution. Our ambition then was to transform mobile networks into a global platform of easily consumable, standardised APIs for developers, enterprises and cloud providers.

Today, 86 operator groups, representing more than 300 networks and 80% of global mobile connections, are aligned around a common API framework. Alongside them, more than 60 channel partners - spanning hyperscalers, aggregators and CPaaS providers - are commercialising network APIs at scale.

Together, we are seeing significant effort towards creating what the industry has always needed: a consistent, multimarket, cross-operator API environment that finally makes "write once, deploy everywhere" a reality.

Turning APIs into Real World Impact

What began with eight CAMARA APIs in 2023 has evolved into a commercially active portfolio. Today, we've seen more than 300 instances of 20 different CAMARA APIs commercially launched in 65 markets around the world, from Canada down to Chile and from the United States across to New Zealand. They're tackling real-world problems with tangible solutions that boost security, reduce friction and enable new digital experiences. Including:

• Fraud prevention: Multi-operator launches in dozens of countries around the world are enabling banks and retailers to verify identity, detect SIM swap fraud, and secure transactions in real time.

• Quality on Demand: Increasingly adopted for enterprise connectivity, QoD enables applications to request enhanced network performance for online payments, streaming, gaming, autonomous vehicles, drone safety and other mission-critical operations.

• Mobility and location: APIs enabling edge discovery, geofencing, and device intelligence are expanding the ability of developers to optimise application performance dynamically.

We now have more than 60 technology channel partners, including sector specialists, working with mobile operators to embed APIs into the enterprise. Over the past year, we seen examples like Orange and Shabodi working together to transform manufacturing, China Mobile doubling in-app advertising conversation rates through the CAMARA number verification solution, and UK banks detecting SIM-swap scams at scale in real time.

In addition, GSMA Fusion is helping enterprises by acting as a demandside bridge between industries and the global mobile ecosystem, making it easier for businesses to access, influence, and benefit from advanced mobile network capabilities through standardised APIs.

Rather than enterprises adapting to what networks happen to offer, Fusion enables sectors such as automotive, aviation, fintech, manufacturing, media and entertainment to collectively define what they need from connectivity-latency, reliability, security, identity, location, or prioritisation-across multiple markets. We've seen Tata Elxsi call on MNOs to standardise QoD APIs for the automotive and drone industries, FICO call for more markets to support Scam Signal to tackle scams, resulting in positive new developments in South Africa. Plus Skydio, request support from the MNO community to aid how drones can better support emergency service first responders.

Why Developers Are Embracing Network APIs

Beyond industry membership, a crucial measure of success is developer and enterprise uptake - because at the end of the day, awareness will not translate into adoption if these tools are inaccessible or do not contribute towards commercial scale. We have been successful in bridging this gap in several ways.

Firstly, by solving the long-standing fragmentation challenge and facilitating consistent cross-operator behaviour. Secondly, CAMARA-standardized APIs have been crucial in enabling developers to deploy solutions and applications consistently across markets, while improved exposure platforms enable easier onboarding and application testing.

Also, let's not overlook the importance of meeting developers where they are - network APIs that have taken off are closely aligned with developer priorities. In our latest Open Gateway State of the Market report, we found that fraud prevention remains the most appealing use case for developers, followed closely by facilitating mobile payments.

What Comes Next: Agentic AI and the Acceleration of API Deployment

Many of this week's announcements and demos at MWC Barcelona also point to the next opportunity: AI-driven automation. Across the industry, there is growing evidence that agentic AI, autonomous software agents that can plan tasks, reason over multiple data sources, and interact with external systems, is poised to reshape how network APIs are exposed, discovered and consumed.

Telefónica and Nokia are among the leaders experimenting with this new paradigm. Their collaborative pilots use Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocols and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to orchestrate tasks across AI agents, enabling automatic API discovery, intelligent selection of network capabilities, chaining of multiple APIs, secure entitlement checking and goal-driven workflows without manual intervention. We've also seen other demos from Mplify with Colt, Orange and Google Cloud, as well as Nokia and AWS with Orange and du.

In practical terms, agentic AI turns static APIs into dynamic, self-optimising building blocks, enabling enterprises to integrate telco capabilities into their systems with minimal effort. For example, a fraud-prevention agent could autonomously request SIM-swap or device-swap verification from multiple operators in real time; a QoD-enabled video workflow could self-adjust based on network conditions, requesting enhanced capacity only when needed. Likewise, IoT, aviation, automotive, and industrial systems can autonomously negotiate performance requirements or identity checks.

The Path to a Fully Programmable Network Economy

The next phase will be defined not by APIs alone, but by the intelligence layered on top of them. Agentic AI will make APIs easier to use, faster to deploy, and more interoperable, lowering barriers for developers and unlocking the next generation of programmable network services. The result? A future where connectivity is programmed rather than consumed as passive infrastructure - and interoperable at scale.

Open Gateway has laid the foundation. Agentic AI will accelerate it. And together, they will set the blueprint for the next decade of telecom innovation.

See below for an overview of news announcements and demos featuring the GSMA Open Gateway Initiative at MWC26 Barcelona:

1. The Red Thread: Overview of Open Gateway Activity and Demos at MWC26 Barcelona

1. Vivek Badrinath, GSMA Director General, Keynote: Leading the future: intelligent, inclusive, unstoppable

1. Colombian operators join GSMA Open Gateway with two digital solutions to combat online fraud - Open Gateway

1. https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/articles/gsma-open-gateway-joint-initiative-in-poland-mobile-operators-collaborate-to-transform-fraud-prevention-and-ensure-customer-securityGSMA Open Gateway Joint Initiative in Poland: Mobile Operators Collaborate to Transform Fraud Prevention and Ensure Customer Security

1. GSMA Open Gateway: Italian Operators Unite to Combat Fraud and Enhance Digital Security

1. New Zealand telcos announce new collaboration that will enable real-time fraud and scam protections for customers

1. Aduna Accelerates Global Network API Adoption with Major Ecosystem Expansion at MWC

1. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon come together to bring first standardized 5G Network APIs to the U.S. leveraging Aduna

1. Strengthened BT-Ericsson partnership aims to give UK enterprises a 5G competitive edge

1. Elmo sets 157 km/h remote driving record at F1 Circuit Barcelona with street-legal Nissan Leaf over live commercial mobile network https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/articles/new-zealand-telcos-announce-new-collaboration-that-will-enable-real-time-fraud-and-scam-protections-for-customers

1. https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/articles/gms-partners-with-shabodi-to-accelerate-network-apis-enablement-and-aggregationGMS Partners with Shabodi to Accelerate Network APIs Enablement and Aggregation

1. https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/articles/mplify-colt-orange-google-cloud-and-gsma-open-gateway-demonstrate-agentic-connected-experiences-at-mwc26-barcelonaMplify, Colt, Orange, Google Cloud, and GSMA Open Gateway Demonstrate Agentic Connected Experiences at MWC26 Barcelona

1. Nokia and AWS showcase industry-first agentic AI-powered network slicing with du and Orange #MWC26

1. Nokia expands Network as Code ecosystem, advances API-based agentic AI with Google Cloud #MWC26

1. Nokia: From network APIs to network AI agents - building the agentic future of connectivity with Google Cloud

1. One New Zealand Enters a Commercial Agreement to Launch Network Authentication APIs with Shush

1. Vonage Brings Network Innovation to Mobile World Congress 2026

1. Prudent Technologies Joins GSMA Open Gateway to Advance Secure Telecom API Standards and Strenghthen Fraud Prevention

1. Telefónica accelerates global rollout of Open Gateway with agreements with tech firms and companies from around the world

1. Teligen Joins GSMA Open Gateway Initiative as Channel Partner to Drive Global Mobile API Innovation - Open Gateway