Sri Lanka’s four mobile operators commercially launch three network APIs that cover the entire country
Sri Lanka’s mobile operators announce the commercial launch of industry-wide network APIs, as part of the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.
This should help developers and businesses accelerate the growth of digital services and apps, by ensuring they work seamlessly with all the country’s mobile networks via one mechanism. They can potentially work with hundreds of other operators around the world too, once they expose network APIs that are Open Gateway-compliant.
All four of the countries mobile operators – Bharti Airtel Lanka (Private), Dialog Axiata, Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka, and SLT-Mobitel – have launched three value creating APIs. They are for: one time password (OTP) validation; device location; and carrier billing.
Now developers and enterprises have a standard way – technically and commercially – to reach over 21 million Sri Lankans, regardless of which mobile network they use. The APIs will be locally and globally federated, meaning developers can reach subscribers beyond Sri Lanka as Open Gateway coverage grows.
Participating parties
GSMA Open Gateway is in development with mobile operators from around the world: more than 36 mobile operator groups, representing 214 mobile networks and 60% of mobile connections globally are now part of the initiative. Other participants include industry associations, developers and content creators.
The framework is designed to ensure consistent, interoperable access to mobile networks through the standards-based CAMARA repository, a Linux Foundation project, which adheres to all relevant technical standards, regulations and users’ privacy standards.
A great moment
Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, said, “Sri Lanka’s launch of commercial network APIs marks a great moment for the global GSMA Open Gateway initiative, and we welcome the progress and collaboration the country’s four operators have demonstrated.
“Asia-Pacific represents the largest mobile market in the world and today’s announcement shows how, together, the industry can create, enhance and bring new digital services and immersive technologies to market faster and to a wider global customer base.”
Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata, said, “Building on Axiata Group Berhad’s successful deployment of the GSMA Open Gateway in March 2023, Dialog Axiata is proud to be a participant in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative through our Ideamart platform capability, alongside all the other operators in Sri Lanka.
“This signifies a momentous leap for the industry, ushering in a new era of unparalleled digital innovation and connectivity for the nation.”
The Dialog Axiata Group runs mobile networks in six countries in Asia. Saumitra Gupta, CEO (Actg) of HUTCH, stated, “We foresee this will indeed open up a new ecosystem for much broader opportunities and collaborations between network operators, developers and enterprises, and at far greater scale accelerate digital service innovations and experiences in the respective markets