Unlock data signals within mobile networks to prevent fraud and make your apps more secure. Flag suspicious user activity earlier. Tailor your marketing campaigns to users’ specific locations.

All of those use cases are made possible with network APIs, which make it easier for applications to take advantage of network capabilities. Enterprises are already starting to discover how to use network APIs to create new applications and services or enhance the ones they already have. And that’s opening up new possibilities in financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and more.

The market is taking off as more enterprises realize the value that network APIs can unlock. Juniper Research forecasts that the network API market will exceed $8 billion by 2030, up from $284 million last year. This guide explains what network APIs are, why the market is so hot, and how enterprises can get on board now.

Network APIs are the digital connections that let developers take advantage of 5G and network capabilities, including virtualized parts of the networks and tailored data and features. For example, developers can use these tools and functions to build apps that communicate across global data networks. The key is enabling access to network functions that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for third parties to allow at scale.

Network APIs standardize and enable communications across multiple global networks. Without the global access, app developers wanting to resource specific network capabilities like quality on demand would have to create provisions for every network on which they planned to offer service. The time and resource demands are huge, which also limit potential revenues that individual operators could realize from API-based services.

Developers naturally want to take advantage of network features and data on demand — and network APIs provide global access to make this happen. Developers can think in terms of programmable networks to power next-gen mobile-using devices.

This is a transformative sector, one that takes a complex telecom infrastructure such as 5G and mobile networks and turns it into simple, programmable building blocks. Network APIs empower developers to create highly secure and innovative enterprise applications without telecom expertise … and all through standardized programmability.

In fact, according to telecommunications software company Enea, connectivity is moving from passive to programmable, on-demand capabilities. Telcos recognize this trend and are opening their networks to developers. This coincides with GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA initiatives that aim to standardize how businesses work with a network infrastructure. Network APIs allow enterprises to access carrier-verified data across major telecom providers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile through a single integration.

Network APIs address top-of-mind needs across security, 5G, and AI. Consider the following examples:

Fraud protection

Headlines are full of the latest fraud scam or security breach, such as bad actors intercepting one-time passwords for account takeovers. They might persuade a mobile carrier to transfer a phone number to a SIM card or eSIM that they control. They can then intercept one-time passwords or other security codes to access financial, email, and other accounts. Network APIs, through solutions like silent authentication and SIM swap checks, open up new ways for developers and enterprises to fight fraud. Faster and more secure authentication enhances the customer experience, which means customers can spend more time with you.

Quality on demand

For high-performance video use cases, quality on demand enables API-triggered adjustments to latency, throughput, and traffic priority, using advanced quality-of-service differentiation and 5G network slicing. The network slice serves as an individual virtual network away from public use and traffic. Quality on demand ensures low-latency, high-throughput connectivity exactly when and where it matters, such as AI applications, extended reality, real-time streaming, and mission-critical operations.

Geolocation

Developers can use secure, network-based data to verify a device’s location in real time. This is invaluable to confirm a customer presence at an ATM or point of sale, enforce location-based access for gambling, or keep drones and scooters within approved zones. Network-powered geolocation offers a spoof-proof, battery-friendly alternative to traditional GPS. Geolocation services can also lead the way for smart cities, supply chain logistics, and field services.

First consider your use case and needs:

• Do you want to boost fraud detection and security? Then consider network-powered solutions that monitor SIM swaps or verify phone numbers. These can help you authenticate users.
• Do you need to better use 5G for high-throughput connectivity? Your developers can apply quality on demand solutions for better video.
• Are you in manufacturing? Quality on demand prioritizes 5G data for production-line monitoring. Geolocation services can help with inventory or other asset tracking.

Once you’ve identified what to build, you can search for network API providers that can help with how to build. It’s important to find providers with:

• Global CSP partnerships to ensure operability regardless of geography
• A suite of complementary APIs to explore expanded capabilities
• Developer resources such as Postman and JSON to fully test, evolve, deploy, scale, and support