CPaaSAA and S&P Global Market Intelligence 2024 Communication and Network APIs Global Survey

Launched in 2024, the 2024 Communication and Network APIs Global Survey is a joint initiative from 451 Research, a division of S&P Global Market Intelligence, and the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance (CPaaSAA). The survey aims to assess the state of network APIs commercial deployments by communication service providers (CSPs) globally.

Summary of findings

Communication and network APIs deployments will continue to grow in 2025. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of those survey respondents who work for a telco, network operator or CSP say that their organization has commercially deployed communication APIs, and an additional 5% say they plan to offer these within the next three years. Meanwhile, nearly a third of these respondents (32%) say that their organization has commercially deployed network APIs or is planning to do so over the next year (16%).

Adoption of the GSMA Open Gateway framework is steadily advancing. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of survey respondents working for a telco, network operator or CSP say that their organization is following the GSMA Open Gateway framework.

Figure 1: Nearly half of survey respondents have deployed network APIs or plan to do so within the following year.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence, 2024 Communication and Network APIs Global Survey
Q. Does your organization currently offer or plan to offer any of the following services to its customers? -  Communication APIs.
Base: Employed by telco, network operator, or CSP (n=19).
Q. Does your organization currently offer or plan to offer any of the following services to its customers? -  Network APIs.
Base: Employed by telco, network operator, or CSP (n=19).
© 2025 S&P Global.

However, critical mass is still needed for the initiative to be successful. When asked about the challenges that CSPs face for the commercial deployment of network APIs, tech vendors and industry analysts cited “waiting for other operators to support the initiative” as the top factor (68%) stalling initiatives.

5G network infrastructure monetization is a key driver for CSPs. When asked about their decision to deploy network APIs, nearly three-quarters (73%) of survey respondents working for a telco, network operator or CSP cited monetizing 5G network infrastructure investments as a top factor influencing their decision, followed by “expanding the business portfolio with digital services” (46%).

Digital security and fraud prevention are priorities for tech vendors. Respondents were asked to rank their priorities among 10 network APIs based on the GSMA Open Gateway initiative framework, including SIM swap, simple edge discovery, device location verification, quality on demand (QoD), one-time password SMS, device identifier, device status, number verification, know-your-customer (KYC) fill-in, and KYC match. Tech vendors and industry analysts cited number verification (100%) – which enables seamless authentication of a mobile device by verifying that the associated phone number is the one used by the device – and SIM swap (96%), which checks the last date that a SIM card associated with a mobile number (MSISDN) has changed, as their top two choices (see Figure 2).

Digital security and QoD are top priorities for CSPs. Respondents working for a telco, network operator or CSP were also asked about their organization’s priorities among the same 10 network APIs, and similar to the tech vendors cohort, digital security and fraud prevention are priorities for these participants. That said, these respondents cite Quality on Demand, which enables a high level of performance networking services for applications such as real-time video, gaming, and streaming services, as a third area of focus (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Digital security and quality on demand are top priorities for CSPs.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence, 2024 Communication and Network APIs Global Survey
Q. For each of the following GSMA Open Gateway initiative network APIs, please rate the level of importance to your organization.
Base: Employed by telco, network operator, or CSP (n=16). Answered “important” or “very important”
Q. Please indicate how high of a priority each of the following GSMA Open Gateway initiative Network APIs should be for telecommunications organizations to commercially deploy.
Base: Not employed by telco, network operator, or CSP (n=22). Answered high or moderate priority.
© 2025 S&P Global.