It will help to create an open telco API economy, which is key for new business opportunities
SINGTEL has partnered with mobile alliance, Bridge Alliance, to launch a regional telco application programming interface (API) exchange, the local mobile network operator announced on Wednesday (Jul 24).
The Bridge Alliance API Exchange will help companies access telco assets across different markets, with the aim of supporting use cases in fintech, e-commerce and over-the-top providers – starting with network authentication, user verification and location tracking.
With the newly launched exchange, enterprises and developers can more efficiently deploy new services on the alliance’s member operator networks through a common API framework – which provides secure and consistent access to telco network capabilities across multiple regions.
An API framework enables different software applications to communicate and interact with each other. The newly launched exchange’s single interface will enable regional consumption of telco APIs.
Singtel and Bridge Alliance said that the APIs on offer will help “enterprises accelerate time-to-market to launch their services and reduce the complexity of working with multiple telecommunication operators”.
Bridge Alliance, which was formed in 2004, now has 34 member telco operators that serve over one billion customers across the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa.
The business alliance connects mobile operators with companies looking to procure and manage different mobile services across various regions, among its other services.
Dr Ong Geok Chwee, chief executive officer of Bridge Alliance, said: “We aim to accelerate telco API exposure to enable our member operators to serve the needs of enterprise customers. An open telco API economy is key to creating new business opportunities for enterprises.”
