Globe, Smart join GSMA Open Gateway - Mobile World Live

Globe Telecom and Smart Communications in the Philippines became the latest to join the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative, a project based around developing common open-source APIs to enable faster deployment of new services.

The partnership gives Globe and PLDT’s mobile unit Smart and B2B arm PLDT Enterprise access to the Open Gateway API programme, which now includes 241 MNOs and MVNOs.

Globe stated its signed an MoU with the GSMA to improve interoperability and delivery of mobile services across different networks worldwide through collaboration and standardisation.

Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu noted the “groundbreaking effort” allows real-time access and interconnection with open global APIs, opening up opportunities for delivering more value to customers and generating new revenue streams.

Mitch Locsin, head of Enterprise and International Core Business at PLDT and Smart, explained by joining the initiative it to aims to provide seamless communication, more secure transactions and efficient data handling to improve user experience.

The Open Gateway API programme was launched at MWC Barcelona in 2023.

Juniper Research forecast global operator revenue from APIs will jump from $50 billion in 2024 to more than $111 billion by 2027, noting APIs gave them the tools to integrate their network capabilities and services into a single application.

In a report released today (24 June) the research outfit identified network connectivity APIs as a key driver of API revenue, expected to account for over 20 per cent of global operator revenue in that category by 2027.