Big businesses are staking a lot of money on increased future exploitation of network APIs. However, Dean Bubley, a veteran analyst of the business of making and selling networks, has recently highlighted the way APIs prompt unaddressed questions about data sovereignty, privacy, national security and free trade. His post on LinkedIn spurred much debate among tech and comms industry analysts, after beginning with a suitably arresting opening:
Time to point out a very big elephant in the #NetworkAPI room, and the various platforms evolving for developers to access them: what about Chinese vendors?
Bubley then elaborated on this question.
Can developer platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud, or western-based #cPaaS such as Twilio, Vonage or Infobip integrate with some MNOs’ Huawei or ZTE networks, especially the #5G NEF or NWDAF functions, to expose their APIs?
I’m thinking here of the more “hard” network APIs like those for quality-on-demand or connectivity insights, rather than the number/identity ones for fraud management. The latter are probably less of a concern as they’re not much different to roaming in principle (I think).
So were any of Bubley’s questions answered…?
The Promise and Peril of Network APIs
Network APIs, such as those being developed under the CAMARA project — a collaborative initiative between the Linux Foundation, GSMA, and TM Forum — are meant to simplify how developers interact with networks, enabling them to create enhanced applications and services. Various use cases can be imagined, including fraud prevention, enhanced customer verification, improved user experience, streamlined payments, and superior end-to-end control of a service delivered across multiple networks.
CAMARA’s goal is to offer a framework of universal APIs, ensuring consistent behavior regardless of the underlying network infrastructure or vendor. This framework is crucial for the success of Aduna, the recently-named API joint venture created by Ericsson in partnership with many top telcos, including América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Telefonica and Vodafone. To get maximum results, and hence maximum money, it is vital to have APIs that behave consistently worldwide.
Bubley’s Elephant
Bubley’s post brought a critical, yet often overlooked issue to the forefront: the implications of integrating with networks from Chinese vendors into global API platforms. His core question revolves around whether a US-based developer (or one from the UK/EU/Japan/Australia etc) can or should use a federated API platform connected to networks utilizing diverse vendor equipment, especially those from a country like China, which may be perceived to be a threat to national security. As he observes:
…nobody else seems to be mentioning this… But if this topic is not addressed now, it will only crop up further down the road in a much larger “uh-oh” moment.
Bubley questions how platforms, channel partners, and developers can maintain worldwide compliance across a diversity of regulatory regimes, as well as deal with ever changing geopolitics. Regulatory concerns around data security have caused some organizations, such as healthcare providers in the US, to consider implementing custom solutions.
This concern is not merely technical but deeply rooted in geopolitical and regulatory complexities. Expectations vary between countries and can sometimes change rapidly, as evidenced by recent shifts in US policy.
Divergent Views and Emerging Debates
The response to Bubley’s post revealed a spectrum of opinions, reflecting the multifaceted nature of the problem.
Network engineer and developer Henrique Ribeiro observed that network functions are rarely integrated directly across different MNOs. Instead, middleware layers usually handle these interactions, incorporating secure mechanisms. Others, like Mahesh Chapalamadugu, an engineer at Verizon, emphasized the role of standardization, arguing that CAMARA APIs are designed to address developer intents without requiring deep telecommunications expertise. He claimed that standardization creates a reliable foundation for innovation, regardless of the underlying infrastructure vendor. Tech analyst, advisor and podcaster Leonard Lee suggested that API gateways, particularly those adhering to CAMARA standards, could abstract away many technical interoperability issues.
However, the question of navigating diverse regulatory policies across different regions remains. Bubley argued that even if API behavior is consistent, business practice and regulatory requirements may not be. This prompted further discussion, with Chapalamadugu acknowledging that innovation often outpaces regulation in the telecom landscape.
Towards a Workable Future
Beyond the geopolitical and regulatory aspects, technical hurdles exist. Potential solutions may utilize the concept of a ‘multilayer network’, as proposed by Apache APISIX. This approach divides the API gateway into layers, allowing for fine-grained route scheduling and compliance with data transmission regulations.
Mika Skarp, Product Manager at NFV/SDN specialists Cumucore, agreed with Dean Bubley on the need for a technology solution, adding that all MNO networks have the same capabilities, thanks to 3GPP standards.
The discussions triggered by Bubley’s post underscore the intricate interplay between technology, regulation, and geopolitics in the burgeoning field of network APIs. While standardization efforts like CAMARA offer a potentially lucrative path forward, significant questions about global interoperability and compliance remain. The comms industry must move beyond simplistic notions of technical interoperability and grapple with the complex realities of a global, interconnected, yet increasingly fragmented digital landscape. As Bubley stated, if the issues are not addressed now, they will likely result in much larger problems later.
Dean Bubley’s LinkedIn post about network APIs and the Chinese elephant can be found here.
