Telecom API Market by Technologies, Application and Service Types, Stakeholders, User Types, Deployment, and Platform as a Service Types 2022 - 2027

Telecom API Market is Driven by Substantial Growth in Enterprise CPaaS

Now in its tenth year of coverage, the publisher offers the most comprehensive research analyzing the telecom API market ecosystem including players, platforms, tools, solutions, and service offerings. This report provides an in-depth assessment of the global and regional telecom API market, including business models, value chain analysis, operator strategies and a quantitative assessment of the industry from 2022 to 2027.

Furthermore, the report evaluates the current state of the market and outlook for the future including analysis and forecasts for the telecom API market, which is segmented in many ways including:

• Globally, Regionally, and Countries
• Stakeholder Type (Carriers and Vendors)
• Network Technology (2G, 3G, LTE, and 5G)
• API Category (Presence, Location, SCM, etc.)
• App Developer (Carrier, Enterprise, Long Tail, and Partner)
• Deployment Type (Enterprise Hosted, Private Cloud, and Public Cloud)
• Implementation (Development and Set-up) and Ongoing Operations
• Solution (AI, Analytics, Blockchain, Edge Computing, Robotics, WebRTC, etc.)

The report includes substantial forecasts by Service Type include: Messaging (SMS, MMS, RCS) API, WebRTC API, Payment API, IVR/Voice Store, and Voice Control API, LBS and Map API, Subscriber Identity and SSO, Management API, Content Delivery API, M2M IoT API, IoT Platform-Specific API, IoT Authentication API, Blockchain Specific API, AI Platform-Specific API, Robotics Specific API, Analytics API, Call screening API, Device Information API, QoS (Quality of Service) API, Do not Disturb API, Edge/Fog Device Specific API. Forecasts by Developer Type include Enterprise Developer, Internal Telecom Developer, Partner Developer, and Long Tail Developer. Forecasts by Deployment include Enterprise Hosted, Public Cloud, and Private Cloud. Platform as a Service forecasts includes CPaaS and UCaaS.

Report Findings:

• Global Telecom API-related revenue will reach $739B by 2027
• Global UCaaS revenue will reach $102B by 2027 with 49.2% CAGR
• Enterprise-hosted deployment is growing most rapidly through 2027
• While the smallest in revenue, MEA is fastest-growing region at CAGR 43.8.2%

Global Communication Service Providers (CSP) continue to see Telecom APIs as a means of leveraging their network and subscriber assets to generate revenues with high margins. However, the ecosystem remains one in which largely third parties, such as OTT players, maintain the end-user relationship with app and service clients, while CSPs merely provide data as a service on a B2B basis.

While this model may suffice for CSPs with respect to the consumer segment and SMBs, it is not sustainable for large corporate clients. CSPs are facing increasing pressure to provide a greater variety of high-quality enterprise communications and business collaboration solutions. Accordingly, the author sees this as an area ripe for leveraging Telecom APIs to offer value-added carrier offerings such as team collaboration, telepresence, and unified communications (UC) as part of a Telecom API-enabled marketplace.

This vision is beginning to come true. With the help of leading Telecom API and Communications-enabled app providers like Ribbon Communications, AT&T has recently launched an API Marketplace, which is something that the author has recommended since 2011. Offering a turn-key approach by leveraging solutions such as Ribbon’s Kandy APIs and Wrappers, AT&T plans to facilitate enterprise customer ability to leverage telecom assets for embedded applications. Ribbon is also supporting KPN’s Telecom API marketplace.

Other leading telecom vendors such as Mavenir support the programmable telecom (Telecom APIs, platforms, and apps) ecosystem. The company recently announced its Mobile-Native Unified Communications and Collaboration as a Service (mUCaaS) solution. One of the key differentiators claimed by this solution is the ability for business-critical communications to be prioritized by the mobile network using quality of service indicators that don’t have to compete with other existing OTT UCaaS applications.

For many larger Telecom API vendors, a substantial proportion of revenue continues to be generated from SIP Trunking in support of their client’s VoIP, UC, and other IP-based communications apps and services. However, many smaller players are innovating in areas that have high growth potential such as analytics data, device information, edge computing, and number management for calls, data, and subscribers. The last category, in particular, is emerging as an important area for unwanted call management solutions including robocall management.

Longer-term, we see CSPs leveraging Telecom APIs and related tools to support a variety of industry requirements in which carriers are amply positioned to leverage their market position. Those opportunities include Internet of Things (IoT) authentication, robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), and support of Blockchain. Three areas that represent great opportunities for carriers to aggressively pursue solution development in the near-term timeframe are AI, IoT, and Mobile Edge Computing.

Telecom APIs in IoT

IoT represents a huge and largely untapped market for CSPs, which the author sees emerging once carriers begin to fully leverage 5G for IoT apps and services. More specifically, we have identified the opportunity for carriers to act as an orchestrator/mediators within the IoT ecosystem. Uniquely positioned as the owner of the primary network to be used for IoT, and provider of data services for humans and machines alike, CSPs have the opportunity to provide various critical services such as IoT authentication, authorization, and accounting. This will include the use of Telecom API resources to help manage IoT-related access control, permissions, and usage tracking.

Telecom APIs in Mobile Edge Computing

Carriers are also well positioned to leverage Telecom API-enabled capabilities in support of many edge computing use cases as MEC is rolled-out to optimize LTE, 5G, and IoT. Many MEC use cases will require support from multiple Telecom API categories such as Location, Presence, Subscriber Data, and QoS in support of zone-based enterprise apps, services, and data analytics. This will create both a challenge and opportunity for CSPs, which will need the assistance of systems integrators for implementation and managed infrastructure services providers for ongoing operations.

Telecom APIs in Artificial Intelligence

While many AI capabilities will be embedded within other areas (such as platforms, devices, semiconductors, etc.), AI will also be closely associated with end-users, creating an opportunity for CSPs to provide resource support for many AI-enabled use cases. This will include basic support for AI, such as user verification, as well as more advanced functionality, such as identifying resource usage and behaviors among a closed user group like enterprise collaboration teams.

Target Audience:

• Telecom API providers
• ICT Infrastructure providers
• CPaaS and UCaaS companies
• Legacy MNOs and OTT service providers
• Systems integrators for enterprise communications
• Application developers such as UC and enterprise collaboration

Report Benefits:

• Gain a better perspective of the State of the Market for Telecom APIs
• Identify challenges and opportunities across the entire API ecosystem
• Understand the role of Telecom APIs within the realm of Programmable Telecom
• Identify leading companies and solutions for Telecom API-enabled apps and services
• Understand the market dynamics, players, and outlook for communication-enabled apps
• Forecasts for every major Telecom API area including Categories, Solutions, Stakeholder Share, and more
• Forecasts for Telecom API support of Unwanted Call Management including Do Not Disturb and Call Screening

With the purchase of this report at the Multi-user License or greater level, you will have access to one hour with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This will need to be used within three months of purchase.

This report also includes a complimentary Excel file with data from the report for purchasers at the Site License or greater level.