Ericsson Boosts Network API Development at India Research Hubs

Telecom equipment maker Ericsson announced on Wednesday that it is increasing its focus on Network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) at its India R&D centers. These APIs will enable industries to leverage the advanced capabilities of telecommunications networks, enhancing innovation across various sectors.

"Service providers, while delivering 5G to consumers and businesses, have a unique opportunity to transform the network into a platform for innovation by making advanced 5G capabilities available to the global developer community through open network APIs," the company stated.

Capabilities like network slicing and quality on demand can be accessed through these programmable interfaces. High-performance, open, and programmable networks built on 5G standalone (SA) architecture will enable new service innovations and create opportunities for performance-based business models, Ericsson added.

Andres Vicente, Head of South-East Asia, Oceania, and India at Ericsson, highlighted the company's longstanding partnership with Indian communication service providers (CSPs) such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio for their 5G rollout. He also mentioned the recent 4G and 5G RAN contract with Vodafone-Idea (Vi), reaffirming Ericsson's support in Vi's seamless introduction of 5G and in Airtel's transition to a full-scale 5G SA network.

Vicente further emphasized that the combination of high-performance, programmable networks with network APIs, alongside a robust developer ecosystem, will drive growth and innovation.

Ericsson's R&D teams in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram will focus on developing programmable API capabilities for simplified and secure network interfaces, device management, security, and fraud detection. Additionally, Ericsson's 6G research teams in India are working on advanced technologies, including intent-based autonomous networks, trustworthy AI, sustainable AI, and advanced generative AI capabilities.

HBL