Mobile network API monetisation forecast 2025–2030: Identity gets real

Mobile network API monetisation forecast 2025–2030: Identity gets real

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In this forecast, we estimate the potential revenues for telecom operators from the commercialisation of mobile network APIs. We assess the opportunity across five API families, covering 26 individual APIs and 53 use cases.

Description

Format: PDF file
Pages: 40
Author: Amy Cameron
Publication date: August 2026

About STL Partners’ network API monetisation forecast – third release

This report presents the analysis of the third yearly release of our forecast for network API monetisation. The forecast is based on a bottom-up model analysing the demand for 26 network APIs from 53 main use cases. It shows the projected spend in 33 countries, seven regions and worldwide over the period from 2025 to 2030.

The value of network APIs will reach USD31.6 billion by 2030

High-level findings from the analysis indicate that:

  • GSMA’s Open Gateway continues to be the driving force behind network APIs in 2026.
  • The standards-led nature of the opportunity today benefits the APIs that go through indirect channels, such as the identity family, particularly as existing channels provide an easy route to market.
  • The industry has been slow to rally behind APIs in the other families where there are not as clear existing use cases to go after, except for location verification in the location family and connectivity status in the device status family, both of which are relevant to the same authentication and anti-fraud use cases as the identity APIs.
  • In line with the broader industry trend, the conversation is also turning to AI, with key players positioning identity APIs as trust infrastructure.
  • APIs in the network performance, edge and device status families address emerging use cases rather than existing markets, creating new value with longer-term growth potential than identity APIs.

Our insight covers the following key points:

  • Executive summary
  • Analysis of APIs
  • Analysis of use cases
  • Methodology
  • Appendix

Technologies and industry terms referenced include: Aggregators, Anti-fraud, autonomous vehicles, CAMARA, Device status APIs, drones, Edge APIs, Enterprise IT, Ericsson, GSMA open gateway, Identity APIs, IoT, Location APIs, network APIs, Network performance APIs, Quality on demand API, Video analysis