More than half of developers do not link telcos with network APIs, finds latest STL Partners survey
3 min read- A total of 55% of software developers don’t associate the term ‘network APIs’ with telco network capabilities
- Despite this, the majority of the developer community is aware of industry-driven API initiatives, such as GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA
- Operators face a challenge to strike the fine balance between showcasing new capabilities and delivering familiar services to the developer community
- More than half (54%) of developers see the value of network APIs in accessing network performance information, such as latency and jitter
- Cloud platforms are leading the way in terms of means for developers to access APIs
LONDON – 13 January 2025 – More than half (55%) of software developers do not associate the term ‘network application programming interfaces (APIs)’ with telecom network capabilities, but rather link these APIs with management of their wider IT networks. This is one of the main findings from the latest STL Partners survey, ‘Telecom network APIs: What do developers really want?’, which was conducted in November 2024 and examines the perceptions of more than 400 software application developers across key global markets.
To help address the lack of familiarity with their potential, telcos need to strike “a fine balance” between demonstrating new capabilities and delivering services in a way that developers are already familiar with, according to STL Partners research director and author of the survey, Amy Cameron.
“We believe operators should position their APIs as delivering similar functional capabilities to existing APIs – i.e., ability to manage network functions, control access to resources and exchange data across different networks – but across a new networking domain that has previously been unavailable to them”, the analyst adds.

On the flip side, the survey shows that the developer community is increasingly aware of industry-driven telecom API initiatives, such as GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA, but there is more that can be done to boost knowledge in this space.
Despite the need for education on telecom APIs, STL Partners has seen clear interest in the capabilities that telcos can offer to developers. When asked about the perceived value of different features of network APIs, accessing network performance information, such as latency and jitter, was the most popular choice, deemed attractive by more than half (54%) of developers.
Furthermore, the research has found that:
- Half of respondents from the developer community see understanding device status on the network as appealing
- 44% see value in specifying and guaranteeing network performance levels for a period of time.
Another notable finding suggests that developers get APIs predominantly through hyperscalers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and others (see graph below). This applies even to telecom APIs, with Microsoft claiming the top spot in terms of overall customer experience for developers.

Therefore, Cameron suggests, the telecom industry should ensure that developers can access APIs in the channels they are already familiar with – starting with cloud platforms, and then through systems integrators and on telcos’ own platforms.
“This approach should lower the barriers to adoption enough to expand telcos’ reach beyond developers focused on priority communication and into the wider enterprise productivity, IT and internet of things (IoT) developer market”, the author concludes. You can find out more insights from the survey by downloading an extract here.
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