Building a network API business: What does it take?

Building a network API business: What does it take?

£3,000.00 excl VAT

Many operators see network APIs as a significant long-term opportunity, but few have turned that interest into meaningful internal investment. This report explores how to build a network API business – from winning executive backing and shaping the first business case to designing an operating model that can support execution and scale.

Purchase of this report includes a one-hour analyst session in which the findings, their implications, and key discussion points are presented and explored with your team.

Description

Format: PDF file
Pages: 34
Author: Miriam Sabapathy & Darius Lloyd
Publication date: April 2026

Introduction

This report draws on STL Partners’ ongoing research into the network API market and was developed in partnership with Aduna. It is informed by in-depth interviews and ongoing discussions with Aduna stakeholders, equity partners and wider operator and ecosystem participants, alongside STL Partners’ broader market analysis and prior research on network API monetisation. These inputs were used to understand the practical challenges operators face in building a network API business, from securing executive backing and shaping the first business case to designing an operating model that can support execution and scale.

The network API market will only grow at speed if operators work together

Network APIs remain one of the clearest routes for operators to create new value from the network beyond traditional connectivity. They offer a way to expose network data, intelligence and controls to developers, enterprises and ecosystem partners in a more scalable, software-driven form. STL Partners continues to view this as a significant long-term opportunity, with the total addressable market forecast to reach USD31.5 billion by 2030. Yet, despite that potential, progress across the industry remains slower and more uneven than many expected. Commercial traction is still concentrated in a narrow set of use cases, and many operators remain stuck between public commitment to the opportunity and an inability to turn that interest into meaningful investment.

That uneven progress reflects a pattern that has shaped the market from the beginning. Many operators have taken a wait-and-see approach, holding back clearer standards, stronger proof points and a more mature ecosystem. In earlier phases of the market, that caution was understandable. This is reflected in our latest forecast where we have become more conservative in the near term – with 2030 revenues now 8.5% lower than in our original 2024 release – not because we have lost conviction in the long-term opportunity, but because operator execution on the supply side has moved more slowly than expected. The market is becoming more tangible, but its pace still depends heavily on operator participation – and much of the industry is moving too slowly.

Editorial independence

This report has been prepared by independent consulting and research firm STL Partners. While it was developed in collaboration with Aduna and informed by discussions with Aduna stakeholders and equity partners, the analysis, conclusions and recommendations presented are STL Partners’ own.

Mentions or allusions to companies or products in this document are intended as illustrations of market evolution and are not included as endorsements or product/service recommendations.

Our insight covers the following key points:

  • Foreword
    • Methodology
    • Editorial independence
  • Executive Summary
    • Key recommendations for operators
    • Key recommendations for the industry
  • Introduction: The network API market will only grow at speed if operators work together
  • Part 1: Create a compelling initial pitch
    • Understand your audience and tailor the pitch
    • Lead with a focused first move, not the whole network API vision
    • Make the opportunity tangible and practical with examples
    • Anchor the case in familiar executive logic
  • Part 2: Build a realistic financial business case
    • Assessing the revenue drivers
    • Understanding the cost base
    • Mitigating the challenges of building a compelling financial business case
  • Part 3: Designing the operational structure and roadmap
    • Building a workable route from idea to execution
    • Choosing the right operating model for the role you want to play
    • The commercialisation challenge: Revenues do not happen without productisation and the right sales approach
  • Conclusion: Operators need to adopt a different mindset for network APIs
  • Note from our research partner: The role of Aduna in reducing operator friction

Technologies and industry terms referenced include: Aduna, API economy, API monetisation, API platforms, API standardisation, CAMARA initiative, Commercial traction, Developer adoption, Developer platforms, Digital ecosystems, Ecosystem partnerships, Enterprise connectivity, Enterprise use cases, GSMA, GSMA open gateway, Industry analysis, Linux Foundation, Market maturity, network APIs, network exposure, New revenue streams, open APIs, Operator strategy, programmable networks, Software-driven networks, Supply-side dynamics, telco strategy, Telecom APIs, Telecom operators, Telecoms innovation, Telecoms investment, Telecoms market forecast, Telecoms transformation, Value-added services