5G Network APIs to Become Essential for Telcos From 2026, Says Capgemini Executive: Report

Programmable network software, particularly network application programming interfaces (APIs), is expected to become a necessity for the global telecom industry from 2026 onwards as operators pursue 5G-driven monetisation, according to French IT services firm Capgemini.

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Also Read: 5G Monetisation: Nokia, Airtel Partner to Open 5G Network Capabilities to Developers via APIs

APIs Seen as Core to Telecom Modernisation

“APIs, in my view, are a vehicle for telcos to modernise and prepare for a shift from connecting humans and phones to connecting tens of billions of devices,” said Sandeep Arora, vice president and industry platform leader for telecom (India) at Capgemini, in an interview with ETTelecom. He added that, to support this scale, telecom operators will need to adopt a connectivity-as-a-service (CaaS) model and open up their networks to developers.

“From that perspective, APIs are not optional but a necessity. They help telcos open up, modernise, and prepare to support thousands of new entities, all operating in increasingly autonomous ecosystems,” Arora added, according to the report dated December 30, 2025.

Industry Momentum Builds Around Network APIs

Network APIs allow operators to virtualise parts of their networks and expose specific data and capabilities to developers, with the industry betting on such software to generate incremental revenues through new consumer applications.

Interest in network APIs has gained momentum this year, marked by initiatives such as the formation of Aduna, a 50:50 joint venture between Ericsson and a group of global telecom operators. In early December, Nokia partnered with Bharti Airtel to make the Indian operator’s 5G network capabilities available to developers, targeting new monetisable use cases across multiple industry verticals.