Indian telecommunications service provider Bharti Airtel announced on Thursday that the company has entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Ericsson US Dhaulagiri for the acquisition of around 5 percent of the Membership Interest in the Ericsson US-based API (Application Programming Interface) Joint Venture.
Also Read: Global Telecom Operators Launch New Network API Venture
Purpose of Ericsson US Dhaulagiri
Ericsson US Dhaulagiri LLC, which has yet to commence its operations, was incorporated on April 10, 2024, as a Limited Liability Company in Delaware, USA. It aims to form a venture among global telecom operators to combine and sell network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) on a global scale to spur innovation in digital services.
Collaboration with Global Telecom Operators
As reported in September, global telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, in collaboration with Ericsson, announced a new joint venture to unify and sell network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) globally. The venture will facilitate the implementation and access to common APIs from multiple telecom service providers, extending to a broader ecosystem of developer platforms.
Also Read: Bharti Airtel Signs GSMA Open Gateway Initiative
Network API Ecosystem
According to an earlier statement, the newly formed company will provide network APIs to a broad ecosystem of developer platforms, including hyperscalers (HCPs), Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) providers, System Integrators (SIs), and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), based on existing industry-wide CAMARA APIs (an open-source project driven by the GSMA and the Linux Foundation).
Details of the Acquisition Deal
In an all-cash consideration, Airtel will acquire around 5 percent of the membership interest in the company; however, the company has not disclosed the cost of acquisition, citing reasons of confidentiality.
Also Read: GSMA Says 750 Million Gained 5G Access Globally in 2023, Largely Driven by India
Additionally, Airtel formally stated that neither the company nor the promoter group has any interest in acquiring Ericsson US Dhaulagiri, which is involved in the global software development of network APIs to drive innovation in digital services.
