Telstra, in conjunction with its 5G Future Forum (5GFF) partners and Amazon Web Services (AWS), has unveiled a new whitepaper introducing a novel approach to using a Bi-Directional API model. The purpose of this model is to allow developers to reach the market more quickly with innovative and resilient applications.
The whitepaper, titled "Bi-Directional APIs: Advancing MEC", is a collaborative piece involving 5GFF members Telstra, Verizon, Vodafone, Rogers, America Movil, KT, and Bell Canada, along with AWS. It explores a potential trajectory for cooperation between Telecommunication Service Providers (TSPs) and Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) to forward the development of Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC).
This pioneering paper seeks to propel the industry forward through the use of Bi-Directional APIs to enable information exchange between cloud computing services and the network. These APIs operate behind developer-facing APIs provided by Cloud and Telecommunications Service Providers, such as the GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA Service APIs.
Seamless integration of network and cloud compute resources through the proposed Bi-Directional API model could enable consistency and faster global times to market - crucial elements for building future technology. The unified approach of allowing developers to call one API would eliminate the need to oscillate between Cloud and Telecommunications Service Providers, streamlining the development process.
Channa Seneviratne, Telstra Executive for Technology Development and Innovation, emphasised the importance of collective action in the industry. "We need to work together to address the real-world challenges that our customers and developers face, to fully harness the incredible possibilities that Multi-Access Edge Computing enables us as an industry," he said.
Seneviratne further elaborated on how the Bi-Directional API model could transform the current development process: "By gaining industry support for this shared API model we can simplify the development process dramatically and enable developers to rapidly build and innovate amazing technology & solutions."
Moreover, the whitepaper also calls for the standardisation of some APIs, a move that could spark innovation across the expansive telecom operators spectrum and multiple hyperscalers. Standardised Bi-Directional APIs can enhance customer experience in the MEC landscape and facilitate the development of innovative solutions, as per Jeremy Giese, Verizon Vice-President, Strategic Partnership & Industry Development.
Giese added, "5GFF aims to raise awareness, gather constructive feedback, and generate momentum towards the formation of a working group under standard development organisations to formalise the specifications for these APIs."
The "Bi-Directional APIs: Advancing MEC" whitepaper is seen as a crucial first step in the collective effort to improve and broaden the capabilities of Multi-Access Edge Computing. The collaborative work underpinned by Telstra, Amazon Web Services and the 5GFF brings to the forefront the importance of shared innovative solutions to propel the telecom industry forward.