‘Engaging enterprise is mandatory for all operators to really grow their business,’ according to TM Forum CEO Nik Willetts.
In an interview with RCR Wireless News at Mobile World Congress 2017, TM Forum CEO Nik Willetts gave an update on adoption of the group’s Open API framework, as well as highlighted the important role of enterprise digitalization in creating growth opportunities for operators.
TM Forum last MAy announced its Open API program with an initial launch with nine service provider partners, including Axiata, Bharti Airtel, BT, China Mobile, China Unicom, NTT Group, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone. Application program interfaces are routines and protocols used to create software applications; the idea is to enable quick integration between network operations and management systems. In October, vendors DGIT, EnterpriseWeb, Ericsson, Huawei, IBM, BearingPoint/Infonova, Oracle and UXP Systems endorsed the suite of APIs.
Willetts said the group has currently developed full specifications for 33 REST-based APIs including details for quick implementation. The group is also hosting enterprise “hackathons.”
“We’ve seen them really get very passionate about this,” Willetts said. “We’re seeing the operators really embracing these to say ‘these can give us the agility we need.’ And they’re starting to demand that of their supply chain as well, so we’re seeing the open APIs coming out in RFPs from operators. We’re seeing the supply chain responding as well.”
Click here to watch Willett’s commentary from MWC.
On enterprise focus, Willetts said: “We very much see that engaging enterprise is mandatory for all operators to really grow their business. We think about enabling services, enabling the digitalization of enterprise. We’re engaging with enterprises directly … but we’re also working through our members into a lot of those enterprises as well. What’s very clear is, first of all, the telco industry is quite advanced in its understanding of digitalization and its got a lot of work to do to actually deliver on that vision. But also the digital enterprise wants to offload a lot of the traditional IT needs onto other, and we think telco has a good place to play in enabling it.”
Willetts also discussed how TM Forum is working with the Metro Ethernet Forum “to really transform the carrier Ethernet market.”
