Nokia, Airtel open up network APIs for developers to build new digital services

Finnish telecom company Nokia, on Thursday, announced that it has partnered with India’s Bharti Airtel to make the operator’s network capabilities available to third-party developers, unlocking new avenues for innovation and monetisation.

After successful trials, Airtel will offer its network APIs on a subscription basis through Nokia’s Network as Code platform, giving developers, system integrators and enterprises access to tools for building next-generation digital solutions, the companies said.

“We are happy to partner with Nokia today for network APIs and enable the ecosystem to leverage our network capabilities for automation and building secure and innovative digital services,” said Sharat Sinha, CEO, Airtel Business.


The collaboration will allow developers to build advanced applications using Airtel’s pan-India network assets, including capabilities across AI, 5G and edge computing. Nokia said this will help create new use cases across multiple industry verticals.

Network APIs let operators virtualise parts of their networks and offer specific features or data securely to developers, enabling more tailored applications and services.

“Our partnership with Airtel represents a significant step in expanding the Network as Code ecosystem. It demonstrates our commitment to helping telecommunications providers monetise their network investments while fostering innovation in the developer community,” said Arvind Khurana, Head of Cloud and Network Services, Nokia India.

Nokia added that the global ecosystem for its Network as Code platform has now grown to more than 60 partners, including telecom operators, AI and data centre players, CPaaS providers, system integrators and software vendors.