GSMA Open Gateway API Descriptions

Use cases

• The Call Forwarding Signal API can be used by a bank to verify if a “call forwarding” option is active on the customer’s phone to avoid frauds. A call from the bank to the customers can be forwarded to a different number during a fraud attempt.  

Benefits

• Frauds can be avoided improving the customer experience and the security for assistance services offered via incoming phone calls.  

Use cases

• One-click checkout (e-commerce), automatic form-fill for user’s information e.g. mobile phone number, birthdate, address, on registration (varied verticals)  
• User identification to call centre (to be confirmed) 
• Confirm recipient’s mobile number for sending e-goods and e-presents like SMS gift code  
• Check user’s age with birthdate information for e.g. alcohol and tobacco sale  

Benefits

• The Service Provider can optimise the user experience while capturing the accurate user information its service requires. 
• Simplified user experience increasing conversion for service providers at user registration 
• More accurate registration form information through avoiding data entry errors 

Use cases

• User identity verification for any service provider checking new users or performance of a regular refresh.  
• Especially depending on Market/Country regulations, identity verification for compliance with regulations, e.g. KYC regulations in banking demanding check for new users and for regular refresh.  

Benefits

• The Service Provider can confirm the accuracy of the user information required by its service without inconveniencing the user. 
• Mitigate risks related to different types of identity fraud like the use of synthetic identities. 
• Maximise the conversion rate and the quality of the onboarding procedures. 
• Avoids data entry errors and mitigates fraud by utilising verified user information from the user’s Mobile Network Operator  

Use cases

• App Onboarding: The App can request a seamless authentication of the mobile device via the API.  
• App login: in place of username/password, the application can request seamless authentication of the mobile device via the API.  
• Application password reset: As in the app onboarding use case, the application can request a seamless authentication of the mobile device via the API.  

Benefits

• Improved seamless and faster user experience, hence improved conversion rates & customer satisfaction 
• Lower risk of compromise (by social engineering or interception) 

Use cases

• App Onboarding: The App can request a SMS One Time Password (OTP) to prove that the user is in possession of the mobile device associated with the mobile number used for onboarding. This increases confidence for future uses of the mobile number and reduces instances of fake accounts creation.  
• High-value transactions: to reduce payment fraud, the user may be asked to enter the OTP code sent to their registered mobile number.  
• Account management e.g. password reset: to protect against account takeover, sensitive account management actions can be protected by requesting a second factor authentication by the end-user. 

Benefits

• End user familiarity.  
• Increased security over single-factor authentication (username/password) or in card-not-present scenarios.  
• Prevent fake accounts creation (bots).

Use cases

• Fraud prevention in banking: a bank may query the API when a transaction appears suspicious. The SIM swap information feeds into the bank risk decision engine and security measures are applied accordingly by the bank.  
• Fraud prevention for password reset: password reset is often protected via a mobile verification e.g. SMS One Time Password. The online service provider may query the API to secure the mobile verification. A recent SIM swap may indicate a risk of account takeover fraud, and the service provider can adapt the security measures accordingly. 

Benefits

• Increased security without additional friction for the user 
• Prevention of account takeover is a benefit for both the business and the end customer, since end customers are protected for being involved in uncomfortable situations. 

Use cases

• Fraud prevention in banking: Strange behaviours or accumulation of SIM Swap notifications may help banks detect fraud scenarios in advance. 
• Digital security services: Applications can be notified about possible security threats in the customer account which can be used by to improve security. Antifraud systems will be enhanced with real-time information. 

Benefits

• Antifraud mechanism that will notify when a SIM is affected by a swap procedure, implementing different mechanisms to avoid fraud (e.g., warn or confirm with the user).

Use cases

• APP Fraud prevention: a client may query the API when a money transaction appears suspicious. The API will inform about different indicators leveraging advanced analysis of real-time network data to identify and prevent APP fraud activities. 

Benefits

• APP fraud detection through real-time traffic analysis 
• Protecting both the business and the end customer 

Use cases

• Retail and e-commerce personalization and advertising: a retailer wants to launch personalization or advertising campaigns to its customers when they enter the area of influence of its department stores.  
• Tourism and other location-based services: travel agencies, airlines, hotel companies, etc. want to give personalized experiences when their customers enter specific areas where they can provide added value. E.g., an airline welcoming a traveller to the airport and reminding them the possibility of using the VIP room, a Public Administration giving tourism information to registered tourists.  
• Assets safekeeping and tracking: ensuring that assets (parcels, fleet, services of shared vehicles, IoT, etc.) enter the right areas in the right moments, or they do not leave the areas where they must be. 

Benefits

• New use cases are enabled based on network location information and the events and mobility of the devices. The subscription mechanism enabling geofencing allows developers to enhance their product with a push mode model, improving the resource’s usage and increasing the value of the information.

Use cases

Location Retrieval could be useful in scenarios such as: 

• For use cases between mobile users when it is required to check proximity, we first need to retrieve mobile location of one of the mobile (with this Location Retrieval API)  and then check tge other mobile location (via Location Retrieval api). This is applicable for people-to-people payment for example. 
• In logistic use cases, this API is used to retrieve container location by exception (when shipment is not at the expected place). This is particularly useful for tracking IoT device. 
• Globally, it is worth noting that the Location Retrieval API is often requested as a complement to GPS tracking for sensitive based-location use cases as GPS could be spoofed on a phone. 

Benefits

• Provide location service based on mobile network as complementary option of the GPS

Use cases

• Providing BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) flights with the information to meet SORA 2.5 (Specific Operation Risk Assessment) requirements in terms of intrinsic Ground Risk Class (iGRC).  
• Providing information to identify if the ground risk class for a given drone flight path is acceptable for the time of the flight, or an alternative time should be considered to lower the risk. 
• Sustainable Urban Planning. Enabling urban planners to specify the area of interest and a future time period. 
• Environmental monitoring at mass events, such as concerts or festivals.  

Benefits

• Safe Drone Flights: by providing a people density data for Drone Operators to avoid flight routes over areas with crowds on the ground.  
• Achieve SORA approval: by providing services that help Drone Operators to perform the regulatory Ground Risk Assessment and to identify if there is a need of developing appropriate operational procedures and mitigations.  
• Drone Route Planning: by identifying the best route and timing in terms of ground risk.  
• Improving long-term planning and city sustainability: by enabling urban planners to identify specific areas and forecast their future development. 
• Facilitates the monitoring of the environment during events: by ensuring safety and environmental sustainability in large gatherings. 

Use cases

• Media and entertainment (e.g. online gamers and viewers of real-time streaming) require a network with a high level of performance to ensure good user experience.  
• Remote control of machines and vehicles (e.g. Automated Guided Vehicles, drones, robotic arms, factory production lines) require stable data throughput and low latency to ensure secure and efficient operations.  
• Computer vision and remote video processing applications (e.g. sending a continuous video stream to their backends for processing) require stable data throughput and low latency to generate time-sensitive outputs, such as alarms and events for computer vision, or a produced video stream for their audience 

Benefits

• Optimise your clients’ networking performance: With the QoD service, you can activate the networking conditions that suit the needs of your applications in real time. Regardless your application requires a short boost with high throughput or a temporal control on the maximum jitter or latency, there’s a QoD profile ready for you to activate. 
• Seamless user experience: Your clients will enjoy the enhanced services you build with the capabilities brough to you by the QoD service without even noticing their network has been modified. This allows you to upsell advanced features with the security they will not suffer undesirable network issues 
• Improve your clients’ satisfaction: Reduce the number of customer complaints caused by network conditions This will improve situations where previously your customers may not have experienced your application as they should have. 

Use cases

• Media and entertainment (e.g. online gamers and viewers of real-time streaming) require a network with a high level of performance to ensure good user experience.  
• Remote control of machines and vehicles (e.g. Automated Guided Vehicles, drones, robotic arms, factory production lines) require stable data throughput and low latency to ensure secure and efficient operations.  
• Computer vision and remote video processing applications (e.g. sending a continuous video stream to their backends for processing) require stable data throughput and low latency to generate time-sensitive outputs, such as alarms and events for computer vision, or a produced video stream for their audience  

Benefits

• Optimise your clients’ networking performance: With the QoD service, you can activate the networking conditions that suit the needs of your applications in real time. Regardless your application requires a short boost with high throughput or a temporal control on the maximum jitter or latency, there’s a QoD profile ready for you to activate. 
• Seamless user experience: Your clients will enjoy the enhanced services you build with the capabilities brough to you by the QoD service without even noticing their network has been modified. This allows you to upsell advanced features with the security they will not suffer undesirable network issues 
• Improve your clients’ satisfaction: Reduce the number of customer complaints caused by network conditions This will improve situations where previously your customers may not have experienced your application as they should have. 

Use cases

• Streaming services can query the API to assess whether the current network conditions are sufficient for delivering high-quality video (e.g., 4K or HD) without buffering. 
• Online multiplayer game services can query the API to evaluate if the current network conditions can meet the low-latency requirements for a given player. 
• IoT devices that rely on consistent and reliable connections (e.g., smart home systems or industrial IoT sensors), developers can query the API to verify whether the network can handle the necessary data flow.   

Benefits

• Enabling a game to adjust in-game settings to improve the user experience. 
• Enabling a video app to switch to a lower resolution video to prevent buffering. 

Use cases

Send SMS is a useful utility API which can be leveraged in multiple use cases: 

• App Onboarding: Useful in providing secure experience on channels to prevent fake accounts creation via SMS OTP 
• App Login: Secure authentication flows preventing account takeovers via SMS OTP 
• Transacting: Payments SMS OTPs during purchases and transaction confirmations 
• Promotional: Executing business campaigns via SMS 
• Account Management: Validate Passwords resets, device changes, user reactivation etc  

Benefits

• Instant and Direct Communication: SMS messages are delivered directly to mobile phones, ensuring fast and immediate reach 
• High Open Rates: SMS has high read rates with many opened within minutes of delivery, making it an effective way to ensure your message is seen. 
• Personalisation and Engagement: You can tailor messages to individual customers, making the interaction more personal, which increases engagement and conversion rates. 
• Broad Reach and Accessibility: SMS is accessible to all mobile users, even those without smartphones, ensuring wider reach. 

Use cases

• Real-time entertainment (e.g. streaming, gaming, VR/AR head-mounted displays): these applications require low latency and high throughput.  
• Communications: these applications require low latency to guarantee the call quality and avoid dropped calls 

Benefits

• Optimise your clients’ networking performance: With the Home Devices QoD service, you can activate the networking conditions that suit the needs of your applications in real time. Regardless your application requires a short boost with high throughput or a temporal control on the maximum jitter or latency, there’s a QoD profile ready for you to activate. 
• Seamless user experience: Your clients will enjoy the enhanced services you build with the capabilities brough to you by the Home Devices QoD service without even noticing their network has been modified.  
• Improve your clients’ satisfaction: Reduce the number of customer complaints whose cause is the networking of your clients because you can control and monitor the network conditions and adapt to them whenever your applications are being used.  

Use cases

• All edge cloud use cases e.g. automotive, mixed/augmented reality, high resolution video streaming, cloud gaming, remote control of moving objects or vehicles: for an application deployed in telco edge cloud or hyperscaler edge cloud, the device needs to be informed of the Edge-Cloud zone to access. The application queries the API and is informed of the nearest Edge-Cloud zone to connect to. It can then perform a DNS lookup to route traffic to this node.  

Benefits

• Enables selection of and routing towards the nearest edge cloud zone, generally optimising network performance by minimising propagation delay.  
• More accurate selection based on Operator network topology rather than geolocation.  

Use cases

• Mobile payments across media, gaming, mobile services, ticketing, content, and other digital services: when reaching checkout online, the user gets the option to pay by mobile. If chosen, the merchant requests payment via the Carrier Billing API. The payment amount is added to the user’s phone bill or deducted from their prepaid balance. The settlement from the Operator to the merchant takes place to cover all users’ payments over a defined period.  

Benefits

• Convenient and secure online payment solution for unbanked / underbanked users who cannot pay by credit card 
• Increased conversion for merchants