Kenya-based aggregator joins the initiative with a 13-API portfolio, five already GSMA Open Gateway certified, opening a new channel for African operators, developers, and enterprises to participate in the global network API economy
NetAPI Telecom, an API aggregator and channel partner dedicated to accelerating the adoption of standardised network APIs across the African continent, today announced it has joined the GSMA Open Gateway initiative as a Channel Partner. The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the GSMA, making it one of the first African headquartered channel partners to join the global initiative.
NetAPI Telecom enters the GSMA Open Gateway ecosystem with five APIs already carrying GSMA Open Gateway certification: SIM Swap, Location Verification, Location Retrieval, Device Roaming Status, and Device Reachability Status. The company also brings a broader portfolio of eight additional APIs spanning identity verification, device intelligence, and quality of service management. Its platform, purpose-built on the CAMARA standard, is designed to open a direct, local route into the global network API economy for the African market.
Africa is home to more than 500 million unique mobile subscribers and the world’s most advanced mobile money ecosystem. It is a market where mobile underpins nearly every facet of economic life. The GSMA Open Gateway framework creates a standardised pathway for operators to monetise their network capabilities at scale, and NetAPI Telecom is here to make that pathway practical, whether that means detecting SIM swaps to prevent fraud, replacing costly One Time Passwords (OTPs) with silent phone verification, extending identity verification to underserved populations, or powering location and device intelligence across logistics, healthcare, and emergency response.
NetAPI Telecom’s aggregation platform integrates directly with operator infrastructure and exposes certified APIs through a single, standardised interface, reducing the technical and commercial complexity of bringing API services to market for operators, while giving developers and enterprises unified access across multiple operators and countries. The company is currently engaging with operators across East, West, and Southern Africa.
“The operators on this continent have built infrastructure that hundreds of millions of people depend on daily: for payments, for identity, for communication, for livelihood. What has been missing is the standardized bridge that lets developers and enterprises build on top of that infrastructure in a way that works across operators and across borders. That is what GSMA Open Gateway makes possible, and that is what we are here to deliver,” said Ngugi Kariuki, Lead Consultant at NetAPI Telecom. “Our platform is ready, our APIs are certified, and we are looking for partners who share this vision. Whether you are an operator, a fintech, or an enterprise, we want to hear from you. The opportunity to build the API economy on this continent is here, and it belongs to all of us.”
Henry Calvert, Head of Networks, GSMA, said: “Africa has a vibrant and growing developer community which can hugely benefit from open, standardised APIs, especially in the areas of mobile money, fintech and digital identity verification. So, we’re delighted to welcome NetAPI Telecom as a GSMA Open Gateway channel partner. We look forward to working with them and Africa’s mobile ecosystem to rollout APIs that can prevent fraud, strengthen compliance, and improve transaction success rates.”
NetAPI Telecom’s full API portfolio includes:
GSMA Open Gateway Certified:
- SIM Swap: Detect recent SIM changes to prevent account takeover and mobile money fraud
- Location Verification: Verify whether a device is within a specified area
- Location Retrieval: Retrieve the geographical position of a mobile device
- Device Roaming Status: Determine if a device is roaming on a visited network
- Device Reachability Status: Check whether a device is currently reachable on the network
Additional APIs:
- Number Verification: Silent, network-level phone number authentication without SMS OTPs
- Device Swap: Detect when a subscriber has changed devices
- KYC Match: Verify customer identity data against operator records
- KYC Fill-in: Retrieve verified customer identity attributes from operator data
- KYC Age Verification: Confirm whether a subscriber meets a minimum age threshold
- Connected Network Type: Identify the network generation (2G/3G/4G/5G) a device is connected to
- Quality on Demand: Create and manage on-demand quality of service sessions
- QoS Profiles: List and retrieve available quality of service profiles