Ericsson teams with LotusFlare to accelerate network API adoption

Extending its continued programme to give enterprises and developers the opportunity to create innovative and advanced applications, accelerate digital transformation and enhance the user experience through application programming interfaces (APIs), Ericsson has announced a strategic partnership with software development company LotusFlare.

Founded in 2014, and currently employing 500 people globally, LotusFlare’s stated mission is to design, build and continuously advance a cloud-native commerce and monetisation platform, DNO Cloud, that aims to simplify technology and customer experience to deliver valuable outcomes to enterprises. The company owns and operates Nomad eSIM, which offers users data plans in more than 200 destinations.

DNO Cloud platform is designed to provide a consent management and digital commerce solutions that enable a Network API Exposure Layer for the exposure and monetisation of advanced network capabilities via network APIs.

Ericsson has acquired a minority stake in LotusFlare as part of the partnership, and its Vonage division will use and accelerated supply of APIs to boost the consumption of new network capabilities by enabling developers and enterprises to build network powered solutions that “will turn advanced connectivity into competitive advantage”, according to the partners.

Ericsson believes that having access to these systems strengthen and complement industry leadership in networks and comprehensive portfolio of solutions for cloud service providers (CSPs) to expose and monetise advanced network capabilities through APIs.

The partnership will also see Ericsson and LotusFlare provide common solution blueprints to describe typical integration scenarios for the network API exposure layer, including API access and consent management, and bring them to market to accelerate CSPs’ journeys toward network API monetisation.

Niklas Heuveldop, Vonage CEO and senior vice-president, as well as head of its business area global communications platform, noted that the combination of Ericsson’s programmable networks with LotusFlare’s network abstraction capabilities, Aduna’s global network API aggregation capabilities and Vonage’s network powered enterprise solutions will accelerate CSPs’ abilities to unlock new network capabilities and take advantage of “one of the most important value creation opportunities” for the industry.

“We are delighted to establish this strategic partnership with LotusFlare. By further strengthening the industry ecosystem, Ericsson is accelerating the potential for CSPs, enterprises and developers to collaborate and innovate at hyperscale, leveraging the full potential of 5G and AI,” he said.

LotusFlare CEO and co-founder Sam Gadodia added: “We are delighted to welcome Ericsson as an investor in LotusFlare. Since our founding, our mission has been to simplify technology and customer experience. We have made significant progress towards this goal through both our DNO Cloud and Nomad eSIM businesses.

“Ericsson’s investment represents a powerful validation of our product innovation and market impact. We are confident this partnership will unlock new market opportunities and accelerate the development of critical network asset monetisation capabilities for CSPs globally.”

The new partnership follows a similar move by Vonage with Australia’s largest telco Telstra team to accelerate digital transformation with network APIs, introducing the operator’s network APIs to the cloud communications platform in a non-exclusive agreement.

Explaining the rationale behind the deal, Vonage said network APIs were now key to uncovering new capabilities for use by developers from within a 5G network that have never before been exposed and made available in an easy, consumable way.