Moderated by Žiga Lešnik, Simon-Kucher, with Markus Kümmerle (Project CAMARA), Mark Harvey (XConnect), Álvaro Navarro (Vonage), and Andrés Burgoa (Aduna)

At CASA25, Žiga Lešnik of Simon-Kucher hosted one of the most dynamic and candid panels of the week — bringing together leaders from across the emerging network API value chain. What unfolded was a mix of celebration, hard truth, and cautious optimism about the road ahead for network APIs.

The New API Economy Takes Shape

The session opened with Markus Kümmerle of Deutsche Telekom — one of the original driving forces behind Project CAMARA — recounting how far the ecosystem has come.

Five years ago, he started Deutsche Telekom’s API program “as a one-man show,” building the GitHub, website, and onboarding the first 1,300 members himself. “We learned early that we only win together,” he said, describing how CAMARA’s success was born out of collaboration.

His point landed with the audience: telcos have tried to do APIs alone — and failed five times before. This time, as several panelists agreed, feels different.

Collaboration, Not Competition

Mark Harvey, Chief Identity Officer at XConnect (following Sekura.id’s acquisition), described the evolution from “API spaghetti” to the current wave of standardization.

“It’s very rare to see competitors like us sitting side by side,” he said. “We’ve finally realized that no one can crack this on their own.”

Both Álvaro Navarro from Vonage and Andrés Burgoa from Aduna echoed this sentiment. Vonage represents the CPaaS and developer experience side, Aduna the aggregator layer connecting multiple operators. “Our job,” said Burgoa, “is to make the life of these gentlemen easier — aggregating APIs globally so they can focus on developer relations and enterprise solutions.”

He summarized Aduna’s role neatly: “We’re the piece of the puzzle that nobody knew was missing.”

From Promise to Reality

A year ago, network APIs were still a promise. Now, they’re live.

For Vonage, that means focusing on developer experience and coverage — ensuring APIs work seamlessly in multiple countries and can be tested easily. “Even if it’s fake data, give developers a playground,” said Navarro. “That’s how adoption grows.”

Aduna, meanwhile, is solving the scalability challenge. Instead of every CPaaS negotiating with dozens of operators, Aduna handles the coverage and compliance complexity once. “We want Alvaro and his peers to focus on building solutions — not chasing legal contracts,” Burgoa explained.

Kümmerle confirmed that wholesale aggregation now represents 80% of Deutsche Telekom’s API business, with examples like RTL and Associated Press using live video APIs for major events. “It’s no longer theory — it’s production,” he said.

Focus: The Word of the Day

If there was one word that united the panel, it was focus.

“There are 181 CAMARA APIs,” warned Harvey. “We can’t focus on 181 things. Let’s stop adding new ones and start generating revenue.”

He argued for shifting attention away from “developers” and toward product owners inside enterprises: “They’re the ones with the problems — developers just implement. Let’s listen to the product teams, not just publish APIs and hope someone uses them.”

Kümmerle agreed: “We expose everything we have, but that’s wrong. The customer has one question: is it fraud — yes or no? That’s what we should build for.”

Three to Five Years Ahead

The panel looked forward to 2030 projections — figures as high as $300 billion in annual API revenues. While most saw this as achievable, the message was clear: it won’t happen by itself.

Burgoa highlighted regional momentum, noting that Aduna recently hosted its first summit at AT&T’s Dallas HQ with Verizon, T-Mobile, and international carriers. “If you had told me three years ago that all three U.S. operators would sit together to talk about network APIs, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said.

But he was also realistic: “We’re spending more time in small rooms than on stages, negotiating commercial, legal, and operational alignment. It’s slow, but it’s real.”

Challenges Still Ahead

As Žiga pushed the panel to name what’s not working, the mood turned refreshingly honest.

Burgoa admitted the story still needs to “propagate” deeper inside operators. “It’s still a niche layer at the top. We need the operational people to start executing, not just hearing the story.”

Kümmerle pointed to over-regulation in Europe as a drag on innovation: “Privacy and sovereignty are essential, but the balance is off. We need to talk with regulators about how to enable innovation without compromising trust.”

Harvey reminded the audience that progress is often invisible: “Just because it’s not in the news doesn’t mean it’s not happening. TikTok and Google deals are massive milestones. We should celebrate small wins.”

Takeaways: Building the Road Ahead

Focus on fewer, higher-value APIs. Fraud, identity, and authentication are clear starting points. Talk to product owners, not just developers. Solve real enterprise pain points. Simplify language and onboarding. Developer experience is still a major adoption barrier. Collaborate, don’t compete. Aggregation, trust, and shared standards are key. Engage regulators early. Privacy and innovation must evolve together.

In the end, the tone was pragmatic but hopeful.

“We’ve fallen off the bike five times,” Harvey said, smiling. “But this time, we’re pedaling forward — together.”

Want to help shape the future of network APIs?

Join the CPaaS Acceleration Alliance and contribute to our ongoing work on The State of CPaaS 2026 and Network API Roadmap — where we turn conversations like this one into collaborative action.

At CASA25, Nicolai Schaettgen (Match-Maker Ventures) hosted a candid fireside chat with Ramazan Soganci, Portfolio Lead CPaaS at KPN, diving into how the Dutch telco is reinventing itself through practical network API use cases. The star example? A collaboration with buy-now-pay-later giant Riverty — not built on technology for its own sake, but on something more fundamental: trust.

From Side Project to Strategic Priority

Two years ago, CPaaS at KPN was still treated like a side hustle. Like many telcos, KPN had spent a decade debating RCS and dabbling in APIs. But the rise of enterprise digital transformation—and the demand for flexible, secure, real-time communications—finally pushed the company to act.

That shift came with a new mindset: expose telco assets through APIs, go beyond messaging, and focus on value creation. Today, Ramazan leads this transformation. His team is scaling KPN’s CPaaS and network API business in partnership with aggregators and enterprises—proving the time for real deployment is now.

The Riverty Story: Trust Is the Real Currency

When financial services firm Riverty (formerly Arvato) approached KPN, it wasn’t to discuss APIs, pricing, or product specs. The conversation centered on trust—the most valuable asset in financial services.

With growing regulatory pressure across Europe, Riverty needed a robust age verification solution to protect consumers and satisfy regulators. Could telco data play a role in ensuring underage users weren’t accessing credit? Could the solution be seamless, scalable, and compliant?

KPN said yes—and delivered a simple yet powerful age verification API. The solution checks, in real time, whether a buyer is 18 or older, using KPN’s verified subscriber data. It’s frictionless, accurate, and—critically—trusted by both regulators and customers.

“We never discussed financial KPIs with Riverty,” Ramazan noted. “The entire conversation was about trust, compliance, and protecting customers.”

Beyond KPN’s Network: Scale Through Collaboration

One standout aspect of this use case: it doesn’t stop with KPN subscribers. Realizing that full market coverage is essential for enterprise buyers, KPN collaborated with other Dutch telcos and aggregators to make the solution available across networks.

This is not the telco playbook of old. It’s a new era of API-driven cooperation, where value comes from federation, not fragmentation.

“No customer accepts 40% coverage. To win, we need scale—and that means working together,” Ramazan said. “It’s not about ego anymore.”

A Strategic Framework: Communication + Network + Identity APIs

KPN’s offering spans far beyond a single use case. Ramazan described their CPaaS strategy as built around three pillars:

• Communication APIs – traditional messaging and voice (SMS, RCS, etc)
• Network APIs – exposing telco assets like quality on demand, SIM swap detection, and location
• Identity APIs – enabling age, identity, and silent authentication use cases

Each API is evaluated based on relevance to specific verticals, with financial services and e-commerce currently showing the most traction due to their fraud and compliance needs.

“We don’t believe in throwing dozens of APIs into the market and hoping for adoption,” Ramazan emphasized. “We start with real use cases, solve problems, and then scale.”

Hyperscalers, Developers, and the Go-to-Market Dilemma

One of the most honest parts of the discussion was around hyperscalers. Ramazan acknowledged that companies like Amazon and Google have a head start when it comes to developer relationships—but KPN isn’t trying to compete on the same terms.

Instead, they’re going deep in verticals, working directly with compliance officers, risk managers, and business owners, not just IT or procurement.

This account-based, consultative approach helped land the Riverty deal—and it’s the foundation for growth in other industries.

What’s Next: From Proof to Scale

KPN isn’t alone anymore. With GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative pushing global alignment, and more telcos investing in practical, privacy-compliant APIs, momentum is building. But challenges remain.

To truly scale:

Cross-operator collaboration must become the norm Success cases like Riverty must be productized and marketed The developer experience still needs simplification and abstraction Telcos must embrace new go-to-market roles, beyond network operations

Ramazan closed with a call to action:

“The industry needs more collaboration—not just among telcos, but with aggregators, platforms, and innovators in this room.”

Key Takeaways

• Trust is a strategic differentiator. Telcos can offer unique identity and verification tools that businesses—and regulators—will rely on.
• Start small, scale smart. Don’t launch dozens of APIs. Build reference use cases with high-value verticals, then replicate.
• Partnerships matter. Cross-operator collaboration and aggregator support are key to reaching enterprise-grade scale.
• Riverty is just the beginning. Financial services and e-commerce are ripe for more telco-powered identity and fraud solutions.

Final Word

At CASA25, the buzzword wasn’t APIs. It was impact. And KPN’s Riverty collaboration is a clear signal: telcos can move from slow-moving incumbents to trusted partners in the digital economy—when they build with purpose.

Let’s make it happen. Together.

“On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

That decades-old meme still holds power—and in some ways, it’s the root problem of digital trust today. At CASA25, Helene Vigue, Identity and Data Director at GSMA, took the stage to talk about how telcos, through initiatives like GSMA Open Gateway, are finally in a position to help solve that problem at scale.

This isn’t about flashy new technology. It’s about enabling real-world trust in a digital world—and it’s where network APIs and mobile identity become not just relevant, but essential.

A World of Identities—and a Crisis of Trust

In a compelling, no-nonsense keynote, Helene walked us through a simple but powerful idea: your phone is the bridge between your physical self and your digital footprint.

“Mobile identity leverages this connection to enable businesses to securely verify customer identities—with minimal friction.”

Why does this matter? Because fraud is exploding. Scams and data breaches are growing faster than digital payments. And as AI evolves, it enables not only better customer service—but also faster, cheaper, scalable fraud attacks.

Meanwhile, regulators are responding with age assurance mandates, stronger compliance rules, and increasing scrutiny on platforms. Enterprises are stuck in the middle—trying to protect users while keeping the customer experience smooth.

This is where telcos come in. By exposing network APIs, they can deliver trusted signals directly from the source—such as SIM swap detection, number verification, and next-gen authentication.

From SMS OTP to Seamless Authentication

For years, we relied on SMS one-time passwords (OTP) to verify identities. But between rising costs, phishing attacks, and poor UX, the industry has outgrown that solution.

Operators are now offering seamless, passwordless authentication, enabled directly via the network. It’s faster (up to 2x), has better completion rates (up to +20%), and is more secure.

Helene highlighted examples like:

• Lydia (Banking) – Using mobile authentication to reduce fraud and total cost of ownership
• Ride-hailing & entertainment platforms – Focusing on speed and user experience
• Telkomsel (Operator) – Pivoting away from legacy A2P SMS by launching number verification APIs to win back enterprise trust

Identity APIs in Action: Fraud Prevention That Works

In Argentina, SIM swap fraud had become a major issue. Local operators responded by tightening internal security and launching a shared SIM swap API—used heavily by banks and payment providers.

A standout example: Movipay, which powers public transport payments. They were suffering from high levels of chargeback fraud, where criminals hijacked accounts, loaded funds, then reclaimed them. By implementing SIM swap monitoring, Movipay reduced this fraud by 80% in six months—while cutting manual review processes significantly.

This is what network APIs should be about: real outcomes, not just tech specs.

Why Partners Are the Missing Link

Helene didn’t sugarcoat the challenges. When asked what has disappointed her most in the Open Gateway initiative, she responded bluntly:

“We are too slow. That’s not a disappointment—that’s expected when you work with operators. What is disappointing is that new markets don’t learn fast enough from others… especially the critical role of partners.”

Too many telcos still try to go it alone. But the winners—those showing real traction—work closely with partners like:

Identity aggregators (combining mobile identity with broader identity stacks) CPaaS providers (scaling APIs across networks) System integrators (embedding identity into enterprise workflows)

Without this ecosystem, even the best APIs will fail to deliver value.

Mobile Identity as the Foundation for Digital Trust

Helene shared a full identity journey—from account creation to authentication, transaction security, and account management—showing where mobile signals can add trust at every stage.

From checking a number’s validity at sign-up, to monitoring SIM swap risk during transactions, to verifying ownership before allowing changes to an account—the network knows. And now, through Open Gateway, that knowledge can be safely shared with enterprises and platforms that need it.

An Open Call to Action

Helene closed with a clear message:

“If you haven’t yet joined the Open Gateway initiative, we really encourage you to do so.”

With over 100 networks launched, 200 APIs certified, and 80% of global connections represented, Open Gateway is more than a promise—it’s a movement.

But to reach full impact, it needs more partners, more adoption, and more success stories.

Final Thought: Telcos, Don’t Waste the Opportunity

Identity might just be the killer app for network APIs.

It delivers compliance, reduces fraud, improves UX, and lowers costs—all while aligning perfectly with telcos’ core strengths: trust, ubiquity, and infrastructure.

But only if they act boldly, partner smartly, and learn from each other.

Because in a world where nobody knows you’re a dog on the internet… mobile identity might just be our best leash on truth.

Recommended Next Step:

👉 Download the Mobile Identity Report from GSMA (if you haven’t already)

At CASA25’s now-infamous Fight Club session, the rules were simple:

Don’t talk CPaaS. Talk customers. Talk outcomes. Talk impact.

And Vonage’s Marc Marchal de Corny did exactly that.

In a punchy, practical session, Marc showed what happens when we stop obsessing over technology—and start focusing on what users actually need. From fighting fraud to speeding up onboarding, the message was clear: real-world use cases, measured by real-world results, are what drive adoption. Everything else is noise.

From the First SMS to Today’s Identity Crisis

Marc started with a throwback: the first SMS in 1992. Since then, we’ve created amazing apps, connected billions of devices… yet we’re still authenticating users the same way—via SMS and one-time codes.

But the world has changed.

Fraud is now a $10 trillion industry.

Threats like synthetic identity fraud, social engineering, and OTP interception are everywhere. Yet many businesses still rely on the same outdated flows.

It’s time for something better.

Enter Network APIs: Invisible, Instant, Secure

Vonage’s answer? Network APIs, embedded within their Verify platform. These APIs work silently in the background—using mobile network data to authenticate users without them ever leaving the app, typing a code, or even noticing.

Two standout use cases showed the power of this approach.

Use Case 1: Sumeria (formerly Lydia) – Reducing Fraud, Not UX

Sumeria is France’s leading neobank. Like Revolut, they rely heavily on phone numbers as identity. But that made them vulnerable to account takeover attacks—and created friction in the onboarding process.

What they needed:

✅ Stronger security

✅ Seamless UX

✅ Lower drop-off rates

What Vonage delivered:

• 🔐 99% reduction in account takeover fraud
• 🚀 22% drop in sign-up abandonment
• ⚡ 3–5x faster user authentication
• 📱 6 million users verified via silent authentication

Crucially, this wasn’t just about swapping SMS for a new API. It was about rethinking the experience, eliminating interruptions, and restoring trust at scale.

Use Case 2: Cabify – Don’t Make Me Wait

For Cabify (the Uber of Latin America and Southern Europe), the challenge wasn’t fraud—it was speed. Travelers arriving at airports needed a ride now, and any delay in sign-up meant lost customers.

With Vonage’s network API-powered flow, Cabify:

• 🕐 Reduced onboarding time by 50%
• 🔐 Decreased OTP sharing and fake accounts
• 📈 Increased sign-up completions
• 🌍 Reached 50M+ users globally

Fast, secure, and invisible—the authentication just happened, in seconds.

Why Isn’t Everyone Doing This (Yet)?

An audience member nailed the big question:

If the benefits are this obvious, why aren’t all enterprises using this already?

Marc’s answer was honest:

“The use cases have always been there. What’s been missing is the operators’ ability—or willingness—to deliver at scale.”

But let’s be clear—this is not just a supply-side issue.

Even when the APIs are available, adoption takes time. Because switching is not just a technical decision—it’s a strategic transformation. It means:

• Updating customer journeys
• Rethinking identity models
• Aligning with compliance and legal
• Getting buy-in from risk, procurement, and CX teams
• Proving ROI to business stakeholders

And that means we, as an industry, have to do more than just ship APIs.

We need to:

• Talk benefits, not backend systems
• Explain outcomes, not architectures
• Guide customers through the entire change journey—not just integration

From CPaaS to Intelligent Engagement

What Marc gave us wasn’t a product pitch. It was a live case study in intelligent engagement.

It’s not about replacing SMS. It’s not about voice vs. data. It’s not even about CPaaS.

It’s about delivering value faster—for both the business and the end user.

Whether it’s signing up for a neobank, hailing a cab, or verifying identity across channels, the winning strategy is always the same:

• Invisible tech.
• Seamless UX.
• Measurable results.

That’s intelligent engagement in action.

And that’s what the future of this industry needs more of.

Final Word: It’s Time to Work Together

If we want network APIs—and intelligent engagement more broadly—to go mainstream, we need a new playbook.

It’s not enough to build great tools.

We need to embed them into outcomes.

To work across teams, not just tech stacks.

And to support customers every step of the way, from idea to implementation.

Because in the end, it’s not about what we can build.

It’s about what users actually need.

And that’s where the real fight is.