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David Palacios, Telco Technical Director at Tupl Inc., looks at how the telecommunications is shifting to open ecosystems to drive innovation, reduce costs, boost efficiency, and unlock revenue and growth opportunities.
David Palacios, Tupl Inc.
Unlocking innovation in telecommunications through open ecosystems
The telecommunications industry is currently embracing a profound shift—one that pivots from proprietary, siloed architectures to collaborative, open ecosystems. According to Accenture, business ecosystems could generate up to $100 trillion in value over the next decade. Telecom operators, by harnessing open platforms, APIs, and modular architectures, stand poised to capture a significant share of this growth.
At the heart of this evolution lies the philosophy of openness: a commitment to interoperability, modularity, and shared innovation. Open ecosystems empower stakeholders—network operators, software vendors, equipment providers, and hyperscalers—to co-create value and deliver services faster, cheaper, and more flexibly.
Open telecom ecosystems are characterized by transparency, accessibility, and distributed control. Unlike traditional monolithic systems managed by a single vendor, open ecosystems allow multiple stakeholders to contribute and consume services, fostering a more agile and innovative environment.
Open APIs and disaggregated architectures form the foundation of these ecosystems. They simplify legacy systems, accelerate co-development, and enable seamless interaction between diverse network components. This approach not only encourages modularity but also enhances operational efficiency and responsiveness to emerging market demands.
Several key open-source initiatives are leading the charge in redefining telecommunications:
O-RAN alliance: By decomposing the radio access network into interoperable components—the radio unit (RU), distributed unit (DU), and central unit (CU)—O-RAN enables multi-vendor deployments that reduce vendor lock-in, foster competition, and lower costs. This shift is expected to drive Open RAN to capture 20–30% of the global market by 2028.
ONAP (open network automation platform): A cloud-native orchestration framework, ONAP enables real-time automation and lifecycle management of virtual and physical network functions. It replaces rigid, proprietary operational and business support systems (OSS/BSS) with a modular, microservices-based architecture, drastically improving operational agility.
Nephio: Spearheaded by Google and the Linux Foundation, Nephio leverages Kubernetes and GitOps to manage telecom workloads as cloud-native applications. Its declarative approach simplifies NFV implementations and supports seamless multi-cloud and hybrid deployments.
CAMARA Project: CAMARA develops standardized APIs to expose telecom capabilities—such as edge computing, SIM swap detection, and Quality on Demand—to developers. It democratizes access to telecom features and accelerates integration with third-party applications, enabling telcos to participate more directly in the digital services economy.
LF Networking (LFN): Serving as an umbrella for open networking projects, LFN fosters collaboration across SDN, NFV, and cloud networking. By integrating platforms like ONAP, DPDK, and FD.io, LFN supports a holistic ecosystem that enables rapid innovation and cross-platform interoperability.
Open APIs are rapidly becoming the connective tissue of telecom innovation. They enable seamless integration of 5G capabilities into external applications and platforms, lowering technical barriers and encouraging broader participation from developers, enterprises, and hyperscalers.
Beyond enabling speed and scale, open APIs standardize how telecom services are accessed. Projects like TM Forum’s Open API initiative and the GSMA Open Gateway are laying the groundwork for interoperable, industry-wide standards. With over 900,000 downloads and adoption by more than 2,800 organizations, these APIs demonstrate the growing appetite for accessible telecom capabilities.
Moreover, the monetization potential is enormous. Analysts estimate that network APIs could unlock between $100 billion and $300 billion in revenue related to connectivity and edge computing within the next five to seven years.
A successful open ecosystem demands robust interoperability frameworks and secure data sharing protocols. According to the IEEE, interoperability entails seamless communication and information usage across different systems—ensuring efficient network expansion, coverage, and compatibility.
At the same time, modern data sharing strategies prioritize privacy and security. Techniques such as fully homomorphic encryption, differential privacy, and functional encryption are essential for enabling secure, cross-organizational collaboration while maintaining regulatory compliance.
The value of open ecosystems extends beyond technological capability—it translates directly into business performance. Leading telecom operators leveraging open platforms have reported:
Success is evaluated across multiple dimensions: network performance (coverage, service quality), customer engagement (churn, net additions), financial health (cost ratios, ROI), and environmental impact (carbon footprint reduction).
In assessing ROI, operators consider both direct financial gains and strategic intangibles, including customer retention, market leadership, and enhanced brand reputation.
Tupl is actively engaged in industry-wide initiatives such as TM Forum’s Open API Manifesto and the ODA Components Directory, reflecting broader efforts to promote openness and interoperability in telecom. This participation supports the alignment of automation technologies with established standards, helping operators streamline system integration and advance toward more efficient, intelligent network operations.
As the telecom sector moves toward intent-based networking and zero-touch automation, the application of AI within standardized frameworks is playing a growing role in reshaping network management, service assurance, and customer experience.
The trajectory is clear: openness is not merely a strategy—it is an imperative. With Open RAN expected to represent a third of the market by 2028 and API-driven platforms forecasted to generate hundreds of billions in new revenue, the telecom industry must embrace open ecosystems to remain competitive.
Collaboration, standardization, and innovation will distinguish the leaders. Those who cultivate strong partnerships, adopt open architectures, and measure success rigorously will drive the next wave of transformation in global telecommunications.
