Opening Network Capabilities in the Mobile Internet Age

Openness and cooperation in mobile Internet is the consensus of leading telecom vendors worldwide. Google, a pioneer in opening network capabilities, has opened its Android mobile phone platform, App Engine cloud computing platform, and application programming interfaces (API) such as search, map and Opensocial. Facebook builds its closed SNS applications into an open social network platform and turns its huge volume of website traffic into operating revenue. Since China’s leading social network site, Renren, launched its open platform, Tencent, Sina, Baidu, Alibaba and 360 have all launched open platforms. Major telecom operators are following suit by devising openness strategies to seize the mobile Internet market.

The upsurge in open platforms has led to an explosive increase in the number of APIs. The number of APIs in 2005 was only 105; however, only six years later, it is 3940. Developers seem unsatisfied with current fast-developing open platforms. Openness is not merely a slogan, a concept, or even an attitude.The aim of openness is to create profit for every party involved. Opening network capabilities to create win-win situations is the best policy.

Resources Developers Most Need to Open

Successful platform openness needs a business ecology that profits operators, developers, and content providers. In recent years, operators have opened their traditional SMS, MMS, WAP and voice capabilities, but this has not aroused much interest from developers. To attract developers, operators should know first what developers need most.

French consultancy company, Moriana, have found that billing and charging, location, and user profile data are the most important capabilities for developers. Similarly, a survey on the open Taobao platform shows that the most popular APIs are stores and shops, transaction, logistics, products, charging, and user rating.

Therefore, to create a successful open platform, operators need to break away from traditional means of opening telecom capabilities; they need to open capabilities from a service perspective rather than from a capability engine perspective.

Advantageous Resources Operators Can Open

Opening network capabilities doesn’t mean a blue ocean opportunity for operators. It is far from enough for operators to follow the business mode of Internet companies. Operators have to seek their own advantages. They can focus on four resources to form their own core competencies:

● User resources. In this area, operators have an advantage over Internet companies. User profile data obtained by operators is true and reliable. This user profile data, analyzed by professional data analysis systems, is of interest to developers. 

● Network resources. Operators have telecom and IT capabilities that Internet companies do not have. Developers can use these capabilities in services to enhance product innovation.

● Billing and charging resources. Billing and charging systems that operators provide are often accurate, flexible and secure. Most operators have obtained a payment license, so developers can use the billing systems of operators to charge users and directly settle their accounts with the operator.

● Infrastructure resources. Operators have ICT infrastructure that can provide developers with application tests, deployments and managed services.

Operators can open their resources by providing standard interfaces so that third-parties can call up relevant resources. This lowers the threshold for developers to create smooth, impressive applications. Operators can also provide open platforms for developers to replace or trade their own resources. Through open platforms, operators can provide developers with one-stop services for development, testing, deployment, and release.

ZTE’s Open Network Platform Solution

ZTE’s open network platform solution is designed to converge mobile network and Internet resources in order to build an open platform for applications and to create a complete mobile Internet industry chain for operators, application developers, capability providers, and advertisers.

ZTE’s solution provides simple end-to-end services for developers, operators, and capability providers.

● It provides access to telecom networks and Internet. It screens lower-layer protocols, lowers the development threshold, and opens capabilities in a unified way.

● It provides developers and partners with one-stop development, testing, deployment, and release services. It provides public and enterprise users with fast access, triple-screen experience, and customized services. The open platform attracts and retains users.

● It is an incubation base that provides a variety of innovative applications for front-end sales platforms.

● It provides developers with materials and tools (SDK) as well as environments for service development, test and execution.

● It provides developers with a community network for technical exchange, experience sharing, and Q&A. Developers can release their creative ideas or submit applications. They can also get the latest development materials and tools, and evaluate and recommend them.

ZTE has supplied open network platforms for leading operators around the world, including France Telecom, SFR, Telenor, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom. Opening capabilities for win-win cooperation is coming true in the age of mobile Internet. ZTE is well positioned to work with all partners in the industry towards a successful future.