Verizon and Vonage announce collaboration to bring advanced 5G network APIs to developers

NEW YORK – Verizon, the nation’s largest leading provider of technology and communications services, and Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications and a part of Ericsson, have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining their intention to introduce Verizon network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to the Vonage platform that will enable the developer community to access network services and capabilities. The companies will also collaborate in developing new APIs, an important step in creating an ecosystem of network APIs that can be leveraged by developers to build secure, reliable and innovative applications. The plan to integrate the Verizon network services into Vonage’s platform will enable enterprises to create deeper engagement with consumers across the customer journey to drive a better overall experience and brand loyalty. The collaboration will build on existing APIs to innovate on next generation, advanced APIs that will drive the global industry forward towards easy, ubiquitous access to cutting-edge network capabilities. This is essential to unleash the full potential of the 5G network, speed digital transformation within enterprises and create incremental monetization of network assets.

Verizon operates the most reliable 5G network with advanced capabilities deployed from the core to the edge. Through applications and solutions that run over its global network, Verizon serves as a critical customer touchpoint with enterprise and consumer customers daily. Access to Verizon’s strategic advanced network services and customer touch points has the potential to add significant value for enterprises. Verizon-developed APIs will serve as the connecting tissue linking together developers, enterprises, applications and the wealth of network services and data that can enhance application capabilities and customer experiences as well as drive innovation, growth, and profitability.

“As we evolve our API journey, we welcome collaboration with companies like Vonage who share our passion to make network capabilities available to developers for the advancement of the connected world,” said Srini Kalapala, Senior Vice President of Technology and Product Development at Verizon. “Working with global partners to make network capabilities available on a wider scale will provide exceptional value for enterprises and consumers.”

Verizon has been offering APIs for several years, with a broad roadmap for the development of additional APIs and advanced network services ahead. This arrangement with Vonage, which will offer seamless integrations with business applications and productivity tools, will make some of the most creative and versatile of those network APIs available to the wider developer community.

Vonage’s Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) is a mature platform that makes it easy for a community of more than a million developers to embed communications capabilities into applications, systems and workflows through Communications APIs. Vonage offers a comprehensive suite of communications APIs including voice, video, messaging, and verification, as well as a portfolio of AI-capable, low-code/no-code programmable components that speed and simplify the development of applications. With Ericsson’s network leadership, this platform will be extended to enable developers to build advanced secure, reliable and innovative applications by exposing 5G capabilities as APIs.

“Vonage’s collaboration with Verizon will represent another key milestone in the execution of Ericsson’s strategy to create a global network platform business by enabling the company to offer network APIs in the U.S. market,” said Seckin Arikan, Executive Vice President and Head of Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) and Global Network Platform (GNP) Sales. “With a mature platform in place, Vonage is uniquely positioned to aggregate Verizon APIs into an intuitive and consumable format that can be readily adopted by developers. Together with frontrunner operators such as Verizon, Vonage is excited to bring new, next generation network APIs to market.”