AT&T confirmed deployment of what it dubbed the first standardized 5G network APIs in the U.S. The rollout comes as part of the Ericsson and Google-developed Aduna telecom API venture, of which AT&T is a partner alongside other major carriers.

In a blog post from Shawn Hakl, SVP and head of product at AT&T Business, the firm confirmed the launch of advanced network APIs for number verification and SIM swap, as first announced last year. That venture was made between AT&T and fellow Aduna members T-Mobile US and Verizon, aiming to reduce risks such as text messaging fraud and unauthorized SIM swaps.

“Enabling APIs on our network is about fostering collaboration and accelerating innovation of better customers experiences,” Haki wrote. “By providing access to standardized, carrier-grade capabilities through Aduna, developers can now access verification from our network to build mobile app experiences across all three major U.S. carriers. This new approach eliminates the need for separate agreements or certifications with each carrier.”

The SVP added the APIs are available through familiar marketplaces, helping developers experiment, iterate, and deploy new solutions “without the friction of fragmented systems.”

The deployment, built on AT&T's Authentication and Verification Service, is a suite of APIs enabling developers to securely verify user identities and detect fraud by leveraging AT&T’s network intelligence, with early success in the financial services space regarding real-time authentication of users in real time.

Reflecting Aduna’s global purview, Haki mentioned early use cases of the same network API technology outside the United States within the wider Aduna ecosystem.

“Various industries have already taken advantage of these enhanced login experiences to authenticate users, and the early adopters in the U.S. have come from financial services and health care,” Haki noted.

Aduna was initiated by Ericsson, Google, and a dozen telecom operators in late 2024, and tasked with providing a commercial avenue for operators to provide revenue-generating APIs to the developer community. The joint venture gained official status in mid-2025, with Ericsson staking a 50% claim to the project with the other half split among the dozen founding operators.

On the development side, Google Cloud and Ericsson subsidiary Vonage were key players in the original development of the platform, which produces network APIs designed for hyperscalers, communications platform-as-a-service providers, system integrators, and independent software vendors.

Upon its launch, AT&T told SDxCentral that it hoped to encourage new business models for communication providers to monetize features of their 5G networks through application software, with the carrier optimistic about a large go-to-market channel to Google and Vonage’s developer base.

Optimism has also seen IDC predict that the global telecom and network API market will be generating north of $6 billion in revenues per year by 2028, while Nokia recently brought its network APIs to Google Cloud Marketplace.

In spite of this, APIs remain a tough sell in the sector. The open source Camara project – the API standard from which Aduna follows – told SDxCentral last year it remains challenging to encourage developer buy-in, with analysts questioning whether telecom operators can reap rewards from the API ecosystem.

AT&T’s announcement may keep Aduna afloat as the strongest hope for API success in telecom, with the venture recently bolstered by the addition of Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo, which joined the project this month.