Contributed article by Ramesh Kaza, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Shabodi
The inception of 5G technology initiated a transformative era for network users, heralding a host of new capabilities that simultaneously fostered growth for enterprises across myriad industries. 5G’s disruption is expected to persist with the North America, Developed Asia Pacific, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions expected to have surpassed 90 percent adoption by 2030.
With Fortune 500 executives deliberating on integrating 5G capabilities into their digital transformation strategies, the pressure is mounting for innovators and application developers to harness the full spectrum of opportunities that this advanced network promises. Yet, amidst the fervor lies a daunting obstacle—the complexity of leveraging programmability aspects of 5G itself.
Steep Learning Curve for Developers
Developers confront a steep learning curve to leverage 5G’s API exposure capabilities, such as enhanced bandwidth for premium subscribers in a stadium, low latency video for a drone operation, and Edge Node selection, etc., 5G standards, as governed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), introduce Network Exposure Functions (NEFs) that applications can utilize. However, the intricacies of these functions demand in-depth network knowledge, an expertise that overshadows the domain of many developers. These hurdles are further amplified by Network Equipment Providers (NEPs) that impose proprietary interfaces, leading to restrictive application adaptations limited to particular network contexts.
In a webinar dated 15 June 2023, titled Network APIs: A new revenue opportunity for telcos, STL Partners surveyed 24 developers and found some developers are seeing value in the programmability of 5G networks as a means of competitive differentiation and as an enabler of new and upcoming services. The finding included 70% generally seeing value in 5G, with 50% seeing value in Network APIs. They felt the less complexity and shorter the learning curve, the faster they could use it to build innovative applications.
The necessity for a more straightforward approach becomes palpable in this maze of technical complexity. Enterprises face grim prospects: either reskill their developers to master the sophisticated realm of tapping into Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in 5G networks or endure delayed launches and suboptimal application performance. Such challenges underscore the pressing demand for an intermediary solution to demystify the development of applications using 5G’s exposure APIs without compromising innovation or agility.
Supporting Platforms are Key
Enter Shabodi’s Network-Aware Application Enablement Platform (AEP), a novel network appliance that aims to dissolve the barriers between advanced networks like 5G and application development. Leaders in API development, Shabodi delivers a CAPIF-compliant solution that distills complex network and data capabilities into user-friendly, simple RESTful APIs. Through discovery, normalization, and orchestration, Shabodi’s Network-Aware AEP equips developers with the necessary tools to craft applications devoid of the complex 5G API exposure and parameter intricacies that previously hindered their path to innovation.
“Shabodi is the industry’s first Network-Aware Application Enablement Platform (AEP) that provides faster access to developers to embed network and data services into applications via simplified Network APIs. Shabodi is the only company that exposes the Network APIs across multiple operators, vendors, and network technologies, thus enabling applications to operate with network awareness across hybrid networks,” said Ramesh Kaza, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Shabodi.
As industries from manufacturing and healthcare to governmental sectors pivot towards incorporating 5G, the ability for applications to interact with network resources seamlessly has become imperative. Shabodi’s AEP allows extensive real-time application interaction with the network, transitioning beyond mere network awareness to a state of network harmonization. This quality of integration elevates the potential for an array of next-gen applications, including AI, IoT, AR/VR/XR, and more, promoting enhanced network awareness within many industries such as:
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Healthcare
- Energy, Oil, & Gas
- Financial Services
The Network-Aware AEP constructs an innovative economic foundation built upon 5G as its core pillar. This sets a precedent for a scalable future where developers can realign network resources dynamically, crafting robust and responsive applications to modern enterprises’ real-time demands.
The Shabodi network-aware AEP streamlines application creation for inexperienced to seasoned developers by minimizing the complexity of interacting with various network vendors or operator APIs. Traditionally, rigid, hardcoded configurations limited creation, becoming disorganized and resource intensive; Shabodi’s Network-Aware AEP instead cultivates a transformative environment of discovering network services from multi-vendor, multi-operator, multi-access technology and presenting simplified APIs to developers. The AEP establishes a virtual network element that developers can utilize to tailor network behaviors within user and data planes, paving the way for dynamic application development and deployment.
As 5G gains momentum, application enablement is critical to bridging the 5G adoption gap. The practical usage of the AEP culminates in a wider variety of developers utilizing the vast network capabilities to become sophisticated application functionalities.
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