Verizon, Vonage Partner to Deliver 5G APIs to Developers

Verizon and Vonage have partnered to deliver advanced 5G APIs to developers.

The two companies, with Vonage a part of Ericsson, have announced a memorandum of understanding involving introducing Verizon network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to Vonage’s platform, empowering developers to access network services and capabilities.

The collaboration between the companies extends to the joint development of new APIs, a critical initiative to foster an ecosystem of network APIs. These APIs will allow developers to construct applications prioritising security, reliability, and innovation.

Srini Kalapala, Senior Vice President of Technology and Product Development at Verizon, said:

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. Working with global partners to make network capabilities available on a wider scale will provide exceptional value for enterprises and consumers.”

Integrating Verizon’s network services into Vonage’s platform will revolutionise enterprise-consumer connections, enhancing experiences and bolstering brand loyalty. This partnership intends to improve existing APIs and develop advanced ones, driving global access to cutting-edge network capabilities.

Accessing Verizon’s advanced network services and customer touchpoints greatly benefits enterprises. Verizon’s APIs act as the connective tissue, linking developers, enterprises, and applications with many network services and data. This connectivity enhances application capabilities and customer experiences, fosters innovation, drives growth and boosts profitability.

Meanwhile, Vonage’s CPaaS streamlines embedding communication features into applications, systems, and workflows for over a million developers through communications APIs. Vonage provides a range of communication APIs spanning voice, video, messaging, and verification, along with AI-capable, low-code/no-code programmable components for accelerated app development.

With Ericsson’s network support, this platform will expand to offer developers access to advanced apps 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,” added Seckin Arikan, Executive Vice President and Head of 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.”

The innovation also intends to unlock 5G’s potential, accelerate enterprise digital transformation, and boost revenue from network assets.

What Has Vonage Been Up To Recently?

Last month, Niklas Heuveldop was appointed as Vonage‘s new CEO.

Ericsson, which acquired Vonage in July 2022, revealed that Heuveldop, previously Ericsson’s Head of Market Area North America, had been named both Vonage CEO and Head of Business Area Global Communications Platform, beginning February 1, 2024. Ericsson credits Heuveldop with demonstrating leadership across various executive roles within the business, including a pivotal role in enhancing its presence in North America, resulting in the growth of Ericsson’s market share among critical customers in the region.

Meanwhile, in September last year, Vonage and Flowcode partnered to deliver a “first-of-its-kind” communications tool, which empowered customers to immediately communicate with brands, small businesses, and service providers.

The new solution, Flowconnect, allowed consumers to scan a QR code to instantly initiate communications with a customer service team. This was made possible by integrating live chat using QR technology from the direct-to-consumer platform, Flowcode, in parallel with Vonage’s APIs.

Verizon’s Closing of BlueJeans

Last August, Verizon shut down its BlueJeans video conferencing service.

In an email sent to BlueJeans’ service members — and published by 9to5Google — on Tuesday, August 8, Verizon confirmed that BlueJeans’ suite of products was being “sunset” due to an evolving and volatile market situation.

BlueJeans Basic and free trial offerings were discontinued as of August 31, 2023, and customers’ access to the services was stopped. BlueJeans’ enterprise customers weren’t mentioned as being restricted by the August 31 deadline, and they were provided with a more extended transition period to prepare for the end of BlueJeans’ services.