Earlier this year, McKinsey highlighted network APIs as a way for telecom companies to capitalize on their 5G investments, predicting a multi-billion dollar market within the next five to seven years. Network APIs have also gained significant attention recently, especially since the unveiling of GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative at the Mobile World Congress in 2023.

However, the success of this market hinges on DEVELOPERS ADOPTION. In this blog, we explore current adoption trends, developer profiles, and key use cases for network APIs. In this blog, let’s look at some interesting insights on the Developer adoption of networking APIs based on our 27th Edition of Developer Nation survey. Before you proceed I also highly encourage you to download our full report, available for free to get an in-depth picture of the landscape here.

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Developer Adoption of Network APIs

In our latest Developer Nation survey of over 8,800 developers, only 8% reported using network APIs. This places them lower in adoption compared to 21 other API categories. Regional trends show the highest adoption rates in:

• Middle East and Africa (11%)
• Greater China (10%)
• North America (10%)

Conversely, below-average adoption rates were observed in:

• Western Europe (6%)
• Oceania (5%)
• South America (5%)
• Eastern Europe (2%)

The low adoption in Eastern Europe which exhibit the lowest adoption rates for network APIs overall.

Adoption in Different Development Areas

Network APIs find the highest adoption among developers working in:

• Industrial IoT (IIoT) projects (14%)
• Consumer electronics (13%)
• Apps/extensions for third-party ecosystems (12%)

IIoT industry inherently relies on connectivity for real-time data exchange, automation, and predictive maintenance applications. Developers in these areas leverage network APIs to enhance device communication and interoperability.

At the lower end of adoption, backend services (6%) and web apps (7%) show minimal use of network APIs. Mobile app developers (9%) also use them sparingly, likely because many functionalities—such as identity, location, and payments—are already integrated into app stores and OS-level APIs.

How Developers Use Network APIs

Network APIs serve multiple functionalities, categorized into five key areas:

1. Identity (84%) – The most popular use case, primarily for fraud prevention and user verification. Common applications include:
   • One-time passwords (41%)
   • Number verification (30%)
   • Highest adoption among mobile and IIoT developers
2. Location (50%) – Used primarily for device location verification (31%).
3. Network Quality/Optimization (37%) – Essential for applications requiring high performance, low latency, and efficient network resource use. Most popular among embedded systems and IIoT developers.
4. Cloud & Edge Computing (36%) – Crucial for developers needing low-latency computing and distributed processing.
5. Payments (16%) – The least adopted category, used mostly for carrier billing in mobile-first regions like Greater China (20%), East Asia (20%), and the Middle East & Africa (19%).

Future of Network APIs

Despite relatively low adoption, network APIs hold immense potential across industries, especially in IoT, edge computing, and AI-driven applications. As network providers refine and expand API offerings, developer interest is likely to increase, unlocking new opportunities in 5G monetization.

The road ahead for network APIs depends on greater accessibility, streamlined integration, and real-world developer success stories. If you’re interested in exploring more about network APIs and their evolving role in connectivity, checkout recent webinar by SlashData here and download our free report here.