Telco in 20 Ep 120 - The $300 billion question: Can telcos monetize network APIs? (Shkumbin Hamiti)
Network APIs are the telecom industry's next big bet for unlocking new revenue, with McKinsey & Company projecting they could generate up to $300 billion in connectivity and edge computing revenue over the next four to six years. But the real challenge isn't technical—it's convincing millions of developers to adopt telco’s network APIs instead of sticking with what they already use.
In this episode, I sit down with Shkumbin Hamiti, Nokia's vice president of network monetization, who leads the Network as Code platform that has grown to over 50 partners since launch. We explore why winning over developers is the holy grail for network API success.
Listen now to hear:
- How Nokia's strategy differs from Ericsson's Aduna approach [04:56]
- Examples of commercial deployments that have moved beyond proof of concept [07:05]
- Why telcos need to meet developers where they are [10:46]
Links and Resources:
- Check out McKinsey’s report predicting network API’s $300 billion dollar revenue potential and its follow up piece, The future of telcos: Mapping the routes to renewed success.
- Learn about Nokia's Network as Code platform and its Acquisition of Rapid.
- Read about Nokia’s partnership with Deutsche Telekom for fraud prevention APIs.
- Learn about Globe Telecom’s partnership with Nokia for enhanced banking security.
- Check out Nokia’s partnership with robotaxi service Elmo, whose vehicles combine AI, sensors and Nokia’s network APIs to operate safely in busy urban environments.
- Watch a demo of Elmo’s remote teledriving system at MWC25 in Barcelona, where you could control a real car that was over 2,000 miles away from Nokia’s booth.
- Read about Nokia's partnership with Google Cloud marketplace for API distribution.
- Shkumbin quoted my mentor, strategic HR veteran Jim Abolt, in this interview. Check out Telco in 20 episode 103 to hear more of Jim’s perspective on change management.
- Shkumbin and I both love tennis. Did you catch the 2025 French Open men's final between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner? Their grueling match is considered one of the top 5 all time best matches. Watch highlights here.
- Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.
- You can find the episode transcript here.
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This week’s guest
Shkumbin Hamiti is vice-president and head of Nokia's network monetization platform business unit. He is an accomplished technology executive with 28+ years of experience spearheading transformative initiatives within the mobile and cloud industries at Nokia. He is based at Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, Finland.
Podcast Credits
- Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR
- Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
- Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
- Audio Editor: Andrew Condell
- Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery
- Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
- Music: Dyami Wilson