TM Forum Unveils Open API Training & Career Certification Program

TM Forum, the industry association driving digital business transformation of the communications industry, has marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Open API Manifesto by announcing significant growth and momentum of its Open API program along with the launch of its Open API Training & Career Certification program and the beta launch of its Open API Conformance Certification program.

TM Forum Open APIs are now being used to enable a range of business scenarios, including internally enabling communications service providers (CSPs) to transform their IT and operational agility and become more customer-centric, while externally delivering a practical approach to co-creation and seamless end-to-end management of complex digital services – including SDN and NFV.

As part of a broader digital transformation agenda, TM Forum’s Open APIs enable a wide range of revenue growth opportunities for CSPs and their partners and suppliers. The APIs are bringing greater interoperability both within the communications industry as well as across new sectors including eHealth, Smart Cities and Industrial Manufacturing by providing the bridge to facilitate partnering across ecosystems, a key strategy for growth by many CSPs and on full display this week at TM Forum Live! 2017.

“We’re delighted by the momentum of the Open API program over the past year and rapid commercial adoption of the APIs,” said Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum. “Open APIs are an essential element of digital transformation and enabling rapid growth, and the world’s leading service providers have deployed our Open APIs in over a dozen markets. Strong member collaboration has driven this critical work, and our profound thanks go out to the individuals and companies who have contributed.”

Open API Program Growth & Momentum

TM Forum’s Open API Program was officially launched in May 2016, with nine of the world’s largest CSPs endorsing a suite of 18 REST-based APIs. In October 2016, eight leading technology solution providers signed on to support the Forum’s Open APIs in their products and services. Since its official launch one year ago, the program has grown significantly:

10 of the world’s largest service providers – Axiata, Bharti Airtel, BT, China Mobile, China Unicom, Globe Telecom, NTT-Group, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone – have officially endorsed TM Forum’s suite of Open APIs and are requesting them in their RFPs to solution providers. The Open APIs have been deployed in 14 distinct markets to date, with this number expected to grow to 26 by the end of 2017.

18 leading technology solution providers and systems integrators including Accenture, Amdocs, Atos, DGIT, Enterprise Web, Ericsson, Etiya, EXFO, Huawei, IBM, Infonova/BearingPoint, Infosys, MYCOM OSI, Netcracker, Oracle, Sigma Systems, UXP Systems and ZTE are now committing to using TM Forum Open APIs in their products and services.

Over 4,000 professionals – architects, developers, designers, etc. – from over 600 companies have downloaded and are using TM Forum’s Open APIs in real-world applications.

TM Forum’s Open API suite now boasts 31 REST-based APIs that have been developed by industry professionals within the Forum’s agile member-driven collaboration environment, and proven through a series of Open Hacks and Catalyst rapid proof-of-concept innovation projects. Nearly two thirds of the 32 Catalyst projects being demonstrated this week at TM Forum Live! 2017 leverage these APIs.

“TM Forum’s Open API program presents a significant step forward in enabling digitally connected ecosystems across the industry,” said Vincent Seet, Head of Enterprise Architecture, Globe Telecom. “We at Globe are delighted to sign the Open API Manifesto demonstrating our commitment to the program and the strategic alignment of this to our business and IT strategy.”

Open API Training & Career Certification Program

In light of the growth and momentum of TM Forum’s Open API Program, and based on industry demand, TM Forum is launching its Open API Training & Career Certification program. This program encompasses expert-led training courses including a fundamentals course and a more detailed practitioners’ course.

The fundamentals course introduces the key concepts of Open APIs and provides examples of how they are used in real-world scenarios, how they are structured and how they relate to TM Forum Frameworx so that they can be readily adopted and deployed.

The practitioners’ course provides students with the opportunity to practice using and extending TM Forum Open API patterns as well as techniques used when implementing the APIs. Additionally, there are four new career certifications as a result of these new training courses:

· TM Forum Platform Development Manager certification will be gained by those who have passed the exams following fundamentals training for TM Forum Open APIs, Information Framework (SID) and Frameworx.

· TM Forum Open API Developer will be awarded to those who successfully complete the Open API Practitioners’ course and exam.

· TM Forum Open API & Data Model Architect will be awarded to those who successfully complete the training and exams for the TM Forum Open API Practitioners’ course and the Information Framework (SID) Practitioners’ course.

· TM Forum Platform Architect will be awarded to those who have completed the training and exams at practitioner level for the Business Process Framework (eTOM), Information Framework (SID) and TM Forum Open APIs.

By combining the new Open API training courses with a rich set of existing training and certification offerings, TM Forum is taking a leading role in educating its members and the industry on innovative new approaches to accelerating digital transformation by offering all of the critical enabling technologies and know-how for moving toward agile, modularized platform-based architectures.

Open API Conformance Certification Program

With 31 Open API specifications, TM Forum is also launching a new Open API Conformance Certification program which is currently in beta trial. The conformance test kits to enable this capability have been collaboratively created by TM Forum members including Amdocs, BT, Etiya, Huawei, Infonova/BearingPoint, Infosys, Telefónica and Vodafone.

A new self-validation portal where TM Forum members can access the conformance test kits enables users to create an efficient report clearly outlining where alignment to the TM Forum Open API conformance specification exists and where improvements are required. Companies can share details of their conformance self-validation in a crowdsourced Open API conformance table.

On the launch of TM Forum’s new Open API programs, Joann O’Brien, Vice President of APIs and Ecosystems at TM Forum, said, “Enterprise-wide business agility is greatly enhanced via modular platform-based architectures enabled by Open APIs. Our new programs provide the pathway and critical skills required for our members to rapidly develop, integrate and manage profitable new digital services in complex multi-stakeholder environments.”