Network as a service

Network as a Service ("NaaS") is an emerging business model for telecommunications operators.
With the NaaS model, operators treat their key assets - network communications, billing and intelligence - as marketable resources that can be offered to third parties on a commercial basis.
NaaS is fundamentally a collaborative model, under which Webcos and Telcos contribute their capabilities to the creation of composite applications or "mash-ups". Coupled with a payments services, this type of collaboration has been common in the Internet for many years. NaaS is the extension of this model into the telecoms arena.
The NaaS model will see the operators make their network resources available to 3rd party developers via a range ofAPIs.
Several different operators have created their own NaaS APIs (BT, Vodafone, Orange). The GSM Association has also provided a range of standardised NaaS APIs through their OneAPI initiative.
The IGT has established a working group to investigate the NaaS concept. The NaaS concept continues to gain traction within telecommunications as industry analysts try to predict what impact it will have on the market.
Several companies are now offering what they describe as "NaaS solutions".

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu