Cerillion is positioning its BSS/OSS platform to support telecom operators as network APIs create new ways to monetise authentication, identity and fraud-prevention services.
One of the clearest use cases is Number Verification. Instead of sending a one-time password by SMS, an application can ask the mobile network to confirm whether the number entered by a user matches the number associated with the device. This could reduce reliance on SMS OTP, which remains widely used but can be exposed to phishing, social engineering and SIM-swap fraud. Network-based verification gives businesses another way to confirm identity using information held by the operator.
The shift also creates a new commercial model for telecom companies. Rather than earning revenue from sending an authentication message, operators could charge for access to network-derived information. That information could extend beyond basic number verification. Operators may also provide signals such as whether a SIM has recently changed, giving banks, digital platforms and other businesses additional data to assess risk.
The opportunity depends heavily on standardisation. Large businesses are unlikely to build separate integrations with hundreds of mobile operators. Industry initiatives including CAMARA and GSMA Open Gateway are intended to create more consistent technical frameworks, while aggregators can provide a single point of access across multiple networks.
This creates both an opportunity and a transition risk for operators. Network APIs could replace some existing SMS authentication traffic, but SMS OTP is already facing competition from passkeys, authenticator apps and push-based authentication.
Network APIs therefore offer operators a way to remain involved in authentication even if traditional SMS volumes decline.
Cerillion’s BSS/OSS platform is designed to manage areas including product configuration, tariffs, charging, billing, usage processing and partner settlement. Those capabilities could be applied to network API services in much the same way they are already applied to traditional telecom products.
Cerillion plc (LON:CER) is a leading provider of billing, charging and customer management systems with more than 20 years’ experience delivering its solutions across a broad range of industries including the telecommunications, finance, utilities and transportation sectors.
