Multimedia Feature Editorial

Jump Start Innovation: Discover API Bundles Optimized for the Creation of Multimedia Applications

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

Multimedia applications are in high demand and if you plan to take your service provider revenues to the next level, you must be able to meet this demand with the right solutions. Chances are, you are facing other pressures as well in the race to compete in a market that is no longer satisfied with mere voice and messaging solutions. 

The good news is that Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) has released packaged API (Application Programming Interfaces) bundles that can help you to transform application development by eliminating upfront cost for developers. At the same time, this opens new revenue opportunities for you. As you leverage develop partnerships to take advantage of growing opportunities in the market, you can establish your power as a key player.The bundled API is actually a unique offering from Alcatel-Lucent as it blends service provider and third party application capabilities in an effort to support the easy creation of new applications. 

The API bundles enable a new revenue share model intended to transform service provider networks into an application development platform by identifying and providing access to network resources and functionality. Alcatel-Lucent’s first vertical API bundles include three social bundles designed to support the creation of new mashups in the area of social gaming, advertising and virtual goods markets. The APIs included are SMS, advertising, location, virtual goods, credit card and billing. 

The company anticipates that the initial offering of API bundles will benefit more than 14 million developers throughout the global market operating in the mobile advertising and virtual goods space. Recent research within the industry suggests that mobile advertising spend will speed past $3 billion by 2013, and that the virtual goods market today represents a $4 billion to $6 billion opportunity. 

Through its API bundles initiative, Alcatel-Lucent is providing developers with access to beta versions of these bundles for non-commercial use in a laboratory environment. The bundles are available through Alcatel-Lucent’s Open API Service. To leverage the power of the API bundles, Alcatel-Lucent has also developed a new revenue share model that allows developers to access the API bundles without the API fees upfront. In the past, this has been a major pain point for developers. 

By making unique APIs available in a way that safeguards the security and privacy of their subscriber’s data, service providers, third party API contributors and Alcatel-Lucent share in a percentage of the application revenue – a true win for all.To truly jump start innovation, you need to partner with key providers that can take multimedia applications to the point of revenue generation. Alcatel-Lucent can help you make that happen.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Erin Harrison