The UK’s leading mobile operators — BT and EE, CK Hutchison Group Telecom, Virgin Media O2, and Vodafone Group — have announced the rollout of new GSMA Open Gateway APIs to strengthen online age verification and combat escalating digital fraud.
The launch aligns with the recently enacted UK Online Safety Act, which mandates strict age checks for platforms hosting user-generated content. According to the Age Verification Providers Association, the law has driven an additional five million daily age checks, highlighting the urgent need for scalable, low-friction solutions.
CAMARA-Standardised APIs for Developers
The operators introduced Age Verify and Know Your Customer (KYC) Tenure APIs, with an enhanced KYC Match API featuring fuzzy logic scheduled for release by the end of 2025. These APIs give developers secure, privacy-compliant tools to:
Confirm a user’s eligibility for age-restricted content and services.
Verify how long a phone number has been active to assess user stability.
Cross-check customer-provided details with mobile operator records without sharing personal data.
Tackling Fraud and Identity Theft
Fraud is a growing crisis, with UK consumers losing £11.4 billion in 2024, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA). Worldwide losses exceeded $1 trillion, underscoring the need for collaborative action. The GSMA Open Gateway initiative allows operators, banks, and online platforms to jointly deploy global, standardised network APIs to fight scams and identity theft.
Industry Partnerships and Adoption
Technology partners Jersey Telecom (JT Group) and TMT.ID are already processing hundreds of thousands of API calls each month, supporting services like age assurance for social platforms and seamless app registrations.
Global Impact and Future Plans
The UK deployment is part of the broader GSMA Open Gateway programme, which includes 79 mobile operator groups covering 291 networks and nearly 80 percent of global mobile connections. UK operators plan to expand their API portfolio by 2026 to include additional identity verification and fraud-prevention services, leveraging 5G network quality enhancements for faster, more secure digital experiences.
This cross-industry effort sets a strong precedent for privacy-first, standardised network APIs, helping developers meet regulatory requirements while protecting users against harmful content and financial scams.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
