Mobile operators have invested billions into 5G infrastructure with a bold vision to unlock entirely new forms of digital productivity and transform industries on a global scale. Nowhere is this ambition more visible than in the automotive sector, where the demand for intelligent mobility, real-time data exchange and always-on safety systems continues to accelerate.
According to the GSMA Intelligence, the automotive market alone represents a $22bn addressable opportunity for operators today and is expected to more than double to $49bn by 2030. Yet despite the potential, the industry has only begun to realise the benefits of intelligent and connected mobility – and in spite of this momentum, the true value of 5G remains largely unrealised.
The reason why is simple. While the automotive industry has embraced software innovation, mobile networks have not kept pace. Cars are rapidly becoming rolling datacentres, generating vast amounts of information and increasingly defined by the applications running on them. Connectivity alone isn’t enough to support this shift.
Networks must evolve into programmable platforms that developers at automotive enterprises can directly build on. If operators want to recoup their 5G investment and deliver results for the businesses they serve, they must put developers at the centre of the next phase of mobile innovation.
Opening the network to those who build on it
Automakers – and the developers driving their digital experiences – are asking for more than generic connectivity. They need predictable latency for safety-critical features, dynamic quality-of-service for connected services, access to edge computing to manage rapidly expanding data volumes, and real-time intelligence from the network itself.
Today, most of these capabilities remain locked behind closed systems, leaving developers to treat the network as a “black box”. And when the network cannot be shaped to meet the needs of sophisticated applications, innovation simply cannot scale, which is why exposing network APIs is essential.
Through the GSMA Open Gateway framework, operators can offer standardised, secure ways for developers to request and control advanced network capabilities, and to deploy new automotive services globally with far less friction.
One notable example is Elmo Cars, which has leveraged standardised APIs (such as Quality on Demand) to enable teledriving and robotaxi services in Finland and other markets. Through partnerships with Nokia and operators such as Elisa, Elmo achieved remote vehicle control over congested networks by prioritising connectivity and managing latency and bandwidth. This demonstrates how exposing network APIs enables automotive innovators to scale sophisticated mobility services – and not just connectivity.
Empowering a new generation of mobility developers
The automotive industry is at a turning point. Hardware still matters, but differentiation now comes from software – navigation that adapts to live conditions, vehicles that upgrade themselves overnight, and safety systems that react instantly to their environment. This future belongs to developer, and as low-code and AI-assisted tools lower the barrier to entry, deep knowledge of how to build network-aware applications becomes a powerful advantage in standing out.
The incentive is also growing. The global B2B technology services opportunity beyond core telecoms is projected to reach $2.9tn by 2030, with nearly $1tn of that addressable by operators, which is equivalent to around 34% of the global operator revenue base. Automotive – along with manufacturing, aviation and financial services – accounts for almost 37% of this value, reflecting the critical role of industry-specific innovation.
Meanwhile, research reveals a fragmented regulatory landscape for connected vehicles, with some countries ready for deployment while others are still advancing their frameworks. This reinforces the urgency of network-level standardisation that developers can tap into irrespective of geography.
This is where initiatives such as GSMA Fusion – and its collaborations with AECC, 5GAA, Jaspar, and Tata Elxsi – become so critical. Together, GSMA and its collaborators are aligning telecom operators and automotive manufacturers around a shared goal: networks that are intelligent, flexible and open by design, built to support enterprise transformation at global scale.
Delivering mobility that works for everyone
For automotive businesses, programmable networks unlock faster rollout of new services, reduced integration complexity and the ability to continually improve the driver experience through software. For drivers, passengers and future smart cities, this technology promises safer journeys, reduced congestion and more personalised mobility, all powered by software that responds in real time. For MNOs, it offers a sustainable path to monetisation, moving beyond connectivity as a commodity and into the heart of enterprise innovation.
The future of mobility depends on developers. And developers depend on networks that are open, standardised and programmable. It is time for operators to unlock the full potential of their 5G investments and give innovators the tools they need to bring the next era of intelligent mobility to life.
