How Leading Telcos Are Transforming Mobile Networks
And Why Now Is the Time for Safaricom
Safaricom has cemented its place as East Africa’s digital leader—powered by M-PESA, robust infrastructure, and deep market trust. But its next chapter of growth will be defined not by connectivity alone but by how well it enables others to build on top of it.
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To stay ahead, Safaricom must transform from a network provider into a programmable platform. An Open API Gateway is the catalyst—turning telco assets into monetizable services, empowering developers, accelerating cross-border expansion, and defending against rising fraud threats.
The Strategic Gap: What’s Holding Telcos Back
Across engagements with MNOs and global Open Gateway deployments, three recurring issues are limiting telco growth in the API economy:
Safaricom already leads the continent in innovation, scale, and trust. But to remain at the top, it must evolve into a platform that others build upon.
01
Underperforming Developer Experience
By exposing SIM Swap, Roaming Status, and Number Verification APIs, Safaricom can help financial partners prevent fraud before it happens — a critical capability amid rising mobile and banking threats.
This creates a new trust layer across Africa’s fintech ecosystem and positions Safaricom as a security enabler, not just a service provider.
The Opportunity Ahead for Safaricom
With M-PESA, digital services, and market leadership, Safaricom has redefined mobile connectivity and finance across Africa. The next leap? Opening the network itself.
With hSenid’s GSMA-aligned OpenAPI Gateway, Safaricom can unlock the infrastructure it already owns and transform it into a developer-ready, monetizable platform. This proposal outlines how Safaricom can lead Kenya and the continent into the next era of telco innovation.
01
Strengthen Trust with Real-Time Fraud Prevention
Developers face barriers like fragmented documentation, clunky onboarding, and inconsistent sandbox environments.
02
Delayed Product Rollouts
Time-to-market for digital partnerships stretches into months—far too slow to meet ecosystem demands, especially amid a 45% surge in digital banking fraud in Kenya.
03
Unrealized Monetization
With various APIs and collaboration possibilities, telcos can unlock innovative B2B revenue opportunities and expand their market presence through usage-based pricing, bundling, and quota management.
04
Future-Readiness Is Lacking
Without a modern gateway, telcos risk falling behind in fraud prevention, innovation, and API-first service models.
05
Limited Global Reach
Telcos operate in siloed environments, limiting scale and cross-border innovation.
Why This Is Urgent for Safaricom
Developer Ecosystem Maturity
Daraja API portal is robust—but not GSMA-aligned, limiting cross-border scale.
M-PESA Expansion
Launches like in Ethiopia highlight a need for regional interoperability.
Growing Fraud Risk
With 47% growth in app-based fraud, banks and fintechs need real-time telco intelligence now.
Market Leadership
Safaricom commands a 65.4% share, but maintaining it will depend on delivering an API-first innovation model.
The Solution: OpenAPI Gateway
| Outcome | Description |
|---|---|
| Faster Go-to-Market | Rapid implementation of Open Gateway enables telcos to quickly deploy APIs and stay competitive in an accelerating industry. |
| Empowering Developer Experience | hSenid provides access to a wide range of APIs through CAMARA standards, enabling developers to build advanced solutions like fraud detection and payments. |
| Built-in Compliance & Observability | OAuth2 authentication, data privacy features (encryption, masking), and compliance with GDPR/CCPA ensure secure, regulation-ready API ecosystems. |
| Seamless Integration | Containerized microservices architecture bridges legacy systems and cloud-native platforms without disrupting existing operations. |
| Monetization Opportunities | A variety of APIs and B2B collaboration options unlock new revenue streams through usage-based services and value-added offerings. |
| Strengthen Trust with Real-Time Fraud Prevention. | By exposing SIM Swap, Roaming Status, and Number Verification APIs, Safaricom can help financial partners prevent fraud before it happens — a critical capability amid rising mobile and banking threats. This creates a new trust layer across Africa’s fintech ecosystem and positions Safaricom as a security enabler, not just a service provider. |
| Global Expansion & Partnerships | Enables telcos to form cross-border alliances and scale services across industries using standardized APIs and GSMA frameworks. |
| Future-Readiness | Positions telcos as forward-thinking and future-ready, capable of adapting to new fraud risks, digital services, and technological trends. |
| Region | Use Case | Details | Impact / Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | Enhancing Digital Security | In December 2023, Claro, TIM, and Vivo launched Number Verification, SIM Swap, and Device Location Verification APIs under the GSMA Open Gateway. | Strengthened fraud detection capabilities and reinforced national digital infrastructure resilience against cyber threats. |
| Europe | Streamlining User Authentication | Orange in France and Spain deployed SIM Swap and Number Verification APIs to improve user verification processes. | Reduced reliance on SMS-based authentication, lowered fraud risk, and enhanced overall digital identity security. |
Let’s Build the Future Together
The API economy isn’t tomorrow’s opportunity—it’s today’s competitive imperative. Safaricom already has the market share, brand equity, and product leadership. With hSenid’s OpenAPI Gateway, you can now lead Africa’s next digital wave. hSenid Mobile is a GSMA-certified OpenAPI Gateway provider with over 27 years of telecom expertise.
Let’s collaborate on a joint pilot and transform M-PESA and your entire network into a platform developers can build on—securely, scalably, and with confidence. To explore the next steps, let’s connect at your convenience.