AT&T will offer developers access to a new Call Management API that enables applications to use an individual’s AT&T mobile number to access multiple devices. For instance, this could empower applications to conduct real-time communications, such as voice calling or video chats, to any device associated with a subscriber’s mobile number.
AT&T Mobility Chief Marketing Officer David Christopher describes the new Call Management API as “a step towards a world where customer’s existing mobile numbers are no longer tied to a single device and is designed to make it easy for developers to add real-time, voice and text communications to web and mobile apps.”
The AT&T Call Management API is powered by Voxeo Labs’ Tropo Platform and Ericsson’s IMS Innovation Platform, and is based on WebRTC. It is currently in early testing.
AT&T also announced a new Alpha API program to generate ideas from developers. As a result, APIs will be able to be sponsored into Alpha from third parties to increase collaboration and innovation.
APIs already available on a proof of concept basis include:
- Text to Text Translation API: Based on the AT&T Watson speech recognition engine, this API will let apps translate spoken Spanish words into English text and vice versa. This Alpha API, in combination with others on the AT&T API Platform, will enable developers’ apps to auto-translate things like text messages and emails.
- Customer Profile API: This API can be used to make it easier and faster for customers to make purchases via mobile apps by securely auto-populating a purchase form with a subscriber’s address and personal information after opting in.
In addition, AT&T announced:
Pricing: Beginning today, for $99 per year, developers will get one million API calls per month on the AT&T API Platform. Should a developer exceed one million API calls in a month, they pay at the rate of only a penny per call.
Availability: Beginning today, AT&T is making its current APIs available to tens of millions of additional developers through toolkits available through: Microsoft Visual Studio, Salesforce Platform, IBM Worklight, Appcelerator Titanium and Adobe PhoneGap platforms.
Advertising: AT&T plans to add an Advertising API during the first quarter to assist developers to add advertising and monetize their applications. It will feature an introductory revenue share, with 80 percent of advertising revenue to the developer.
