A new Era of programmable connectivity, powered by developers
From the moment Telstra introduced its Connected Future 30 strategy, I felt genuinely inspired by the clarity of its ambition and its belief in a more open, programmable network future.
It sets a clear vision for what connectivity can become, especially with the introduction of Telstra’s “network as a product” concept. Only a month later, Telstra brought that vision to life by adopting Nokia’s Network as Code platform, which provides developers with secure access to network APIs and enables them to build intelligent applications that directly tap into the network.
To me, this is where the real magic happens. As I often say, “APIs unlock the network’s value for the people who can imagine what’s next” — and a hackathon is the perfect way to bring that idea to life! I was extremely excited when Telstra agreed to partner with us on an API hackathon, where developers could experiment, push boundaries, and build applications that make a real difference in society.
Joint hackathon with Telstra draws more than 200 participants
Our Connected Future Hackathon, conducted over the past few weeks, provided a forum for Australia’s brightest minds to test ideas in a sandbox, work with a range of APIs, and collaborate with peers who share the same passion for innovation. More than just another competition, it was a proving ground for bold thinking and a catalyst for practical solutions that mission-critical enterprises and industries can actually use.
The results were outstanding! Over 200 participants came together across 60 teams, building more than 30 prototypes, each one bringing a different angle on what programmable connectivity can unlock. They explored eight network APIs and pushed them to their limits, generating 160,000 API calls within the sandbox. All of this happened in a matter of days, showing how quickly developers can turn ideas into something real when the network is open and ready to be programmed.
Teams went beyond designing concepts. They built full use cases and consumed network APIs directly through Nokia’s Network as Code platform. The pace and quality of execution made it clear: This is what the future of connectivity looks like when developers lead the way. I kept telling teams, “You’re not just coding, you’re shaping how people and businesses will use networks in the future.”
And the winners are …
The winning team, ASE COE, stood out with a sharp and practical idea. Stefan Kumarasinghe, Dany Liu, and Guan Huang developed a solution addressing the challenges associated with phone number recycling, where a deactivated number is reassigned to a new user. Their application uses network APIs to detect and manage those reassignments, which helps avoid misrouted messages, security risks, and customer frustration. It shows how programmable connectivity can tackle everyday problems at scale. Read more here.
Closing thoughts
Across the board, the creativity and ambition on display at the Connected Future Hackathon showed how fast the future of programmable connectivity is taking shape. It only goes to show the great things developers can achieve when they have the right tools and the freedom to innovate. Let’s keep building the future together!
