Where are the Telecom API millionaires? We all know about the Apple App Store and Google Play millionaires. Flappy Bird being a recent in a long long line of developer successes. But in Telecom APIs, where are the AT&T Developer Program Millionaires?

The question is fair, though its comparing apples and oranges. The successes in Telecom APIs to date have not come from working with third party developers, rather from using Telecom APIs within telcos and their existing partners. On my weblog and workshops I’ve reviewed Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Orange, Vodafone, Portugal Telecom, and America Movil success cases over the years.

An interesting development is WebRTC (Web Real Time Communications), its now showing to telcos that they can regain control over their services with Telecom APIs. Services need not be trapped in overly complex platforms design to retain monopoly control by a vendor. Rather than chasing the long tail, telcos are bringing a segment of the long tail, specifically telecom application developers, into their business.  The two most popular development themes in TADHack are Telecom APIs and WebRTC.

We’re seeing operators like Play and Orange in Poland work with a select group of telecom app developers (TAD) to build services their partners, customers and product groups need. We’re also seeing Sri Lankan developers in the ecosystems of Dialog and Etisalat Sri Lanka make up to $25k per month, that’s more than most Sri Lankan developers could make in a year.

Telecom APIs make it easier to create new services, as well as embed telecoms in many business ecosystems, and telecom application developers make this a reality. Being frank, the processes are not yet fully sorted, the business models are all up for grabs, but Telecoms is finally finding its way through to success in Telecom APIs with telecom application developers.

TADHack running in Madrid from the 6-7 June is focused on helping create the TAD ecosystem: we’re promoting developers; we have loads of prizes ($30k); we have telcos lining up to trial the hacks coming out of the event including Celcom, Telstra, Truphone and US Cellular; and we have satellite events running in Pune India, Sri Lanka Colombo, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, and Manila Philippines. TADHack is made possible by the grassroots of the industry, competitors have come together and made this happen, they need to be congratulated for doing what’s right for the industry: Apidaze, hSenid Mobile, Huawei, Nexmo, Oracle, Solaiemes, Telestax, Tropo, Truphone, Ubuntu / Canonical; technology partners Appery.io, Metaswitch and Voxbone; and many many others others seeing the truth of what we’re trying to do and helping.

TADHack will be streamed live on the internet for all to see, all the hacks pitched will be available to search and view after the event. Telecoms is a $2T a year industry and needs a viable and profitable telecom application developer ecosystem, TADHack is trying to help make that happen, to make Telecom API millionaires a reality.  Sign up to hackathon at TADHack and perhaps you can become a Telecom App Millionaire, we’re going to try our best to help you.

And to all the Telcos and Enterprise CIOs who read my weblog, this is your chance to meet nearly all the innovators in Telecom Services in one place.  On 6th June you’ll have an intense day of thought leadership and education.  On the 7th June in the morning we’re going to have a networking event for the sponsors and telcos in attendance to meet.  You’ll meet through the event the vast diversity of developers you need to be working with, and in the afternoon of the 7th hear impressive innovations.  The ideas coming in from developers are amazing, I’m proud to be associated with this event.  For anyone involved in communication service innovation TADHack is the event you would be foolish to miss, seriously, sign up here its a bargain and well worth the investment of 2 days of your time.