The move follows Ooredoo Group recently signing-on as the app company looks to accelerate adoption in the Middle East
Dizlee, Zain Group’s API digital monetisation ecosystem provider has entered a strategic partnership with Aduna, the Ericsson and operator spawned global aggregator of standardised network APIs, to enable faster deployment of new digital services across multiple Zain markets and Omantel.
Since its launch in 2018, Dizlee has built a unified digital core for Zain and Omantel, streamlining operations and enabling over 280 services from 47 partners across gaming, entertainment, advertising, and APIs. Dizlee’s gateway role between Zain entities and Aduna should enable faster deployment of new services, which in theory should also enhance customer experiences and stimulate revenue growth in multiple countries.
With Zain joining Aduna’s growing global ecosystem, the group said it will contribute APIs like SIM swap detection, number verification, identity, and fraud prevention, ad telcos hope businesses will be attacked by “trusted telco-grade solutions”.
Zain group chief digital and investment officer Malek Hammoud said: “Through this partnership, we are combining the network APIs from all Zain operating companies under a unified platform based on the CAMARA protocol, ensuring global interoperability and standardisation. Aduna leverages the aggregation of these APIs from multiple operators worldwide, providing a standardised foundation that fosters collaboration, accelerates adoption, enhances user experiences and drives industry growth.”
He added: “This partnership is strategically important for Zain’s operations across the region and Omantel as it opens new revenue streams from B2B clients such as fintech, insurance, e-commerce, and government agencies, while positioning us as regional leaders in the rapidly growing network API economy.”
Anthony Bartolo, Aduna CEO Anthony Bartolo described the partnership with Dizlee as “an important milestone in Aduna’s expansion across MENA.”
He added: “By connecting Zain’s extensive footprint and Omantel’s reach with Aduna’s global aggregation platform, we are unlocking the full value of standardised Network APIs. Together, we will accelerate innovation, protect end users, and empower enterprises to deliver next-generation digital services across the region and beyond.”
Dizlee’s has already been able to centralise and monetise Zain APIs and most of Zain’s digital services, according to the operator, creating what it described as a “streamlined, unified core API ecosystem for all operations across Zain markets and Omantel, offering innovative entertainment and gaming solutions, direct operator billing, messaging, digital authentication, CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) and more.”
Dizlee said it already has use cases in number verification – enabling fintechs and banks to verify customers instantly without SMS OTPs – and SIM swap detection, which helps protect mobile banking and e-wallet users from fraud. The company has also deployed KYC/Identity APIs, supporting government digital ID initiatives and secure customer onboarding, plus carrier billing APIs allowing partners to easily bill customers via telco accounts.
Ooredoo on-board
Aduna has been working hard on getting Middle Eastern telcos on-board. Last month Ooredoo Group announced a new collaboration with Aduna, that will see banks, fintechs, e-commerce platforms, and digital service providers be able to integrate directly with Ooredoo APIs including identity verification, SIM swap, KYC, payments, and communications that the operator said will enable secure, cross-border digital transactions.
In that case, gradual onboarding of Ooredoo operating companies into the Aduna ecosystem is expected to take place through 2026, providing global developers and enterprises with a single point of access to Ooredoo’s digital capabilities. At the time Ooredoo group chief strategy officer and acting group chief commercial officer Rene Werner said the partnership connects the dots between standardisation and scale, adding that it completed the work the operator was doing with GSMA’s CAMARA project.
