CAMARA and Operator Platform: A Comprehensive Survey on APIs for Federated MEC Services
Aakashjit Bhattacharya, Sai Pranith · 2025
The emergence of the Operator Platform architecture marks a pivotal shift in telecom network exposure, by addressing the long-standing fragmentation in traditional Multiaccess Edge Computing (MEC) systems. This survey presents a comprehensive technical exploration of the CAMARA Project, which defines open, standardized APIs to enable secure, scalable, and operator-neutral access to core network capabilities. We systematically analyze over 60 publicly documented CA-MARA APIs spanning key domains such as Quality of Service, Edge Discovery, Location Verification, and Device Reachability, distinguishing between mature, demonstrable APIs and those currently under development. The role of CAMARA's four key interfaces-Northbound (NBI), Southbound (SBI), East-West Bound (EWBI), and User-Network Interface (UNI)-is explained in detail, particularly in enabling seamless MEC federation and cross-operator service interoperability. Through the lens of the GSMA Open Gateway framework, we illustrate how these APIs support advanced use cases such as cross-border service continuity. Notably, this survey includes the first real-world implementation of a CAMARA API based project, validated through the Follow-me Infotainment deployment across two 5G SA networks. Additionally, we provide practical API invocation blueprints using tools like Postman. This work serves as a foundational reference for telecom architects, developers, and researchers advancing programmable, federated, and future ready mobile networks. "This paper is currently under peer review at IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials. It has not yet undergone final editorial review and acceptance. The content may be revised based on reviewer feedback."