Wireless Network Services Generation 2 FAQ

Why are there two sets of APIs for Wireless Network Services 4.0?

4G device support required syntax changes in the new Generation 2 APIs that render them incompatible with previous releases. To maintain backward compatibility for customers using previous releases, Verizon offers Generation 1 APIs without 4G device support.

What is the difference between Generation 1 and Generation 2 APIs for Wireless Network Services?

Generation 1 APIs support only 2G and 3G devices, while Generation 2 APIs support 2G, 3G, and 4G devices. In addition, all new features will be implemented in Generation 2 APIs only.

Should I use the Generation 1 or Generation 2 SDK?

If you are a new customer or if you are building a new application, use the Generation 2 SDK.

If you currently use a previous release of the Wireless Network Services APIs for 2G or 3G devices, and you have no immediate plans to deploy 4G devices, you can use the Generation 1 APIs with no changes in your application. You can optionally modify your application to utilize updates to the ChangeDeviceState/Deactivate API.

If you currently use a previous release of the Wireless Network Services APIs for 2G or 3G devices, and you plan to deploy 4G devices, you must update your application to use Generation 2 APIs.

Can I use APIs from both SDKs in the same appliation?

No, you must select either the Generation 1 or Generation 2 APIs. If you need to implement support for 4G devices you will need to update your application to reflect the changes introduced in the Generation 2 SDK.

Will Verizon add new features to the Generation 1 APIs in the future?

No. Verizon will maintain Generation 1 APIs with bug fixes, but all new features will be implemented in Generation 2 APIs.

How long will Verizon support Generation 1 APIs?

Verizon will continue to support the Generation 1 APIs until all customers have migrated to the Generation 2 APIs.

Is every API in the Generation 1 SDK included in the Generation 2 SDK?

All the functionality available in Generation 1 APIs is offered by Generation 2 APIs. Please see Migrating from Generation 1 to Generation 2 APIs for details regarding APIs that have changed.

Are the endpoints different for Generation 1 and 2 APIs?

Yes, the endpoints for each generation of web services will use different URLs. The URLs for each service are in the WSDL files provided in each SDK. Here are the Session Service endpoints for each SDK.

• Generation 1: https://uws.apps.nphase.com/api/v1/SessionService.svc
• Generation 2: https://uws.m2m.myvzw.com/api/v2/SessionService.svc

Will I need different credentials to use Generation 1 and 2 APIs?

No, you will not need different credentials. The authentication credentials for your UWS contact are the same regardless of the SDK you are using.

Will I need to register a callback URL for Generation 2 APIs?

Yes, you will need to register a callback whether you are using Generation 1 APIs or Generation 2 APIs.

Can I register the same callback URL for both Generation 1 and Generation 2 APIs?

You should not register the same callback for Generation 1 and Generation 2 APIs. The callback response for Generation 1 APIs will not match the schema from a Generation 2 callback, and vice versa.

What is new in the 4.0 Generation 2 SDK?

New functionality in the 4.0 Generation 2 SKD are.

• Activate, deactivate, suspend and resume lines of service for LTE devices.
• Change service plans for LTE devices.
• Retrieve LTE device information.
• Specify a Reason Code and apply an Early Termination Fee (ETF) waiver when deactivating a line of service. These fields are mandatory in the Generation 2 SDK.
• Send compressed mobile terminated (MT) messages to devices that support compression (no API changes). Devices that do not support compression continue to receive uncompressed MT messages.
• Retrieve a list of device capabilities for a device, indicating support for message compression, remote PRL update, device diagnostics, and so forth.
• Zip code is now a required element to ChangeDeviceState/Activate.
• Change the provisioning status of multiple lines of service with a single call to ChangeDeviceState.
• BulkChangeDeviceState is deprecated in this release.
• Change the service plan for multiple lines of service with a single call to ChangeDeviceServicePlan.
• ChangeDeviceRatePlan is renamed as ChangeDeviceServicePlan.
• BulkChangeDeviceRatePlan is deprecated in this release.
• Change the device identifier of a device with ChangeDeviceIdentifier.
• Change the custom fields for one or more devices with ChangeDeviceCustomFields.
• UpdateDeviceInformation is deprecated in this release.
• GetDeviceInformation and GetDeviceList return Billing Cycle End Date.

See the API Reference for more information on these changes.

Where can I learn about the specific differences between Generation 1and 2 APIs?

For detailed differences between Wireless Network Services Generation 1 and Generation 2 APIs, see Migrating from Generation 1 to Generation 2 APIs.