19 May 2023
Mobile operators will generate more than $10 billion of roaming data revenue globally in 2024, rising from $8.6 billion in 2023 according to Juniper Research in its roaming research report.
However, despite an annual growth of 15%, operators’ future retail roaming revenue will be threatened by the growth of eSIMs as the key enabling technology for the growth of travel mobility services.
By 2024, over 1.5 billion smartphones globally are expected to use eSIMs for cellular connectivity, rising to 3.5 billion by 2027.
“Mobile subscribers’ potential roaming costs will increase as consumers’ demand for data proliferates following the increased deployment of 5G networks,” said Juniper Research.
The organisation said that operators should launch services aimed specifically at long-term travellers who are likely to become permanent roamers.
“These platforms must allow subscribers to self-manage their travel mobility mobile subscriptions, including the setup, data allowance and cancellation in real-time. As a result, this will lessen the reliance on the delivery of physical SIM cards which can increase the time for a travel mobility subscription to be created,” said Juniper Research.
