Skip to main content

Mobile Roaming Revenue to Reach $90B by 2018

Juniper Research has valued network operator worldwide revenues generated from mobile roaming at nearly $90 billion by 2018 -- that's compared to $57 billion this year.

This growth will represent over 8 percent of the global operator billed revenues by 2018. Juniper notes that these revenues will largely be driven by increasing data usage, primarily from a reduction in roaming charges.

Data roaming represented an estimated 36 percent of the global mobile roaming revenues in 2013.

Silent Roamer Upside Opportunity

However, the findings from the latest Juniper market study revealed that with increasing global travel, there is an increasing prevalence of silent roamers.

Silent roamers exercise caution, or do not use voice and data services at all while roaming, and represent a non-user segment -- essentially a lost opportunity.


This behavior presents a huge challenge to mobile network operators both in terms of customer satisfaction and revenue expansion.

"This is costing the industry billions each year in lost revenue opportunity, given the millions of inbound and outbound roamers as well as the expansion of data traffic over flattening voice usage," said Nitin Bhas, senior analyst at Juniper Research.

Targeting the Non-Data Roamers

Meanwhile, Juniper also noted that as the industry moves aggressively towards a 4G LTE environment, there is an opportunity to encourage the non-data or voice-only roamers to become data roamers.

This upsell can be accomplished via package based roaming services -- where consumers are able to understand what they are paying for in a transparent and easier way.

Other key findings from the study include:

  • Mobile network service provider revenues from mobile data roaming to reach over $42 billion by 2018.
  • New developments for in-flight roaming have seen specialist service providers such as AeroMobile and OnAir partnering with mobile network and airline fleet operators.

Popular posts from this blog

Manufacturers Adopt Private Cellular Networks

As an independent advisory consultant, I've observed the rapid evolution of connectivity solutions in manufacturing. The recent survey by ABI Research highlights a significant shift towards private cellular networks, an emerging era in industrial digitization. The manufacturing sector is already undergoing a transformation, driven by the need for enhanced operational efficiency, reliability, and scalability. Wireless technology is an enabler. Private cellular networks, particularly 4G and 5G technologies, are at the forefront of this change, reshaping the connectivity landscape in factories and production facilities. Private Cellular Network Market Development The latest worldwide ABI Research survey provides compelling evidence of this trend. The study, which encompassed manufacturer decision-makers reveals some striking stats: 44 percent are already in the early stages of deploying 4G private networks. An impressive 75 percent of manufacturers are considering 5G implementation. 4...