The number of mobile users roaming on 5G networks is expected to exceed 200 million in five years, driven by the return of international travel and demand for a consistent data experience at home and abroad. A Juniper Research study suggests that people roaming 5G will increase from 4.5 million in 2021 to 210 million in 2026, an increase in 5G roaming subscriptions of 4.500%. Global 5G roaming traffic is expected to grow from 2.6 petabytes (Po) to 770 PB during the same time period.
5G roaming
The additional capacity and speeds of 5G, especially standalone 5G (SA 5G), offers operators the opportunity to create value-added services to support international visitors. Analysts say this is a great opportunity for operators that have invested in 5G networks and suffered massive roaming revenue losses during the pandemic to generate additional revenue streams. They urged operators to develop 5G-specific roaming features that will support the expected growth in demand and look forward to the development of frameworks that specifically cover 5G to ensure customers have a comparable experience when traveling between countries. Failing to do so would not only mean giving up those opportunities, but could even result in losses. “As demand for international travel returns, operators must adapt to the heavy use of 5G subscriptions during the pandemic,” said study author Scarlett Woodford. “Failing to provide 5G roaming capabilities in major travel destinations will diminish brand reputation among subscribers and lead to churn among competitors. "