Discovered through BICS’ global network, which connects overs 700 operator and 500 digital service providers and carries over 50% of global data roaming traffic, it found a surge in roaming traffic across all continents driven by increased travel, adoption of roaming tariffs, travel SIMS and IoT devices.
“The exponential growth in roaming traffic highlights how important international connectivity has become to the subscriber experience,” said Mikaël Schachne (pictured), CMO and VP of mobility & IoT business at BICS. “Through the provision of seamless, cross-border 5G connectivity, operators will be able to create new revenue streams and support a wide range of new and innovative use cases in areas such as automotive, gaming, telemedicine and logistics. As carriers launch 5G networks, roaming must be at the heart of their offerings to deliver maximum value for subscribers.”
BICS’ annual roaming report has become somewhat of a tradition. Last year it found that 4G LTE traffic across its international network almost doubled in 2018. In addition, it saw momentum build for national and international 5G with approximately 50 national 5G networks now live. In 2020 BICS predicts 5G roaming to gain further traction while service providers progress 5G deployments and launch 5G roaming to support increasing demand.
In July of last year, BICS launched a 5G roaming service between Swiss operator Swisscom and South Korean carrier SK Telecom. The 5G roaming service delivers high-speed, low latency 5G data connectivity between two continents, with operators using BICS’ 5G global IPX network.
