Rise in roaming data usage predicted

Starhome, provider behind roaming profitability for mobile network operators, is predicting a further rise in roaming data usage together with an increase in revenue-based steering of roaming solutions throughout 2011 and 2012.

There are several reasons for the continued rise in roaming data usage.  The first being that 3G smart phones allow for higher efficiency and network capabilities while roaming, the second  is fuelled by the subscriber’s constant need  to Tweet, Share, surf the net and check emails while roaming. However, even with this new lifestyle, bill shock remains a primary concern for subscribers.

Operators, in a bid to maintain the momentum of increased data usage, but also reduce bill shock, are offering expanded roaming data services bundled into packages based on the subscriber’s usage patterns or even their mobile handset model. Price elasticity can also reveal how responsive customers are to price changes - Europe has shown that if prices are set to match elasticity, data roaming revenues can increase without an overall increase in price.

The use of Steering of Roaming (SoR) solutions, in particular, revenue-based, is also set to increase in the coming years.  Revenue-based solutions focus specifically on revenue goals in terms of voice, data and SMS.  Starhome’s Next Generation Intelligent Preferred Network(R) (NG IPN)   solution identifies data-oriented user patterns and dynamically steers inbound roamers to the operator’s preferred network.

Amit Daniel, VP of Marketing at Starhome, commented, “Operators can cultivate the growing data roaming market and encourage data roaming usage by offering their roamers out-of-the-box data roaming bundles to alleviate the fear of bill shock. Steering data roamers to a preferred network has increased and is expected to continue, with the release of the revenue-based steering of roaming solution.  The NG IPN ensures execution of set goals for data and voice during a set time and is also an excellent tool for better negotiating roaming and IOT (inter-operator tariff) agreements.”