18th May 2021, London, UK: 5G and VoLTE roaming were found to be the top 2 challenges from a technical perspective facing mobile operators around the world, according to Kaleido’s latest Wholesale Roaming MNO Survey conducted in Q1 2021. While 56% of the MNO respondents confirmed 5G and VoLTE roaming as the most important technical challenges, around 24% found this to be either roaming fraud management or signalling security requirements.

In comparison, reduced roaming traffic observed over the past year and Q1 2020 was highlighted as the biggest business challenge in 2021. Around 40% of the respondents observed this as the most immediate hurdle that roaming business units around the world currently face.

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Telco Roaming Challenges & Opportunities: Other Key Survey Findings

Key findings from Kaleido Intelligence’s operator survey* conducted in Q1 2021 included:

• 5G roaming was found to the number 1 driver for increasing roaming revenues, with around 86% of respondents finding this very or extremely important. This also highlights the strategic and more immediate focus for mobile operators.
• Meanwhile, 23% of respondents selected 5G roaming testing and migration as the most important technical requirement, as operators around the world continue with their domestic 5G rollout plans and negotiate 5G roaming agreements worldwide.
• Around 33% of the respondents believe that innovation is required the most in roaming analytics and intelligence products offering insights into roaming behaviour, traffic forecasts, device identification and fraud management.

Nitin Bhas, Chief of Strategy & Insights at Kaleido, said: “5G roaming was found to be a recurring theme throughout the survey. As operators prioritise and plan a migration path from existing roaming services to 5G roaming, there is a greater need for a robust and comprehensive roaming solution covering signalling, interconnect, security, clearing and settlement, alongside other value-added services such as analytics and fraud management.”

Consumer & IoT Roaming Wholesale Revenues to Exceed $20 Billion in 2025

Kaleido’s Wholesale Roaming Strategies & Competitive Analysis 2021 report found that despite a decline in 2020 and 2021, wholesale revenues from consumer and IoT roaming traffic will exceed pre-COVID-19 levels in 2022. This is forecast to exceed $20 billion in 2025, representing an average annual growth rate of 28%.

The survey found that most of the respondents, around 65%, expected wholesale rates for SMS, voice, and data roaming traffic to fall over the next 3-5 years; in comparison, around 37% expected this to remain flat.

Access the report to understand the key operator technical requirements and the leading vendors driving innovation within the wholesale roaming sector, including Kaleido Scores for over 35 roaming vendors

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About Kaleido Intelligence

Kaleido Intelligence is a specialist consulting and market research firm with a proven track record delivering telecom research at the highest level. Kaleido Intelligence is the only research company addressing mobile roaming in its entirety, covering:

• Data Forecasts by Market
• Historical & Forecast Viewpoints
• Competitive Intelligence
• Strategic Insight
• Trend Analysis

Research is led by expert analysts, each with significant experience delivering telco research and insights that matter.

* Kaleido Intelligence conducted an operator survey during March-April 2021 to understand the evolving economics of wholesale and retail roaming as well as the key challenges and consequently, the technical requirements from operators. Around 51 respondents from tier-1 mobile operators around the world were interviewed. Questions available on request.