{"id":445060,"date":"2025-09-23T16:27:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T15:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/?post_type=commercialcontent&p=445060"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:56:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:56:58","slug":"the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off","status":"publish","type":"commercialcontent","link":"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/","title":{"rendered":"The roaming revolution: why travel eSIMs are primed for take-off"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PARTNER FEATURE: Nearly half of consumers in the US, UK and China (46%) have never heard of an eSIM, according to recent research from Proximus Global. Around four in ten people (42%) are also unsure whether their phone has an eSIM. But once consumers are made aware of eSIMs and their benefits, nearly half of them (49%) would consider using an eSIM abroad, rising to 56% in the UK and 60% in China.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with more than a third (36%) of consumers stating a willingness to purchase an eSIM from a non-traditional provider, the opportunity extends beyond mobile operators. Retail and travel brands (including supermarkets, airlines and travel websites) can leverage customer loyalty to boost adoption and explore cross-selling opportunities within their existing service offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UN Tourism, international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025 rose by 3%, to 300m, compared with the same period during 2019, the year immediately before the pandemic. Longer term, the trajectory is clearer, with tourism arrivals rising by 20%, from 1.5bn per year in 2019 to 1.8bn in 2030. As travel demand accelerates and consumers from emerging markets join the global tourism surge, the need for smarter and more flexible connectivity solutions will grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sky high cost of roaming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>For most consumers, switching on their carrier\u2019s roaming service is the most obvious way to communicate and consume data when travelling abroad. But roaming is rarely the most convenient and cost-effective solution. Travel eSIMs, a digital alternative to physical SIM cards, allow users to switch to a local network when travelling, offering greater convenience and flexibility at a much lower cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill shock, a term that refers to the sting of unexpected roaming fees, is a longstanding pain point for consumers. Estimates around the total cost of roaming vary, but the savings associated with an eSIM are clear. According to Juniper Research, in 2024 mobile subscribers typically spent around $8.57 per GB of data when roaming, compared with just $5.50 per GB for an eSIM. \u201cIn India, if I have to travel for two weeks in Europe, the typical charge would be about EUR30 from my home network,\u201d says Milind Pathak, Chief Marketing Officer at Proximus Global. \u201cYou could get an eSIM for half that price, if not more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Untapped potential<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While consumer awareness around the cost advantages of eSIMs is still growing, the underlying market is expanding rapidly. According to Research and Markets, the global market for roaming was valued at US$79.2bn in 2024, rising to nearly US$106bn by 2030. Meanwhile, AlixPartners valued the global eSIM market at around US$9bn in 2023, rising to around US$14bn by 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pathak believes indirect distribution channels such as banks, travel companies, tour websites and global hotel chains are well placed to support this growth and accelerate adoption. \u201cIt\u2019s a multi-dimensional environment, where non-operator centric players can potentially bring the market to a growth tailwind,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel companies view eSIMs as a natural upsell opportunity, while banking and food retail players such as Revolut, Nord VPN and Carrefour have already launched eSIM services. \u201cCarrefour is evolving to offer digital services, including gift cards with QR codes for Uber and Amazon. So they can stack up the eSIM as an additional service within that portfolio,\u201d says Jorn Vercamert, Chief Product Officer at Proximus Global. The same goes, he adds, for brands that \u201chave a native digital customer journey, high brand investment and brand awareness.\u201d Airlines are a case in point. \u201cThey are already engaging in an almost digital native way with their customers, so there is an option for them to easily integrate an eSIM solution into their platform and as part of a wider premium subscription offer,\u201d says Vercamert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pathak says he too sees evidence of brands trying to embed eSIM services into their existing portfolio, particularly when it comes to their loyalty offering. \u201cThe eSIM can become a sticky loyalty pack addition, which is unused, unconsumed credit, but remains there for use in a particular roaming scenario,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratising connectivity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As new entrants disrupt the traditional operator model, consumer neutrality around accessing eSIMs is expanding consumer choice and having a democratising effect on the market. \u201cIt is changing the ecosystem drastically,\u201d says Vercamert. \u201cIt gives opportunities for MNOs, companies in the travel industry and big consumer brands to expand their digital offer with an eSIM.\u201d Pathak agrees, adding that more brands will come to realise they can offer telco services without having to own or operate infrastructure. This has a democratising effect on the network that will vastly benefit consumers and open new growth opportunities for businesses, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some challenges to increased adoption remain.  Having a robust understanding of a customer\u2019s digital identity is one challenge. \u201cWith some solutions, the digital identity is well articulated. In others, that isn\u2019t always the case,\u201d Jorn says. Additional challenges around standards and distribution need to be ironed out, but these are likely to be solved as the eSIM offering becomes sharper and more globally scalable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumers seek seamless, reliable, always-on, cross-border connectivity. Mobile operators therefore have an opportunity to diversify offerings with flexible, cost-effective eSIM solutions tailored to travelers, creating stickiness with their existing customer base as they travel. Retailer brands are in a strong position to leverage customer loyalty with eSIM offerings in other consumer areas, such as supermarkets or airlines. Brands that use their first-mover advantage and embed eSIMs into their portfolios will become the new leaders in this evolving global travel landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PARTNER FEATURE: Nearly half of consumers in the US, UK and China (46%) have never heard of an eSIM, according Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":431844,"template":"","categories":[14886920,14886915],"site-option":[14886877],"event-cat":[],"class_list":["post-445060","commercialcontent","type-commercialcontent","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devices","category-operators"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe roaming revolution: why travel eS... - Mobile World Live<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The online communications hub for the global mobile industry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The roaming revolution: why travel eSIMs are primed for take-off\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PARTNER FEATURE: Nearly half of consumers in the US, UK and China (46%) have never heard of an eSIM, according Read more...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mobile World Live\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MobileWorldLive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-26T16:56:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.mobileworldlive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/03090248\/eSIM_SS_generic.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"648\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"364\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mobileworldlive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/\",\"name\":\"The roaming revolution: why travel eSIMs are primed for take-off - Mobile World Live\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.mobileworldlive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/03090248\/eSIM_SS_generic.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-23T15:27:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-26T16:56:58+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/the-roaming-revolution-why-travel-esims-are-primed-for-take-off\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.mobileworldlive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/03090248\/eSIM_SS_generic.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.mobileworldlive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/03090248\/eSIM_SS_generic.jpg\",\"width\":648,\"height\":364,\"caption\":\"Digital illustration of an eSIM card with glowing blue circuitry on a dark background, symbolizing electronic connectivity. 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