The launch of 5G services in 2020 is likely to unfold numerous growth opportunities for the roaming tariff industry owing to better coverage and enhanced network capacity.
However, regulatory pressures and government intervention in some countries have led to reduced tariff margins for network providers, thereby hampering the market growth.
For instance, in 2016, the European Union announced zero roaming charges for European citizens traveling across the region, allowing them to text, call, and browse the internet on their mobile devices at the same price they pay at their home country.In recent years, LTE subscriptions have increased at a significant rate owing to broader network coverage.
Developing countries such as India and Japan are ranked among countries with the largest internet user base.
In addition, the use of high-end mobile devices, such as 4G-enabled smartphones, is also increasing owing to advantages such as low latency and easy access to data & voice services when traveling abroad.
For instance, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the number of internet users in developing countries accounted for 2,868 million in 2018.