More Travellers Buying Roaming Services Post-Covid

The number of smartphone users that roam overseas has risen from 75% of the total in 2022 to 81% in 2024, according to the latest research in 10 core markets tracked by MEF. At the same time, the number that either buy an international roaming bundle or new SIM on arrival has risen from 21% to 23%. When these numbers are applied to the number of users with a data-connected handset in each of our 10 core markets, we see overall growth of 5.1% in the number of data users from 2.47 billion to 2.60 billion; a 13.6% rise in the number of international roamers from 1.85 billion to 2.10 billion, and; 15.5% growth in the number of people that then buy a roaming service from 510.14 million to 589.10 million. Full details are available to download in MEF’s 10th Annual Consumer Trust Study.