Mobile operators that have a large regional presence increasingly offer low region-wide roaming rates similar to domestic tariff levels. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, for instance, mobile operators are encouraging their customers to roam rather than acquire local SIMs when they go abroad. This approach is becoming more common and shows competitive approaches in regions around the world.
Sub-regional and bilateral packages, as well as regional offers for tourists through reduced rates and monthly, weekly or daily roaming bundles, are also facilitating cross-border travel and trade.
Local SIMs have always been an important substitute for roaming services, particularly among regular visitors and migrant workers. Some Middle Eastern operators are building on the concept of a local SIM by offering a temporary local phone number that works in parallel with a user’s home number — without the need for an additional SIM.
Consumers in Asia Pacific are also making use of roaming substitutes. They have adopted SIM-based alternatives to international roaming across multiple regions. Call-by-call substitutes to roaming for corporate and business users are already having a significant impact on the roaming market in Asia. As the use of substitutes continues to rise, roaming prices will be reduced further. Certain substitutes may be more appropriate depending on national market conditions.
The mobile industry is committed to customer protection. Operators continue to improve transparency to ensure consumers receive better value from their roaming services.
Easy access to personalised tariff and usage information allows consumers to quickly understand the range of options available in the market. Operators use several methods to ensure consumers are aware of the latest rates and offers, such as consumer-friendly websites and SMS messages welcoming roaming customers when they enter a country.
Within the EU, Gulf and other regions, comprehensive notification systems and informative websites have been developed to ensure consumers understand their usage. Data roaming services in these regions are managed according to regulation, competition and customer preferences, for example when a data usage limit is reached.
Many operators, particularly for the prepaid segment, offer customers the ability to top up with local cards while travelling abroad. This, in addition to easily accessible, free-of-charge customer support, gives prepaid customers the freedom to fully understand their roaming options and top up their credit at home or abroad.
