Telecom Operators Shift Roaming Strategy Amid Revenue Decline
Carriers are bundling international data to combat a projected $4.3 billion drop in retail roaming revenue by 2031.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Telecommunications
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Global telecommunications providers are rapidly evolving their roaming products as market projections indicate retail roaming revenue will fall from $15.6 billion in 2026 to $11.3 billion by 2031. Operators are increasingly integrating roaming into existing postpaid plans or launching standalone eSIM services to compete with specialized travel providers.
Why it matters
Traditional carriers are adjusting their business models to retain traveler spending and defend against third-party eSIM providers that leverage changing regulatory environments to bypass legacy roaming fees. This pivot is designed to maintain customer stickiness while facing an industry-wide 27.6 percent decline in retail roaming revenue over the next five years.
Market forecasts project a total revenue decline of $4.3 billion by 2031. Currently, legacy daily passes like Verizon and AT&T's TravelPass cost $12 per line for 210 countries, while new bundle strategies now include specific allowances like the 5GB of data offered in Bharti Airtel's latest postpaid roaming pack.
The players
Bharti Airtel
An Indian telecommunications carrier that recently restructured its postpaid roaming benefits.
T-Mobile
A global mobile network operator focused on expanding high-speed 5G standalone roaming access.
Verizon
A major U.S.-based telecommunications provider known for its standardized $12-per-day international roaming pass.
Orange
A French telecommunications company that is currently digitizing its roaming offerings via travel-platform partnerships.
Air India
An international airline operator that entered the telecommunications space with its own travel-focused EasyRoam service.
The details
Operators are shifting toward two primary delivery mechanisms: native plan integration and independent eSIM — a small, rewritable SIM chip embedded directly into a device — data bundles. By partnering with travel booking platforms, carriers aim to capture user traffic before departure, effectively migrating consumers away from legacy pay-per-day models. This strategy relies on 5G standalone roaming connections, which allow for more efficient data routing between international carriers compared to older protocols.
Timeline
June 2026: Orange established a partnership with Trip.com to offer eSIM packages.
September 2026: T-Mobile and Reliance Jio announced a 5G standalone roaming connection.
October 8, 2026: Bharti Airtel revised roaming benefits for its postpaid plans.
October 2026: Air India introduced its EasyRoam service.
2031: Forecasted global retail roaming revenue reaches $11.3 billion.
The Tech Race
This transition marks a strategic pivot away from high-margin legacy roaming toward high-volume data bundling to defend against specialized eSIM providers. It follows the pattern of revenue decay highlighted in Juniper Research's 2031 projections as carriers race to integrate travel-related services.
Travelers should verify if their current postpaid subscription now includes bundled roaming data before purchasing separate temporary eSIMs. Those on legacy plans will continue to see daily charges averaging $12, while newer offerings from carriers like Airtel provide 5GB allotments built directly into existing service packages.
The takeaway
The telecommunications industry is moving toward a subscription-based roaming model to combat the erosion of legacy daily-fee revenues. Travelers should track 2026 revisions to their own operator's data packages to see if roaming is now bundled into standard monthly costs.
Further reading
For more on how infrastructure shifts are shaping global connectivity, visit our section on Telecommunications.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TelecomLead.
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Is it a good time to switch to travel eSIMs for international trips instead of roaming?
