Data from international communications enabler BICS has revealed that the number of non-standalone 5G roaming subscribers of consumer and Internet of Things (IoT) devices across its network has grown 156% year-on-year.
BICS concluded that while IoT is still in its early stages, the increase in machine roaming using 5G connections is an encouraging sign that the industry is finally gaining momentum.
According to the data, there are expected to be approximately 176 million 5G roaming users in 2023, up from 68 million in 2022.
Across all mobile technologies analyzed in 2023 (including 3G, 4G and 5G), the number of consumer devices such as smartphones, tablets and smartwatches used by roaming users grew 37% on an annual basis, from 608 million to 817 million.
BICS added that this data is in line with research from the United Nations Tourism Office which showed international tourism is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
Digging deeper into the segmentation of consumer and IoT roamers in 5G connections, the BICS study found that the number of consumer roamers increased by 15%.
He added that the sharp increase in 5G roaming users tracked in other studies indicates a “surge” in data roaming activity and the momentum of 5G roaming services.
Citing research from Kaleido Intelligence, the company predicts that non-standalone 5G roaming subscribers will exceed 100 million in 2024, with consumer and IoT roaming data usage growing 36% overall to a total of 5,000 petabytes. BICS data shows a much more significant increase of 277% in the number of IoT devices roaming on 5G connections. The variety of 5G devices is also growing, growing 47% year-over-year in 2023.
“Manufacturers told us they are facing significant challenges building IoT devices that support 5G roaming,” said Anne Hayes, communications solutions manager at BICS.
“That’s why most of the roaming devices we’ve seen on networks have been consumer mobile phones so far,” she says. “IoT is still in its infancy, but the rise in roaming machines using 5G connections is a very encouraging sign that the industry is finally picking up pace.”
“Kaleido’s proprietary research shows that IoT roaming revenue is expected to grow 79% in 2024 compared to pre-2019 levels,” said Heyse. “Much of this is due to the many exciting partnerships being formed between large enterprises and small businesses to help drive adoption of IoT devices for next-generation use cases.”
Michaël Shakhne, chief revenue officer at BICS, said: “While 5G rollout has been on the slower side, the increasing trends we are seeing on our network show that non-standalone 5G is now gaining momentum.
“These figures make sense given that 5G roaming is now available in more than 60 countries around the world. However, it’s important to remember that this is non-standalone traffic that’s tied to 4G technology,” he said. “To realize 5G’s full potential, further investment in standalone 5G is needed.”.“
