In the report, titled “The new report, Mobile Roaming: Challenges, Opportunities & Market Forecasts 2012-2017,” the analysis firm said that the mobile data growth would be driven by an increasing number of active data roamers using data services while abroad.

In recent years, satellite operators and service providers have leveraged opportunities in the healthy mobile data sector. While Juniper Research analysts feel just as optimistic about the future of mobile data, its newest report also notes that the number of silent data roamers not actively using any data services still fear what they call “bill shock,” as this continues to be markedly higher when compared to silent voice roamers.  

Juniper Research Analyst and Report Author Nitin Bhas said that silent roamers exercise caution or do not use voice and data services while roaming and represent a non-user segment.

“Data roaming is the next big growth driver,” Bhas wrote in the report, “Powered by the proliferation in smartphones and a dramatic growth in data usage, data roaming is being seen as a key growth driver for operators, albeit with cost-effective packages coupled with subscriber control over usage.”

The report found that the majority of mobile customers were using voice services when roaming abroad, but this offered network operators little opportunity to add value or enhance services. “Data roaming, on the other hand, provided operators with the opportunity to convert ‘non data’ roamers to become active data roamers by the introduction of data bundles and roaming plans,” said Bhas.

Juniper Research forecasts that SMS roaming revenues would remain a modest proportion of the sector’s growth. “As data roaming costs are further reduced and smartphone owners find so-called Over-the-Top (OTT) services – such as eBuddy and Whatsapp – a cheaper alternative, the average spend per SMS roaming will decline over the forecast period,” Bhas added.