Starhome Predicts Data Roaming Boom

Roaming services provider Starhome says that solutions that stimulate roaming traffic and add new data subscribers will be in high demand in 2009. Starhome says that these solutions will increase individual mobile operators revenues by up to 40%, and that operators offering this type of solution can increase their data roaming usage by an average of 35-45%.

Based on discussions with approximately 30 leading operators, its experience in the field and a thorough analysis of data, Starhome has concluded that a strategic shift to an emphasis on mobile roaming data is already underway.
Industry leaders support Starhomes vision, with Marc Furrer, the Head of Roaming and Interworking at Swisscom, stating that solutions offering flat rates and/or bundles for mobile data roaming will be the hot solutions for 2009.

An explosion in mobile roaming data usage is predicted for the immediate future.
Demand for Internet access is booming, and mobile customers are increasingly focusing on sophisticated handsets, and of course the Internet, says Maurizio Martucci, Director of Marketing for Telecom Italia Mobile. Our customers want to access the webs rich content for many reasons, regardless of whether they are home or abroad.
In addition to the predicted upsurge in usage, Starhome notes that mobile operators are focusing on mobile roaming data, due to expected governmental regulations of this new technology, especially in Europe.
Starhome expects the transition for mobile operators to more effective management of mobile roaming data to be fairly straightforward, since the major pieces are already in place. The shares of sales for Advanced/Open OS global handsets are predicted to increase every year until 2012, and feature phones are also proliferating.
The mobile operators who succeed in 2009 will deploy Roaming Control solutions that provide a bundle of services to satisfy all of the users data, voice and messaging roaming needs, while helping the operators comply with all relevant regulations, says Amit Daniel, Vice President of Marketing for Starhome. Operators who deploy such a solution will be able to provide flat fees and packages, and notifications with prices, to the end users.