Starhome, which provides roaming services for mobile network operators, says it has seen positive changes in the roaming market, and has identified new trends that indicate the return of the “global roamer”.

Since its establishment, Starhome has managed and maintained over 900 roaming solutions for over 178 mobile operators in 118 countries worldwide. The company notes that analysts and mobile operators have reported an increase in roaming traffic during the first six months of 2010.

Starhome says the recent surge in data roaming can be attributed to price reductions in 3G devices, together with appealing low-priced data packages being offered by mobile operators. Data roaming traffic has soared to levels beyond what was initially anticipated by industry analysts prior to the economic downturn.

New global roaming trends have also left a positive impression on global roaming revenues. Operators seeking to secure their share of the global data roaming boom are turning to innovation as the tool of choice to differentiate themselves from the competition, says Starhome. Operators wishing to tap into the data market momentum need innovative marketing campaign solutions to secure customer loyalty and stickiness. Offering cross-sell and up-sell campaign benefits to their outbound roamers that are redeemable when back in their home environment are causal factors in creating the ultimate roaming experience and, of course, increasing customer loyalty.
The company adds that subscriber retention is paramount, and says that offering subscribers a good reason to stay can be achieved by offering innovative price packages and bundled services. Hosted, managed and centralized solutions are also being sought by operators to maintain financial sustainability, optimize cost structures and reduce possible downtime.

“Starhome has been an acknowledged leader in roaming innovation for the last 10 years,” says Avi Hasson, general partner at Gemini, a Starhome shareholder. “The company is moving from strength to strength by offering innovative and robust solutions to the mobile industry. Starhome’s position as the roaming solutions vendor of choice is backed by a growing number of operators as well as repeat business. Starhome has delivered six consecutive quarters of growth, despite the global recession and has achieved solid revenue growth from recurrent revenues and fixed licences.”

Starhome will discuss roaming trends and innovations at its annual Roaming Forum, which will be held in Antwerp, Belgium, on 6 October, 2010. Industry experts and operators will discuss case studies and current market trends. Starhome’s latest roaming innovation is due to be unveiled at the event.