News
A recent report by BICS shows a sharp rise in LTE traffic, particularly in Europe and Africa
Global LTE traffic surged in 2017 and will continue to do so in 2018, according to a new research report conducted by BICS.
The report shows that 562 operators across the globe now offer LTE services to their customer, representing a 25% increase year on year.
The surge in LTE traffic was in part fuelled by the relaxing of roaming legislation within the EU. The summer of 2017 saw a 600-800% increase in LTE data roaming traffic within the EU, compared to 2016.
“Roam Like at Home has upped consumer expectations for high quality, affordable roaming services, wherever they travel. Operators in other regions will therefore look to emulate a similar situation this year by banding together to offer better packages to subscribers while optimising traffic flow and cost efficiencies at the back-end. With BICS’ IPX Transport service, we’ll be supporting operators as they move to an all-IP environment, helping to democratise the roaming experience," said Mikaël Schachne, VP Mobility Solutions, BICS
2017 also saw a dramatic upswing in LTE services in Africa. The research shows growth in the number of MVNOs and tier three / four operators introducing LTE roaming services in the region, following in the footsteps of major players who launched similar offerings in previous years.
The report predicts that Africa will continue to see major growth in LTE deployment in 2018, given that there are still a large number of African nations that offer no LTE services at all.
“As infrastructure improves and populations and workforces become more globalised, we’ll see an even greater number of operators across the world offering LTE roaming to ensure they stay relevant and competitive,” he added.
