Juniper Research says new tools that can autonomously identify roaming connections need to be developed as 5G connectivity continues to proliferate.
According to the research firm’s new study, the total number of 5G roaming connections will increase from 53 million in 2023 to 526 million by 2027.
In its new report entitled: “5G Roaming Strategies: Value-added Services, Regional Analysis & Market Forecasts 2023-2027”, the research firm said AI-based real-time analytics and roaming fraud mitigation services are two critical solutions that will enable operators to protect their networks against an influx of data traffic from roaming subscribers.
“An inability to detect roaming connections that use valuable network bandwidth risks diminishing the user experience for the operator’s own subscribers.," said Elisha Sudlow-Poole, research analyst, Juniper Research.
"To maintain high-quality services for their subscribers, operators must invest in roaming solutions that can efficiently identify roaming connections that consume large amounts of cellular data."
Elisha Sudlow-Poole, Juniper Research
5G network cores to drive development
The research predicts that amidst the growth of 5G roamers, these emerging traffic analytics and anti‑fraud solutions must enable the enhanced identification and authentication of roaming connections over 5G networks.
However, given the increased complexity of 5G networks, it anticipates current roaming analytics services will be insufficient in monitoring 5G roaming connections, and the subsequent increase in mobile roaming data.
To maximise the benefits from these new 5G roaming services, operators must invest in 5G NGCs (Next‑generation Cores), which are highly virtualised and can more efficiently assess traffic and connectivity.
By deploying NGCs, roaming vendors can better protect networks’ processing power and signalling capabilities amidst rising levels of roaming data consumption. This will ensure a continuous level of service essential to attracting high-spending enterprise customers.
Additionally, the report predicts that 5G NGCs will be imperative to enabling operators to handle the growth of data from roaming subscribers; forecasting that 5G data roaming traffic will grow 3,500% over the next four years.
