The number is poised to reach 4.5m this year
The number of people using 5G roaming worldwide is set to reach 210 million users by 2026, according to a study by Juniper Research.
This represents a 4,500 per cent increase over the next five years, from the 4.5 million figure anticipated in 2021.
Growing demand is set to be boosted by the return of international travel as COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease, along with rising demand for 5G data from consumers at home.
To support this, the analyst firm has urged operators to focus on increasing 5G roaming support to match the demand for data.
Global roaming data traffic is also anticipated to surge during the next five years to 2026, from 2.6 to 770 petabytes.
Juniper research analyst Scarlett Woodford said: “As demand for international travel returns, operators must adjust to the significant uptake of 5G subscriptions during the pandemic.
“A failure to provide 5G roaming capabilities in key travel destinations will diminish brand reputation amongst subscribers and lead to churn to competitors.”