Data Roaming Traffic Across IPX Networks to Exceed 20,000 PB By 2030

London, July 30th, 2026: New analysis from Kaleido Intelligence highlights the continued growth of data roaming traffic carried over IPX networks. Traffic generated by consumer roaming, travel eSIMs and IoT connections is forecast to exceed 10,000 PB by the end of 2026 and double by 2030. This growth will be driven by the expanding base of IoT-enabled devices, rising data usage per connection, declining wholesale data costs and the wider adoption of 5G services. 

Data Roaming Traffic Across IPX Networks, Global 2018-2030

Source: Kaleido Intelligence 

Increased Traffic Drives Demand for Capacity 

Kaleido has also forecasted that 5G NSA active roamers will exceed 340 million in 2026. It is becoming increasingly important for IPX providers to continue to adapt their offerings, in order to support the global adoption of 5G roaming and the surge in traffic accompanying it. 

For IPX providers, 2026 represents a pivotal stage in the transition to 5G SA roaming. Several MNOs are planning commercial launches between 2026 and 2027, while the first commercial 5G SA roaming service between Jio and T-Mobile launched in July 2026. This milestone brings 5G SA-enabled applications and use cases into the international roaming environment, increasing the capacity, bandwidth and service-assurance requirements placed on IPX providers supporting 5G SA connectivity. 

High bandwidth support and IPX capacity remain high-priority factors for MNOs seeking to deploy 5G NSA & SA roaming services – 22.6% of respondents to Kaleido’s 5G Roaming Survey Q3 2025 cited those requirements as their most immediate for SA roaming. As operators migrate to 5G SA these operators will rely on IPX providers to facilitate secure, low latency and high-capacity connectivity and service delivery across networks.  

5G SA Roaming MNO Requirements (Most Immediate, from a Services Deployment POV) 

Source: Kaleido Intelligence 5G Roaming MNO Survey, Q3 2025 

VoLTE and Vo5G roaming support, and SEPP implementation were both chosen by over half of MNO respondents as more immediate requirements, making it clear that VoLTE fallback and signalling security are crucial foundations needed to facilitate 5G SA roaming. IPX providers must ensure that they are in a position to deliver secure and reliable 5G services, especially at a juncture as critical as 2026. 

Market Status Snapshot: 

• Consumer roaming voice and SMS usage predicted to continue declining throughout 2026 as data usage per roamer continues to increase. 

• Around 20+ MNO respondents answered that they plan to launch 5G SA roaming in 2026. 

• 5G roaming IoT connections are expected to exceed 37 million by the end of 2026, with 5G roaming consumer roamers reaching 340 million. 

 A Need for Breakout 

Operators are increasingly expecting IPX vendors to offer both local and regional breakout, in order to support their 5G roaming needs. It has been suggested that demand for LBO in the near future will be driven primarily by large-scale events (e.g. the World Cup), enterprise use cases such as AR/VR and gaming, and IoT & MVNO sponsored roaming customers, for whom low-latency is required for mission-critical applications. 

Need for LBO/RBO – Priority Among MNO Respondents 

Source: Kaleido Intelligence 5G Roaming MNO Survey Q3 2025 

For 5G NSA, Breakout services were selected as an ‘immediate’ or ‘more immediate’ priority by just 38% of respondents. For 5G SA, Breakout services were an ‘immediate’/’more immediate’ priority for 60% of respondents. Due to demands for lower latency for 5G services and for IoT use cases, LBO especially is becoming more sought after. Any operators who wish to offer worldwide 5G SA roaming services will look favourably on any IPX provider able to provide low-latency through a robust network of peering agreements and PoPs. 

Kaleido IPX: Market Strategies & Opportunities 2026 Key Findings: 

• IoT roaming use cases are expected to be a main driver for roaming revenues in the near future, with 73% of respondents selecting it as a driver over the next 3 years.  

• Real-time intelligence and analytics emerged as the top IPX priority for operators in launching 5G (NSA & SA) services – 63% of respondents selected real-time intelligence and analytics as a priority. 

• As of Q1 2026, only a few IPX vendors currently see an opportunity pertaining to satellite providers and non-terrestrial roaming. Other vendors believe it is too soon to consider such opportunities, or that satellite only has a place in IPX as a gap filler. 

Access Kaleido’s IPX: Market Strategies & Opportunities 2026 for an overview of the current roaming market (including roamer and connection forecasts to 2030), evaluation of IPX priorities and requirements, and a look at IPX service offerings and 5G readiness by vendor.