The global roaming industry is being reshaped by a wave of technological transformations, driven by the increasing complexity of roaming services, 5G and IoT growth, and the growing need for faster, more transparent settlements. Billing and Charging Evolution (BCE) is stepping in as the foundation for this new era, offering mobile operators with the tools not just to adapt their services, but to lead and redefine roaming business models.
BCE has been designed to modernise how roaming services are charged and settled in line with commercial models and evolving telco ecosystem. Unlike the legacy TAP systems, which was built for much simpler data environments, BCE supports flexible, dynamic charging models essential for next-generation services such as 5G, IoT and network slicing.
BCE is no longer viewed as just a standard compliance requirement. Instead, it is becoming the framework through which operators are modernising their business models – offering real-time visibility, flexible charging, and a clearer path to managing increasingly complex services across networks and borders.
Adoption Timelines Vary, but Competitive Pressures Pose a Challenge
According to Kaleido’s 2025 BCE MNO survey, when asked what could accelerate their deployment strategies for BCE, the majority of operators believe that delaying migration risks competitive disadvantage. This growing urgency is driven by the GSMA’s upcoming February 2026 implementation date for BCE 2.0, which introduces enhanced compliance and modularity capabilities to address real-world use cases more effectively.
MNO Survey response to: ‘What could accelerate your deployment strategies for BCE?’
Source: Kaleido Intelligence BCE MNO Survey Q1 2025
As roaming becomes more complex with the differentiated service tiers and enterprise use cases, BCE’s support for agile charging and dynamic settlement offers a competitive edge. Mobile operators failing to migrate may find themselves unable to meet the demands of wholesale partners or monetise advanced services like 5G slicing. In a space where real-time visibility and settlement agility matter, hesitation could result in missed market opportunities.
Additionally, there is also a need for more consistent guidance across the roaming ecosystem – whether from industry bodies, vendors or internal working groups – to educate operators of the benefits of BCE and help translate strategic intent into actionable deployment plans. Half of survey respondents cited better education on BCE would be key to accelerating their deployment strategies. While many recognise the value of BCE, turning this awareness into concrete steps requires clarity on commercial viability and how it will operate alongside legacy systems during transition.
The BCE transition is quickly becoming a benchmark for digital maturity in roaming. Competitive positioning now depends on that ability to align billing and settlement processed with evolving commercial realities. Mobile operators should view timely BCE adoption as a core business priority, not just a technical upgrade to ensure long-term agility.
2025 Outlook: Operator Strategies for Advancing BCE Deployment
While competitive urgency is driving near-term action, operators must also adopt a multi-year roadmap for BCE readiness. 5G Standalone (SA) is expected to begin scaling in late 2025, with expansion throughout 2026 and widespread adoption expected by 2027. This introduces both new service expectations and heightened demands on settlement agility. BCE implementation timelines must align with this shift. According to Kaleido’s survey, the majority of participating operators are targeting 2026-2027 as their BCE deployment year, reflecting growing industry alignment.
Operators are strongly encouraged to use 2025 and 2026 as a preparatory window, allocating resources for BCE onboarding, identifying vendor support and coordinating internal teams responsible for clearing, billing and reconciliation. Ensuring full operational BCE readiness by 2027 will be critical.
The push for BCE adoption over the coming years also signals a broader shift in the roaming landscape, one that is opening new commercial opportunities for both established stakeholders and emerging market participants. As BCE becomes more embedded in the settlement ecosystem, its modular architecture creates space for new players to unlock value through flexible engagement strategies. The expanding ecosystem will be particularly important for smaller operators, who may prefer to engage with regional or niche vendors that offer cost-effective and targeted support.
BCE Settlement Volumes Set for Rapid Expansion
While BCE adoption remains in the early phases, many operators anticipate that BCE will handle a growing share of their settlement volumes by 2028. A notable portion foresee BCE managing up to a quarter of their transactions, while a similar proportion expect roaming transactions settled by BCE to cover up to half of their roaming transactions.
MNO Survey response to: ‘What proportion of roaming transaction settlements do you expect to be handled by BCE in the next three years?”
Source: Kaleido Intelligence BCE MNO Survey Q1 2025
Looking ahead, Kaleido forecasts BCE to handle over 40% of global consumer and IoT wholesale roaming settlements by 2030. This growth signals not only increasing operator adoption but also broader integration into more diverse and high-volume roaming environments. Beyond traditional mobile use cases, BCE is expected to capture rising settlement flows from non-terrestrial networks and new IoT ecosystems – reinforcing its role as a future-proofed framework for the next generation of roaming commerce.
Your BCE Strategy
Interested in positioning your BCE strategy for success? Access our “BCE and the Future of Clearing & Settlement” report, offering a comprehensive assessment of operator deployment strategies and challenges.
Kaleido survey members can now access the full survey findings through the member portal.
Blog Author: Dawnn Dinsey (Market Research Analyst)