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Will eSIM Change The Way You Travel Internationally? - Forbes
International travel has become more affordable and accessible than ever. Consumer-centric, online travel agencies, low-cost airlines and shared lodging options have all made travel way more economical and convenient. Accordingly, international tourist arrivals topped 1.4 billion in 2018 – two years ahead of forecasts – and are expected to exceed 1.8 billion by 2030, as per the UNWTO.
As mobile penetration tops 67% of the global population, currently 1 billion international travelers carry at least one device that can be connected to the internet while away from home. Whether it is a smartphone, a tablet or a wearable, such devices and their associated applications are typically not useful without internet connectivity, especially cellular data. Think of your digital maps, ride-sharing, mobile banking, social media, messaging and browsing apps; they are all useless without internet access.
While this newest industrial revolution keeps expanding into all sorts of applications, today, the majority of international travelers turn off their cellular data roaming because it is expensive. They're shelling out as much as $60 for sharing a holiday photo. In spite of this, many people don’t get a local SIM card or a second device because it is inconvenient to manage another hardware element. So, how do the majority of international travelers stay connected today? They simply stick to public Wi-Fi provided either by their hotel or at the nearby coffee shop.
International travel has become more affordable and accessible than ever. Consumer-centric, online travel agencies, low-cost airlines and shared lodging options have all made travel way more economical and convenient. Accordingly, international tourist arrivals topped 1.4 billion in 2018 – two years ahead of forecasts – and are expected to exceed 1.8 billion by 2030, as per the UNWTO.
As mobile penetration tops 67% of the global population, currently 1 billion international travelers carry at least one device that can be connected to the internet while away from home. Whether it is a smartphone, a tablet or a wearable, such devices and their associated applications are typically not useful without internet connectivity, especially cellular data. Think of your digital maps, ride-sharing, mobile banking, social media, messaging and browsing apps; they are all useless without internet access.
While this newest industrial revolution keeps expanding into all sorts of applications, today, the majority of international travelers turn off their cellular data roaming because it is expensive. They're shelling out as much as $60 for sharing a holiday photo. In spite of this, many people don’t get a local SIM card or a second device because it is inconvenient to manage another hardware element. So, how do the majority of international travelers stay connected today? They simply stick to public Wi-Fi provided either by their hotel or at the nearby coffee shop.