While traveling, a smartphone can be your best friend. It can point you to a nearby restaurant, help with translations and essentially provide any information you may find yourself needing while on the move. However, it turns out that a smartphone’s capabilities are highly underutilized when users are crossing country borders.
Although it would be convenient for smartphone owners to be able to access all the features of their phones at all times, the fear of excessive fees from roaming charges can put a stop to any data usage before it even begins. Even simple functionalities like calling and texting get used less by international travelers, with 65 percent using under 30 minutes of calling per day.
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This way of using a smartphone benefits neither the traveler nor the company that is providing them with a calling and data plan. A variety of solutions have been developed in order to try to combat the issue and get travelers to continue using data while abroad, with varying degrees of success.
One method that is used by mobile service providers to try to retain customer loyalty is engaging the customer as soon as it’s determined that they have entered a different country. Mary Clark, senior vice president of roaming at Syniverse, a company offering a system that enables this, explains, “With access to instantaneous information about end-user experiences on visited networks, mobile service providers can engage their customers as soon as they land in a foreign country with personalized offers to entice travelers to continue to use mobile while also proactively monitoring quality of experience.”
Another method that is commonly used by travelers to avoid excessive roaming charges is the purchase of a SIM card specifically designed for travelling. This is one of the more effective methods, since many of the cards are pre-paid, thereby eliminating the possibility of the user being hit with charges any higher than what they have already agreed to pay.
Edited by
Alisen Downey 
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