The more businesses sell travel eSIM, the more they need to buy connectivity.
Every travel eSIM sold requires mobile network connectivity. And as travel eSIM providers, travel companies, fintechs, and digital-first brands add connectivity to their services, the pool of businesses seeking network access grows with them. For MNOs, this expands the travel eSIM opportunity beyond their own direct proposition. Operators can reach customers through partner channels, provide the connectivity behind services sold by other brands, or combine these approaches as part of a broader eSIM strategy.
Operators are already recognizing this opportunity. 59% have a positive view of travel eSIM because of its potential to grow inbound roaming, and almost half are already working with or sponsoring travel eSIM providers.
The opportunity is there. So what does an MNO need to support various routes to market without building a separate model for each one?
A traveler might buy an eSIM from a specialist provider, add connectivity while booking a trip, or access it through a fintech or super app they already use. From the customer’s perspective, those experiences can look very different. But behind each one is the same need for network access.
Whichever channel they choose, travel eSIM can bring additional traffic onto cellular networks. Kaleido Intelligence found that 61% of operators believe travel eSIM can help convert silent roamers into paying data users, while 68% believe silent roamers are more likely to use travel eSIM than traditional roaming plans. These are travelers who might otherwise have relied on Wi-Fi or avoided using mobile data abroad entirely.
The wholesale opportunity, therefore, goes beyond the routing of existing roaming traffic. Travel eSIM can also bring cellular data users onto the network who might otherwise have relied on Wi-Fi or avoided using mobile data abroad.
As more businesses add travel eSIM to their services, MNOs have more ways to participate in the market. Each way puts the operator in a different position relative to the customer.
Selling directly, the MNO owns the full proposition: the customer relationship, the experience, and the connectivity behind it.
Extending through travel companies, fintechs, and other digital partners, the eSIM sits within a partner's experience, while the operator supplies connectivity and shares in the revenue.
In a wholesale model, the operator steps back from the customer entirely and provides the underlying network access that other businesses build on.
Each model has its own requirements for customer experience, integration, and ongoing management. But those differences sit at the surface. They don't demand a separate connectivity foundation underneath.
A managed eSIM platform can deliver that common foundation, bringing together the capabilities needed to launch, manage, and scale multiple propositions.
Telna brings together the technical, operational, and customer-facing capabilities that MNOs need to support diverse eSIM business models on a common connectivity foundation.
For MNOs looking to take their own travel eSIM proposition directly to customers, a branded app and webstore offer a customer-facing experience for discovering, purchasing, and managing connectivity without having to build it from scratch.
When connectivity is offered through a partner, Telna’s APIs enable eSIM capabilities to be integrated into existing apps, websites, and digital services. Partners can incorporate elements such as plan selection, eSIM activation, and usage information into experiences they already own.
Behind both models, provisioning and lifecycle management form the operational foundation for assigning, activating, and managing eSIM connectivity. Using the same infrastructure across offerings reduces the need to introduce separate processes as new eSIM models are added.
Access to global network connectivity allows MNOs and their partners to support travelers across markets through the same connectivity environment. Telna’s global APN provides a consistent way to manage data connectivity as services expand across networks and geographies.
Usage visibility and centralized connectivity management give businesses a clearer view of how services are being used and deliver the control needed to manage propositions as volumes grow.
Technology alone doesn’t bring an eSIM proposition to market. For MNOs launching their own customer-facing offer, Telna can also support the CRM, marketing, and customer service needed to reach customers and manage the proposition beyond launch.
Together, these capabilities allow the customer-facing proposition to adapt to the route to market, while the underlying connectivity infrastructure remains consistent.
As travel eSIM grows, MNOs have more ways to participate in the opportunity. They can take their own propositions directly to customers, extend them through partners, and bring the network access behind services offered by other businesses.
By bringing the capabilities of these models together, Telna gives operators a more scalable way to support multiple routes to market without building a separate connectivity model for each. This allows MNOs to put more of their network reach to work, supporting their own eSIM growth while opening up new sources of partner and wholesale revenue.
Turn your network reach into more routes to revenue.
→ Find out how Telna can support your travel eSIM strategy today.
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