Travel eSIM has gone mainstream, with 74% of travelers aware of its convenience. Their popularity has resulted in the rise of dedicated eSIM businesses, while airlines, fintechs, super apps, and even supermarkets are clamoring to embed connectivity directly into their products.
And yet, new research released by Kaleido Intelligence, in partnership with Telna, has revealed a finding operators will delight in: travelers still prefer them. 89% would choose their mobile operator for travel eSIM, compared to 60% for standalone eSIM providers.
The revenue opportunity behind that preference is significant. Last year’s total travel connectivity market was worth $20 billion, and over 80% of silent roamers (travelers who go offline or use Wi-Fi only abroad to avoid roaming costs) said they would adopt a travel eSIM if it were accessible and affordable. With 2026 already showing signs of marked growth, operators would do well to focus their efforts on converting that largely untapped market.
Operators can win first-time travel eSIM customers by acting on five key adoption drivers: transparent pricing, strong digital discovery, booking flow partnerships, word-of-mouth programs, and leveraging existing customer relationships. The research identifies these as the moments where operators either retain their advantage or cede ground to third-party providers.
Each of these drivers maps to the same underlying opportunity: converting silent roamers into active, paying travel connectivity customers. Here's what that means in practice.
Silent roamers have trust issues with traditional roaming. Price shapes every travel decision, and roaming has never shaken its reputation for bill shock. Unexpected charges landing after a trip are a loyalty killer.
Operators that want to retain and attract travelers need to position their travel data offer as the transparent, predictable alternative to traditional roaming, with pricing that travelers can understand while on the go. Prepaid bundles, real-time usage tracking, and clear per-destination rates are the baseline operators should look to deliver.
Travelers searching for connectivity while booking a trip are, in most cases, not calling their operator. They're searching online and on LLMs, and they're finding providers that have invested heavily in app-store visibility and SEO.
The gap is significant. GSMA data shows that only 8% of consumers who are aware of eSIM discover it through their operator's own commercial activity. The rest are finding it through third parties. For example, Airalo, the largest standalone travel eSIM provider, now serves over 20 million travelers in more than 200 countries, built almost entirely on a digital-first discovery model.
To compete at this moment, operators need to close the gap on two fronts. Firstly, their app or travel eSIM page must surface early in search results. And secondly, the subscription flow for a traveler must be genuinely frictionless. A few extra steps at checkout are all it takes to lose the customer to a provider who made it easier.
One of the most significant shifts in travel connectivity is the change in distribution. Gone are the times when travelers sought out a solution at the airport. Increasingly, connectivity finds them first.
Travel platforms are embedding data plans directly into booking flows, allowing travelers to add connectivity when they book a flight or hotel. Fintechs like Revolut have linked eSIM to their digital wallets. Brands with an existing digital customer journey and strong awareness are finding that eSIM slots naturally fit into what they already offer.
For operators, this represents a significant distribution opportunity. Partnering with travel, hospitality, and retail brands puts connectivity in front of silent roamers at the moment of highest purchase intent. They reach travelers who are actively planning and spending. The advantage of this approach is that the operator can go well beyond their own app or storefront to make their brand central to the travel experience.
The operational key is instant provisioning. With an eSIM management platform like Telna, there’s no need to pre-stock inventory;, travelers can order eSIM that are ready for immediate use. That seamless experience is what makes the booking flow add-on model viable at scale.
Travel eSIM is a product category that spreads by experience. Once someone uses it and avoids the bill shock, they tell people.
Unlike standalone eSIM brands that rely on travel influencer campaigns to build awareness from scratch, operators have structural advantages here: existing subscriber bases, established app infrastructure, and customer satisfaction data.
The levers worth pulling are:
Loyalty and referral incentives within existing operator apps, rewarding customers who activate and share travel eSIM offers.
Co-marketing with travel and hospitality partners, putting the operator's travel eSIM offer in front of the right audience at the point of booking
NPS and review programs that surface positive travel eSIM experiences, particularly useful for converting subscribers who are aware of the offer but haven't yet tried it
Familiarity still wins decisions. Consumers prefer a brand they already trust over switching to an unknown provider, even when the alternative is convenient. For operators, this is a structural advantage confirmed by the 89% preference finding from Kaleido Intelligence’s research.
The condition is that the travel eSIM offer must be visible and easy to act on. Silent preference doesn't convert if the offer is buried in a rate card or requires a call to customer service. Operators that surface their travel eSIM offer clearly, at the right moment in the customer journey, are positioned to convert the silent roamers already in their subscriber base, without acquiring a single new customer.
These findings are the starting point. Telna, the global connectivity platform helping operators launch and scale travel eSIM services, is joining Kaleido Intelligence for a two-part webinar series, Owning the Connected Traveler Economy, with additional input from operators and ecosystem players.
The full lineup is as such:
Gregory Gundelfinger, CEO, Telna
Mattias K, SVP Growth & Strategic Partnerships, Telna
Nitin Bhas, Chief of Strategy & Insights, Kaleido Intelligence
Azad Singh, Chief Global Mobility Solutions, Reliance Jio
Tarek Zeid, SVP International Wholesale Business, Rakuten
Ryan Weikert, Chief Product Officer, Wireless Maritime Services (WMS)
Mohammed Bassit, Chief Communication Platforms Officer, Bbayobab
Candic Law, Senior Director, International Services, Singtel
Moderated by Jon King, Chief Commercial Officer, Kaleido Intelligence
Both sessions include a live Q&A panel. All registrants receive the presentation, the recording, and the exclusive whitepapers.
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