The actual usage for inter-continental roaming has yet to reach its market potential, despite the availability of world phones, reports In-Stat/MDR. The market research company found that shipments of world phones totaled 134 million and revenue generated from world phone sales was $18.4 billion in 2002 and that the number of inter-continental roamers during the most recent 12 months was 3.6 million. The expected CAGR for world phone shipments over the next five years is 19.4% and even though world phones are an important market segment for mobile operators and hardware vendors, it is in an early stage of development. The high-tech market research firm finds that some of the market's key drivers include: the ability to allow travelers to carry their own phones, increasing reliability of service, the ability to be contacted at a single phone number, and the use of a world phone as a safety tool while in a foreign location.
