Mobile pulse: This is where we surf the most abroad

(Fornebu, 19 May 2016) Ten countries account for over 80 per cent of Norwegians’ total mobile data consumption abroad.

Many Norwegians will be in the process of planning their summer holidays - and for many this will be abroad. According to SSB’s travel survey, 3,7 million Norwegians travelled abroad last year, while the corresponding figure for 2002 was 1,8 million. Not only did Norwegians’ travel habits change during this period, but their mobile usage has also changed drastically.

Some countries stand out as extra popular destinations. New statistics from Telenor show that 10 countries account for 82 per cent of roaming traffic measured in terms of data consumption.

See the top ten below

Nine of these countries are in the EU. As Telenor announced at the end of April, Norwegians will now be able to make calls, send text messages and use data at no extra charge in the EU and EEA. All they have to do is change to one of the new Frihet subscriptions.

‘The list of the most frequently visited destinations has not changed much in recent years, but we naturally expect the list at the end of the summer to be dominated by EU countries now that we are removing roaming costs,’ says Bjørn Ivar Moen, head of the Mobile division at Telenor Norway.

Peace of mind around the world
On the top ten list it is only the USA that is not covered by the new service.

‘Even though the USA is not included in the new scheme, travellers to America know that they will never pay more than NOK 29 per day for up to 50 megabytes (MB) of data. With 50 MB you can check Facebook 125 times or read 50 emails. These day packs are automatically activated when you use data,’ says Moen.

The days when using your mobile spent half your holiday budget are definitely over.

‘Last year we launched automatic maximum pricing across all countries. This mechanism ensures that customers can use their mobile safely and predictably - even when they are outside of the EU and EEA. Outrageous mobile bills after returning from holiday are now history,’ says Moen.

4G speeds in 62 countries
Telenor has 4G roaming agreements in place with mobile operators in a number of countries. This means that customers can browse at 4G speeds on their mobiles when travelling abroad.This year, Telenor has entered into new agreements in Chile, Morocco, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Jersey and Cyprus.

Telenor now offers 4G roaming coverage in the following 62 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, US Virgin Islands.

Top 10 destinations based on data traffic

Radical price changes
Roaming is when a mobile customer travels abroad and is a guest on the mobile network of other mobile operators in the country that he or she is visiting. The mobile operator that he or she is a customer of pays other operators for permission for being a guest in this way.

Telenor has just changed its roaming prices so that Telenor customers can finally make calls and send text messages as much as they like, as well as being able to use their subscription’s inclusive data allowance in all EU and EEA countries. This service is available to both private and business customers. Private customers must change to one of the new Frihet subscriptions, while business customers with the Fri+ 4GB subscription or higher will receive EU/EEA roaming automatically.

In addition to launching new subscriptions featuring free use in the EU/EEA, Telenor has also reduced the cost of surfing in 14 countries outside of the EU/EEA.

For further information, please contact:
Anders Krokan, PR Manager at Telenor Norway
Tel.: +47 952 09 037, Email: anders.krokan@telenor.com