According to analyses of Syniverse and third-party data, "transient roamers" - those who seek alternatives to traditional mobile roaming - spent more than $17 billion in 2012 on alternative connectivity options while traveling that include purchasing local SIM cards at their destinations and paying for Wi-Fi at hotels, in flight or on other public hotspots.

‘Transient roamers' represent a significant portion of the mobile ecosystem, and their requirements for consistent, high-quality connectivity are growing exponentially," said Syniverse president and CEO Jeff Gordon.

This segment provides an opportunity for the myriad of mobile service providers to enable seamless connectivity across the ecosystem, managing end-user experiences in real time and solidifying each provider's place in the value chain added Gordon.

Syniverse calculated the "transient roamer" potential based on expert insights into average roaming volumes, end-user roaming habits, and third-party travel and roaming reports. The more than $17 billion "transient roamer" market size encompasses estimates for three of the most prominent alternative roaming scenarios.

Mobile roamers spent the most on hotel Wi-Fi - $8.7 billion - to meet their connectivity needs. Outside of the hotel, an additional $3.9 billion was spent purchasing access to other paid Wi-Fi hotspots while an estimated $225 million was spent on in-flight Wi-Fi.