The availability of smartphones and people's constant need to surf the net are driving data usage believe Starhome.

Research company Starhome has predicted a further rise in roaming data usage during 2011 and 2012. The company attributes the rise to the availability of 3G smartphones which allow higher efficiency and network capabilities while roaming. Also, it says that growth is fuelled by the subscriber's constant need to use the net while roaming.

Starhome believes that a subscriber's primary concern, particularly while roaming, is tariff. Hence, operators are now offering expanded roaming data services bundled into packages based on the subscriber's usage patterns or even his mobile handset model.

Price elasticity can also reveal how responsive customers are to price changes - Europe has shown that if prices are set to match elasticity, data roaming revenues can increase without an overall increase in price.

Amit Daniel, the vice president of marketing at Starhome, said, "Operators can cultivate the growing data roaming market and encourage data roaming usage by offering their roamers out-of-the-box bundles to alleviate the fear of bill shock."