Last March, UK telecoms regulator Ofcom published the findings of its review into ‘bill shock’ caused by unexpectedly high fixed-line and mobile phone bills.

It found that mobile phone customers with ‘pay monthly’ contracts were most likely to suffer an unexpectedly high bill, with the worst cases caused when customers used their phones outside Europe.

Juniper Research has published a report that predicts a 21% per year increase in mobile data roaming revenue between 2012 and 2017 as more and more people use data services when abroad.

Total mobile roaming revenue is expected to exceed $80 billion by 2017, with mobile data accounting for $35 billion. This year, total worldwide roaming revenue is expected to reach $46 billion.

Syniverse, which provides roaming, messaging and networking services to more than 900 mobile operators worldwide, has agreed to acquire MACH in a deal worth around €550 million (£440 million).

Luxembourg-based MACH offers similar services to a customer base of around 650 operators.