Roaming Data Surged in Summer 2026: Canada Doubled, Mexico Up 75%, and Ukraine Up 110x, o2 Study Finds
German travelers used far more mobile data abroad in summer 2026 than a year earlier, according to an analysis by Telefónica Deutschland (o2) of June and July traffic, reported on August 28, 2026. The World Cup in North America was the main driver, but the numbers also show where roaming demand is heading, and why the way you connect abroad matters more every year.
What the study found
Data use rose most sharply in the three World Cup host countries. Canada consumed more than twice as much data as in the same period of 2025. Mexico rose by around 75 percent, and the United States by about 25 percent. Telefónica also pointed to better roaming conditions as a factor: o2 and Blau doubled the data included in their Roaming Plus World option during June, July and August, and Deutsche Telekom offered a free 20 GB data pass for use in the host countries.
Inside Europe the trend continued. Spain, Italy and France again generated the largest roaming data volumes, each with double-digit growth, and Telefónica saw similar growth across the EU as a whole. Under Roam Like at Home, EU travelers use their home tariff abroad, although fair use policies still limit heavy data use.
The surprise: Ukraine and Moldova
The most striking figures came from Eastern Europe. Roaming data in Ukraine was 110 times higher in June and July than a year earlier, and in Moldova 60 times higher. Both countries are now among the most important roaming destinations outside the EU for German travelers, behind only Turkey and Switzerland. The reason is regulatory: since the start of 2026, Roam Like at Home rules also apply in Ukraine and Moldova. We covered the rule change in Ukraine and Moldova inside the EU roaming area.
What this means for your next trip
The study is a reminder that roaming is not one price: it depends on the country, your carrier and any promotional bundle. Free or doubled allowances are often temporary, tied to events and specific months, and they usually end quietly. The World Cup deals ran only through summer, so anyone relying on them for autumn travel needs to check their own plan.
It also shows how much data trips now consume. A traveler who streams maps, video calls and social media in a stadium city can use several gigabytes a day, which is why per-day roaming passes get expensive fast. For context on event-driven demand, see our report on World Cup mobile data records.
Roaming pass or travel eSIM?
For short trips inside the EU, your home plan may be enough. Outside it, or when your carrier charges daily fees, a travel eSIM is often the cheaper route because you pay a fixed price for a data amount and validity in the destination, and you do not touch your home line. Our comparison of eSIM vs roaming puts real numbers on the gap.
Before you go, check four things: whether your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked, how many gigabytes your itinerary realistically needs, whether the plan covers every country on your route, and whether you can top up. HOLASIM offers data eSIMs for 190+ destinations if you want a simple way to compare options by country and number of days.
Bottom line
Summer 2026 showed that travelers are using more data than ever, and that regulation and promotions can change roaming overnight. Plan your connection per trip rather than assuming last year's plan still applies.
Source: teltarif.de, report on the Telefónica Deutschland study, August 28, 2026.