- Written by Dominic Stone - Account Director Mobile
- Connect with Dominic on LinkedIn
For always on business travellers, being offline is simply not an option. Whether you’re closing a deal in London, attending a conference in Singapore, or supporting a client in New York, reliable and cost-effective connectivity is critical. There are a multitude of roaming solutions on the market from travel eSIM options for business travel, local eSIMs, unlimited roaming services and all-inclusive roaming tariffs. Here we explore the benefits of each solution.
Traditional roaming tariffs
Traditional roaming has the advantage of using your existing mobile plan abroad, which makes it convenient. However, it often comes with high daily rates per user/per device as well as hidden charges that can quickly inflate mobile bills. For businesses with multiple employees traveling at once, these costs quickly multiply.
Travel eSIMs
In contrast, a travel eSIM enables an employee who travels abroad to download a mobile plan for a specific country or region directly to their device with no physical SIM swap required. This means you can activate service instantly, often at a fraction of the cost of roaming charges. eSIMs can be provisioned remotely, enabling centralised control over which employees get which plans, making it easier to manage usage and security but they are not the most cost effective and reliable solution for business travellers.
Unlimited roaming tariffs
Unlimited roaming tariffs are ideal for business traveller’s who need constant, high-volume mobile data while abroad without worrying about usage limits. These plans typically offer unrestricted access to data, calls, and texts in multiple countries, making them a good fit for roles that require frequent video conferencing, large file transfers, or continuous online collaboration. However, unlimited tariffs often come with hidden fair usage policies. Also, unlimited roaming is usually tied to specific regions or countries, so employees travelling outside those zones will trigger additional charges.
All-inclusive roaming tariffs
All-inclusive roaming tariffs combine data, calls, and texts into a single package for use abroad, but unlike unlimited tariffs, they often come with predefined allowances. This makes them more cost-efficient for traveller’s who require a good balance of connectivity services. For example, the Opus VIP mobile plan is a high-end business contract that offers fixed international roaming costs. Built on tier 1 UK networks, it’s tailored for frequent business travellers, and mobile teams who require uninterrupted global connectivity. For a single monthly fee, it provides complete coverage with no extra charges, no roaming fees, and no usage limits.
Key considerations for global connectivity solutions
When selecting a global connectivity solution for your team, start by matching coverage areas to your common travel destinations. Not every provider has equal service quality in every region, and a plan that works perfectly in Europe may not be as strong in parts of Asia or Africa.
Data allowance is another critical factor. While unlimited plans sound appealing, they may often come with speed restrictions after a certain threshold. If you have employees who need to join multiple daily video calls whilst abroad, choosing a plan with generous high-speed limits is essential.
Voice and text support should not be overlooked. Many travel eSIM solutions are data-only, which works for app-based communication but can create problems for two-factor authentication that relies on SMS. For these cases, opt for providers that bundle calling and texting features.
All-inclusive tariffs can sometimes appear expensive but in the long run they work out more cost effective as they enable IT teams to better manage costs and prevent excessive roaming charges and bill shock when employees are in transit.
Finally, from an IT management perspective, business roaming solutions that provide a central dashboard for monitoring usage, make it easy to provision new eSIMs or add new users, and also handling billing, can make ongoing administration far easier and save valuable time.
Recommendations for IT Directors when selecting a roaming solution
To assess your specific business requirements, IT leaders should begin by identifying the most common travel routes and destinations for their teams, then shortlisting providers that excel in those regions. Running a trial with two or three different travel eSIM solutions will give insight into performance, ease of activation, and user feedback.
Centralised provisioning is a must. By selecting a provider such as Opus who has a full stack of enterprise management tools, IT teams can distribute eSIMs remotely, easily add users to the VIP tariff, control costs, and ensure employees are connected as soon as they land. If your business relies heavily on SMS or direct calling, you may be much better suited to the All-Inclusive tariffs, such as the Opus VIP tariff.
While eSIMs can be activated instantly, arranging installation before departure reduces the risk of connection issues when employees arrive in another country. This also ensures devices are fully configured to connect to the local network without any downtime.
Smart mobile roaming solutions for businesses
The travel eSIM has evolved from a niche technology to a business necessity. Compared to traditional roaming or unlimited roaming tariffs with fair usage policies, they offer significant advantages in cost control, flexibility, and IT management. All-Inclusive tariffs provide businesses with four key benefits
- Predictable costs Fixed monthly pricing with no hidden fees
- No stress Eliminates the need to monitor usage and manage plans
- Unlimited roaming Unlimited means unlimited even abroad
- Peace of mind No unexpected bill shock for employees and the business
By focusing on coverage, features, and centralised control, IT Directors can equip their teams with seamless global connectivity that keeps the business moving, no matter where in the world it takes them.
Proactive mobile management today can prevent costly and unnecessary bill shock in the future. Get in touch to speak to one of our mobile consultants today to discuss your roaming requirements or find out more about our market leading, VIP international roaming tariff.
