September is here and many of us who reduce our business travel during the summer will be back in normal post-holiday work mode. Whilst for those who use their personal phone abroad during their summer breaks, well, they might well be experiencing bill shock when they look at the costs of all those calls, text and WhatsApps to their family and friends from the beach.
Many traditional operators across the world are changing the roaming offers that their customers have taken for granted - and some don’t even have reciprocal agreements with operators in other countries. The upshot is that those who are on the move can easily be taken advantage of if they don’t check their Ts and Cs in advance. Bill shock is occurring across the globe from Europe to Asia to the Americas.
In an earlier blog How to choose the right Mobile Connectivity Provider for your business, our global connectivity team provide some useful tips for organisations who need to focus on providing the connectivity their people need to be productive whilst travelling outside their home zone.
Proving global connectivity to business travellers is part of our Telecom26’s core portfolio and we have two global connectivity services for business travellers:
Talk, Travel & Text for business class global connectivity
Talk, Travel & Text is our global connectivity service designed exclusively to provide cellular voice, data and SMS to Business Travellers. It’s a business travel SIM/eSIM that provides global connectivity in more than 200 countries including 5G, where available.
One of the many advantages of Talk, Travel & Text is that users can keep their primary number and switch to our service when they are outside their home-zones.
Available via a monthly subscription bundle, Talk, Text & Travel provides the flexibility you need to manage costs and control global connectivity usage.
Try and buy options are available for our Business Travel SIM – a complete no-risk solution. Get in touch to learn more!
Enterprise Data Extra for global connectivity – data
Enterprise Data Extra provides business class data global connectivity in more than 200 countries, with more than 1100 roaming partners worldwide. Better still, it’s backed by boutique customer support solutions to give business travellers the personalised care they need – and deserve.
In this earlier blog we talked about What is a Business Travel SIM and why does your organisation need them? and discussed how research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, found that “a majority of US corporate travel buyers expect their company’s business travel to ramp up and return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023”
Naturally, as well as travel and accommodation costs, the cost of connectivity for employees whilst they are away is of increasing importance to organisations of all sizes across the world.
Roaming vs local pre-paid cards vs Business Travel SIMs
So, what are the options for business travellers who need global connectivity to stay connected when they are abroad? Well, there are three:
- Continue using their domestic SIM and run the risk of ‘bill shock’ on return. Even the daily packages available for data abroad can mount up because roaming is a cash cow for traditional operators who mostly charge exorbitant rates for using a device to make and receive cellular and whatsapp calls and texts, visit websites and check email. Post-Brexit, subscribers to UK operators who can no longer benefit from ‘roam as if you’re at home’ have been particularly hard hit –– and vice versa for visitors to the UK who can no longer roam as part of their packages.
- Picking up a local prepaid SIM card when they arrive in a new country. This is convenient for when visiting only one country but users need to be alert when visiting areas that are close to country borders as it’s easy for phones to jump to other networks not aligned with the prepaid operator’s packages. Other drawbacks are that most large local carriers charge more, cover less, and don’t remember your name when you call. Worse, Travel and Tourist SIM card offerings rarely give you portal access for enterprise-wide control and transparency into your organisation’s usage, billing, and services.
- Using a Business Travel SIM card, which is actually the most convenient, and cost-effective, option for fast, reliable and cost-effective global connectivity.
The Telecom26 Business Travel SIM card
One of the many advantages of using our Business Travel global connectivity SIM and eSIMs to access our Talk, Travel & Text service and Enterprise Extra services is that people don’t have to replace their existing subscriptions. They can use the service they already subscribe to in their home country – and with a few quick taps move to Telecom26 when they are abroad.
Our Business Travel eSIMs are quick and easy to install on any device via the settings tool and using a QR code to download the software.
Talk, Text and Travel and Enterprise Extra provides users with Business Class global connectivity in more than 200 countries, with 1100+ roaming partners worldwide. And, unlike other global connectivity providers, we offer dedicated support to ensure our customers have a trouble-free experience –and peace of mind. Other benefits include:
- Pricing from just €2/GB.
- Available as a monthly subscription bundle, Telecom26 provides the flexibility people, and the organisations they work for, need to manage costs and control usage. Different packages are available, giving optimised bundles for different regions – customers can choose the option they need to suit their business and travel requirements.
- Single invoice and management portal for all users and devices
- Full control of eSIM allocation and activation
- Near real-time usage monitoring
- Ability to set alerts and related actions via the portal
Telecom26 and global connectivity
Please click here to learn more about how Enterprise Extra and Talk, Travel & Text can reduce your mobile bills – and provide a better global connectivity service for when you and your colleagues when abroad.
Telecom26 offers a full range of telecom services and global connectivity options including 5G (where available), LTE-M, Wi-Fi, private networks, 2G, 3G and 4G, as well offshore global connectivity capabilities.
Our customers include enterprises, OEMs and NGOs who want a single delivery partner, cross-border solutions and global connectivity network coverage that is secure, resilient and can be tailored to meet specific and evolving needs.
If you’d like to organise a video call to discuss how we can help improve the global connectivity of your team when they are out and about including maritime connectivity please get in touch.
