Best international business roaming services and their alternatives

How does international roaming for businesses work?

International roaming allows you to access cellular networks outside your home network coverage area to stay connected during your trip. How? Mobile operators in different countries make agreements to provide services to their partners.

If the company you work at chooses a network operator who has agreements with operators from other countries, you can make calls, send texts, and access data while abroad. The network operator changes when you leave your home country, but you get the same experience as if you were using your phone at home.

International roaming comes in handy for companies whose employees travel frequently for meetings, conferences, or business operations and need to stay connected for work-related tasks. By using international roaming, companies can provide voice, text messaging, and mobile data services for their employees. 

However, roaming can get expensive because operators often charge high fees for using another network. These fees may accumulate quickly, especially if employees use their devices extensively while overseas.

Luckily, some mobile operators offer “roam like home” plans that typically include the same rates for calls, texts, and data that users get in their home country. These plans are usually valid in specific countries or regions. However, not all operators provide the “roam like home” option, which means businesses try to reduce costs by exploring alternatives for international roaming, such as eSIMs.

Is international data roaming the best choice for your business?

Data roaming can be quite expensive for companies with employees who frequently travel internationally and need an internet connection while overseas. A potentially better option is an eSIM.

With eSIM technology, employees can switch to local networks in different countries without swapping physical SIM cards, often saving money on data costs — no need to worry or track your current period roaming any more. Typically, eSIMs are a more flexible, cost-effective solution that businesses should look into.

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Sep 17, 2024

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Introducing Saily Business: The eSIM solution for work travel

eSIMs: The top choice for your business in terms of cost and flexibility

eSIMs are a cost-effective and flexible solution for businesses whose employees need to stay connected when they travel internationally — find out why. 

3 reasons why eSIMs may be better than international roaming plans for businesses

If you’re considering using eSIMs in your company for staying connected during international travel, these eSIM benefits might help you make your mind up: 

• Cost savings. One of the key benefits of eSIMs is their cost-effectiveness. Instead of paying high roaming fees, businesses can offer employees more affordable local data plans with eSIMs and save some costs.

• Flexibility. Unlike a traditional SIM card, an eSIM is digital, meaning employees can switch between networks and local carriers without needing to physically swap out SIM cards. They can access the best local carriers hassle-free.

• Convenience and management. All the employee needs to do is install an eSIM before travelling and activate it. They can do it all digitally with a few taps on their smartphone screen. With most eSIM providers who offer business solutions, you can also arrange for your IT team to do the set-up and installation of the eSIM on your employees’ devices.

Saily: Your partner for international business communication

If you need a no-hassle solution to replace pricey roaming plans, check out Saily.  It’s an eSIM app that ensures your employees have an internet connection when they travel while still being able to use their original SIM card and number. Reach out to us by filling out a form on our eSIM for business website, and we’ll get in touch with you with an offer that suits your business needs.

But what else do you get if you opt for the Saily app? With Saily, you don’t have to search for providers and plans because you get the best deal every time you activate a plan through your Saily app. You can choose from over 190 destinations all over the world and many plans with a different duration and mobile data amount.

Once you install the Saily eSIM on your device, it will activate automatically as soon as you reach your destination. And if you run out of data during your trip, you can top up in the app with a couple of taps on your device screen.

International business roaming plans

International roaming plans for businesses are designed to provide employees with connectivity while avoiding hefty fees. But it’s important to find a plan that fits your company’s needs and budget.

AT&T international business roaming plans

AT&T offers flexible roaming plans for businesses, including the International Day Pass for Business^TM. With this plan, you pay a daily fee of $12 to use your domestic plan for 24 hours for calls, texts, and data in 210+ destinations in the world.

For heavier data use, the AT&T Business Passport^SM can give you 22GB of data for a monthly rate of $110. This plan is valid for one month so it’s a better choice if your employees travel for extended periods rather than a few days in a row.

Vodafone Business roaming plans

Vodafone provides roaming options according to your business size (small businesses with 1-9 employees or large businesses with 10+ employees) in over 100 locations worldwide.

Vodafone’s business roaming plans in Europe cost around £2–6 per day and provide talk, text, and data services, while Vodafone’s business global roaming plans are a bit pricier, starting at £5 and going up to £10 per day for data, calls, and texts.

T-Mobile Business roaming plans

T-Mobile has some solid options for businesses, such as the Business Unlimited plans. These plans include up to 5GB of high-speed data and unlimited texting in up to 215+ countries and destinations, with prices of $5–25 per line per day.

If you want to make unlimited calls and use more data, you can add an International Pass that will add a data allowance of 512MB–15GB for $5–50, valid for 1–30 days, depending on the Pass type.

Verizon Business global roaming plans

Verizon offers a range of global roaming plans, such as the Verizon Business TravelPass. For $10 per day, employees can use their domestic plan’s talk, text, and data while traveling in over 210 countries and destinations.

Verizon also has monthly international bundles for businesses, providing 100MB of data per month for around $30, with options to add more data if needed.

Orange Business international roaming

Orange Business provides competitive roaming packages, such as the Orange Business International Roaming Pack. For €5 per day, employees get unlimited calls, texts, and 500MB of data in 40 countries. They also offer the Orange Business Europe Roaming Pack, well suited for European business travelers, starting at €3 per day with 1GB of data.

Conclusion

International roaming plans are a simple, familiar option for businesses with employees traveling abroad, but they often come with high costs and limited flexibility. That’s why many businesses turn to eSIMs – a flexible, easy-to use, and cost-effective solution.

You can download an eSIM directly onto your device to stay connected worldwide without the hassle of physical SIM cards or unpredictable charges. With eSIMs giving your employees more control and flexibility, why not give them a try?