Business SIM cards explained

What is a business SIM?

Physically, a business SIM card is no different from a personal one. It is a standard, micro or nano card, or an eSIM, that identifies the line on the mobile network. What makes it a business SIM is the agreement it sits on.

A business SIM is issued on a business account. The business is the customer, signs the business terms and conditions, pays the bills and controls the numbers. That account can hold one line or many, and it comes with tools for managing them that personal plans do not have. If you are wondering whether you need one at all, our guide to business SIM vs personal SIM compares the two directly.

What makes a SIM a business SIM

• A business account holder: the business, not an individual, owns the account and the numbers on it
• Business terms: networks sell business plans under separate business terms; Three Business, for example, points people who are not business owners or self-employed to its personal plans
• Prices ex VAT: business plans are normally priced excluding VAT
• Account controls: spend caps on data, calls and roaming, and settings that apply across lines
• Online account management: tools such as the EE Business Mobile Manager portal and the Three Business online account for adding lines, viewing usage and managing SIMs
• Many lines on one bill: phone, data and IoT SIMs for the whole organisation on one account

These features are what most businesses are really buying when they ask for a business SIM card. They make it easier to control costs, see who is using what and keep the numbers when people come and go.

Physical SIM or eSIM

You can get a business SIM as a physical card or as an eSIM. Physical SIMs come in standard, micro and nano sizes, and O2 Business's shop lists these alongside eSIM. A physical SIM is posted to you and moved between devices by hand.

An eSIM is built into the device and the plan is downloaded to it. Three Business eSIMs are activated with a QR code, and EE Business activates eSIMs remotely. For a business, eSIM has practical advantages: you can set up a new starter without posting a card, an eSIM cannot be taken out of a lost phone, and a phone with dual SIM can hold a business eSIM alongside a personal number. Three Business states that all of its plans are eSIM compatible. Our guide to eSIM SIM only covers compatibility and activation in detail.

Phone SIMs and data SIMs

Business SIM cards also differ in what they do:

• Phone SIMs: calls, texts and data for staff handsets, on individual or shared data plans; see business SIM only plans
• Data only SIMs: data with no voice or text, for tablets, laptops, routers and dongles; see the data only SIM for business guide
• IoT SIMs: low-data SIMs designed for machines such as telematics units, payment terminals, alarms and sensors; EE Business, for example, offers a ruggedised IoT SIM card; see IoT SIM cards

Many businesses use all three on one account. Keeping a record of which SIM sits in which device, and who is responsible for it, saves a lot of time later. Our page on fleet SIM cards suggests what to record.

Controls that come with a business account

The account controls are where a business SIM earns its keep. On a well-run account you can:

• Set spend caps so a single line cannot run up unexpected charges at home or abroad
• Turn roaming on or off for particular lines
• See usage by line, so plans can be resized and unused lines ended
• Add a new starter's line or order a replacement SIM without changing the rest of the account
• Keep a leaver's number on the account and give it to their replacement

EE Business offers spend caps on data, calls and roaming, a Bill Protector feature and the Mobile Manager portal. Three Business publishes guidance on spend caps and runs an online account for business customers. Exactly which controls you get depends on the network and plan, and we confirm them at quote.

Choosing a network for your business SIMs

The network matters more than the SIM. Coverage where your people work is the deciding factor for most businesses, followed by the plan structures and account tools each network offers. We supply business SIM cards on EE Business and Three Business, and we can also supply O2 Business and Vodafone Business. Our guide to business SIM only networks explains how to check coverage and what each network offers, described on its own merits.

If you are ready to order, how to get a business SIM card sets out the steps, from the details you will need to activation and porting your numbers.

Getting business SIM cards from Forever Group

We can help you choose the network and plans, order phone, data or IoT SIMs as physical cards or eSIMs, set up spend caps and roaming, and move your existing numbers across with PAC codes. Pricing depends on the network, the number of lines and the plans, so ask us for a quote.

Contact us with the number of SIMs you need and what they are for. If you are comparing offers, read our guide to business SIM only deals first.