Business SIM only plans explained

What a business SIM only plan includes

A business SIM only plan is an airtime agreement in the name of your business. The monthly charge pays for service on the SIM: UK calls, texts and data for a phone, or data alone for a tablet, laptop or router. We focus on getting that airtime cost down, and your phones stay a separate decision, refreshed when it suits you; our guide to buying business phones separately explains more.

Behind the headline, the networks build their business SIM only plans from a handful of decisions:

• SIM type: a voice SIM for phones, or a data-only SIM for everything else
• Data allocation: a set allowance per person, or a pool of data the whole team draws from
• Data size: a capped allowance, or unlimited UK data under the network's fair use terms
• Controls: spend caps, roaming settings and an online account for managing lines
• Extras: roaming bundles and add-ons, chosen per SIM rather than for everyone
• Term: 24 months, 12 months or a rolling monthly plan, depending on the network

The rest of this page takes each of those in turn. If you already know the answers, contact us and we can put a quote together.

Voice SIMs and data-only SIMs

A voice SIM (sometimes called a phone SIM) gives a handset a mobile number with calls, texts and data. This is what most staff need, and it is the line that carries a number you will want to keep when you switch, using a PAC code.

A data-only SIM has no voice or text service. It goes into a tablet, laptop, router, dongle or vehicle system that only needs to get online. Data SIMs are usually simpler to size because there is one thing to measure.

EE Business sells Data SIMs for connected devices such as tablets, laptops and mobile broadband alongside its phone SIMs. Three Business sells business data-only SIMs as either an eSIM or a physical SIM. Our page on the business data only SIM explains the options, including SIM-only mobile broadband for routers and low-data IoT SIM cards for devices such as payment terminals and trackers.

Most organisations end up with a mix: voice SIMs for people, data SIMs for kit. Keeping both on one business account means one bill, one set of controls and one place to add or remove lines.

Individual allowances or shared data

The biggest structural choice for a team is how the data is allocated. There are four common patterns:

Each network packages these in its own way.

EE Business describes three plan types for medium and large businesses: The Team Plan (a shared data pot that flexes with the number of users, with automated quarterly usage reviews that move you to the right plan), The Shared Plan (data shared among all users on the account, with a fixed monthly bill and data caps you can set) and The Individual Plan (an allowance you decide for each team member, with subscriber-level billing). See EE Business SIM only plans.

Three Business SIM Only plans run on 1, 12 or 24-month terms: Unlimited Data, 500GB, 80GB, 25GB and 3GB, each with unlimited UK minutes and texts (UK only; fair use policies apply in Go Roam destinations). Multibuy SIM plans put up to 9 unlimited data SIMs together for a team. See Three Business SIM only.

If you are not sure which pattern fits, the quickest way to find out is to look at what each line actually used over the last few months. We can do that with you from recent bills or usage reports.

Unlimited or capped data

Unlimited data is the simplest to manage, because staff do not run out of UK data or need a data bolt-on. It is not automatically the right answer for every line. Someone who mostly uses Wi-Fi in the office may use very little mobile data, while a field engineer who hotspots a laptop all day may use a great deal.

Two things matter with unlimited plans. First, "unlimited" normally means unlimited UK data, under the network's fair use or acceptable use terms. Three Business, for example, states that its unlimited data, minutes and texts are UK only, with fair use policies in its Go Roam destinations. Second, the plan terms set out how tethering, roaming and any speed limits work. Our guide to the unlimited data business SIM covers who needs it and the small print to check.

Capped plans suit lines with steady, modest use. Pair them with a spend cap so a busy month does not turn into a large bill.

Spend caps, roaming and account controls

A business plan should give you control over what each line can cost. The controls vary by network, but the common ones are:

• Spend caps: a limit on charges beyond the plan; EE Business adds alerts as you near the cap and lets you adjust or remove it
• Cost management tools: EE Business lists a Bill Protector feature and real-time usage tracking
• Roaming per SIM: on Three Business 24-month plans with unlimited UK data, you choose inclusive roaming only for the SIMs that need it
• Barring: blocking premium-rate or international calls on lines that do not need them
• Online account: each network has its own business portal, such as EE Business's Mobile Manager, for managing lines and usage
• Add and remove lines: adding a SIM for a new starter and ending one when someone leaves

Setting these up on day one is easier than retrofitting them after the first surprising bill. For larger teams, our page on fleet SIM cards covers running many lines on one account.

5G and eSIM on SIM only plans

5G and eSIM are now part of mainstream business SIM only rather than extras. EE Business, Three Business, O2 Business and Vodafone Business all describe 5G on their business SIM only plans. You still need a 5G-capable device and 5G coverage where you work to use it, and what is included on the plan we supply is confirmed at quote; see 5G SIM only for business.

An eSIM delivers the same plan without a plastic card: you scan a QR code or the network activates it remotely, and the line is live. All four networks offer eSIM on business plans for compatible devices. Our eSIM SIM only guide covers activation, lost devices and using a business number on a personal phone.

Contract length

Business SIM only plans come on fixed terms or rolling monthly, and each network sets its own options; Three Business SIM Only plans, for example, run on 1, 12 or 24-month terms. Longer terms usually come with a lower monthly charge, while shorter terms give you room to change.

Networks quote business prices ex VAT and set out their annual April price rises in advance. For the lines we supply, the term is confirmed at quote. Our guide to business SIM only contracts explains terms, price rises, early termination charges and what Ofcom's switching rules mean for notice.

How we help you choose a plan

We supply business SIM only plans on EE Business and Three Business, and we can also supply O2 Business and Vodafone Business. That lets us start from what your team needs and then find the plan structure that fits, rather than starting from one network's price list.

1. Look at current usage: we review recent bills or usage reports, line by line, where you can share them
2. Group your users: light users, heavy users, travellers and devices that only need data
3. Check coverage: use each network's coverage checker for your sites and regular routes
4. Choose the structure: individual, shared or unlimited data, voice or data SIMs, physical SIM or eSIM
5. Set the controls: spend caps, roaming and barring agreed before the SIMs go live
6. Plan the switch: keep your numbers with PAC codes and time the move around your current contract

Pricing depends on the network, the number of lines, the data and the term, so ask us for a quote. Contact us with the number of lines and a rough idea of usage.