Mobile phones are such an integral part of modern-day life that it is unimaginable for people to spend even a day without them. Apart from personal life, they play a major role in the business arena. Today, many business organizations provide their employees with a company mobile phone along with a special SIM card. This might get you thinking about what a business SIM card is. You already know about regular SIM cards, as we all use them. They are called consumer SIM cards, but business SIM cards are different. How? Let us help you find out.
How is a business SIM card different?
This type of SIM card is linked to your business mobile account. This means if your company has applied for a business mobile contract, each employee will be provided with a SIM card, unsurprisingly called a business SIM card. A consumer SIM card is supplied by the network provider for individual mobile phones and these cards have a particular set of data, calls, and text allowances loaded. But this is not the case with company SIM cards.
Business SIMs have a direct link with your business account, and they offer shared plans/packages. Business SIM cards are usually delivered by business mobile providers, unlike consumer SIM cards which are provided by companies like Vodafone, AT&T, Airtel, Orange, EE, etc.
Basic differences between a business SIM card and consumer SIM
There are many distinctions between a consumer SIM and a business SIM. They may look similar physically but are programmed differently. Business SIM cards are highly customized to suit different business needs. Let’s look into some major contrasts between the two.
Tariff plans are fine-tuned and linked to a primary business account
Consumer SIMs have mostly fixed tariff options, while business SIMs have highly customized tariff plans and packages aligned with business needs. Your business organization may have hundreds of employees and will need as many mobile phones, if not more. It would be extremely difficult to manage the administration and cost of all those mobile tariff plans individually. With business SIMs, all business mobile phones have a single service provider. This eliminates the problems with administering and setting them all up. This will also facilitate tracking the business’ mobile phone bills and making necessary adjustments if required.
Data sharing or data pooling feature
Many consumer SIMs also offer this feature nowadays, but with a business SIM, it is a tad different. Business accounts often have a large pool of shared data so that all their business SIMs can use it as and when required. That means a business doesn’t have to worry about balancing and overcharges for users who consume more data than others.
Upgrades are done at once
It is already difficult to upgrade even a single mobile tariff and phone in the case of consumer SIMs. You can imagine how time-consuming and labor-heavy it would be to do the same for hundreds of employees. Moreover, it has to be done at varying times throughout the year. Business SIM cards prove to be a boon here. With business SIMs, you can update all tariff plans simultaneously, rather than upgrading each SIM individually. Hence, managing the upgrades of tariffs becomes smooth and tidy.
Benefits of a business SIM card compared to a consumer SIM
Here are several advantages a business SIM card has over regular SIM:
Cost-effective application
Business SIMs have a single service provider, and they all run on the same “main” plan your business organization has chosen. Hence, for the business organization, this way of doing things is money-efficient. It eliminates the hassle of reloading different SIM cards individually at distinct times.
Data sharing among employees
The shared data feature can save unnecessary high bills. Some users use less data while others use a lot more. That’s no cause for concern, though, as all business users get it from the same shared pool of data. Because the shared data pool is huge, even if other employees use more than the specified limit, it won’t add to other people’s bills.
Existence of kit funds
The kit fund is the reserved pool of money a company puts aside to buy business mobile phones. Depending on the number of devices and the tariff plans business purchases, users can get devices and SIM cards as gifts. This is lucrative for the employees, yet reduces the cost per device and SIM card when a firm purchases them in bulk.
Better security and control
Business SIMs are more secure and transparent. Most of these SIM cards provide features to track data usage, network status and troubleshooting, diagnostic reports, access locking, and more. With business SIMs, all connections are on a centralized platform. This means administrators can pull up and/or control every SIM card in the business organization. In case a SIM is lost or stolen, the people in charge can immediately lock or disable it for security reasons.
Contract flexibility
Regular SIMs often have lengthy and inflexible contract lengths. Moreover, they are tied to only one local service provider and have additional charges when in roaming. With a business SIM, it is not so. Owners or administrators can easily tailor usage and tariffs depending on the company’s needs. Business SIMs also offer the flexibility to change the plan monthly so that you can customize the plans as your business evolves.
Better mobile network coverage
One big advantage a business SIM provides is its ability to connect to multiple networks in different regions and countries. That means it offers connectivity without boundaries. There is nothing to worry about regarding the hefty roaming charges levied on consumer SIMs. With a business SIM card, you can smoothly access the network with a single SIM whether you change countries or regions within a country.
Significantly more reliable
A business SIM is all about ensuring your devices can communicate with each other, you have absolute control over your connections, and most importantly, are always connected to the grid. Business SIMs have a lower throughput rate so that you spend only as much data as is needed. These SIM cards are oftentimes coupled with a VPN (Virtual Private Network), enabling remote access to a device to and fro anywhere in the world. Consumer SIMs can’t function like this.
Improved compatibility and durability
Like consumer SIM cards, business ones also come in three commonly employed but different sizes, i.e., standard, micro, and nano. This enables them to be compatible with any device. Moreover, business SIM cards can also be available in the MFF2 chip which is even smaller than nano, and it is pre-installed in the device during manufacturing. The MFF2 SIMs are used for more sophisticated tasks. Some business SIM cards are manufactured for industrial products, too. Hence, they are made more durable to work in extreme temperatures for unusually long durations.
With more and more businesses choosing to work remotely, especially after the pandemic, the demand for business SIM cards is rising rapidly. Some characteristics such as easy administration control, cost-saving, and shared data attract business organizations to purchase them. It also facilitates security and control, which the regular/consumer SIM cards can’t.