How to find a smart solution to roaming charges for businesses
‘This can’t be right’ was Sarah Mackenzie’s first thought when she received her roaming bill after a two-week business trip across Europe. The Glasgow-based tech entrepreneur was stunned to see a £280 charge for mobile services, even though she also used hotel Wi-Fi.
“I was always connected with my office through Teams, checking emails and finalising contracts… But these communication costs are simply outrageous,” Sarah reflects on her early 2024 business travels. Sarah’s case is not an isolated one.
Smart solution: eSIM technology
Scottish companies are increasingly entering global markets, ranging from fintech start-ups in Edinburgh to whisky makers in Speyside, from oil firms in Aberdeen to renewable energy ventures in the Orkney Islands. No matter where they are, reliable online access and communication with headquarters are essential.
Since Brexit, many operators, such as EE and Vodafone, have reintroduced roaming fees in Europe, typically costing around £2 per day. In regions like the US or Asia, these costs can climb to £6 per day with standard roaming plans.
An innovative solution is the use of virtual SIM cards, like Yesim. Yesim provides mobile internet access with competitive pricing and user-friendly features. For business users, this offers the convenience of staying connected without needing to buy local SIM cards or deal with hefty roaming fees.
With Yesim, these costs can be greatly reduced, as the service provides data plans for over 200 countries, including top destinations for Scottish business travellers. Plans start at $5 for 1 GB of data, which is roughly £4. This means that for £28, you can get about 7 GB of data — usually more than sufficient for a two-week trip.
Beyond cost savings, eSIMs eliminate the hassle of swapping physical SIM cards and offer greater flexibility. Business travellers can choose tailored plans for their destinations, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity while avoiding unexpected charges.
Crunching the numbers: The cost advantage
Consider an engineering business owner from Aberdeen making frequent trips to Germany. With traditional roaming, a two-week trip adds at least £28 to the mobile bill. However, with an eSIM solution like Yesim, the same traveller could opt for a 10 GB data plan costing £18.00 — enabling seamless work on laptops during meetings through hotspot sharing.
The savings are even more dramatic for trips to the US. Standard UK roaming rates are around £6 per day, meaning a 10-day business trip to New York would cost £60 for basic connectivity. With Yesim’s 10GB plan, the same trip would cost only £14.40. That’s a potential saving of nearly £45 (70%) while providing more data and better network control.
Seamless set-up in four simple steps
Getting started with Yesim is effortless:
1. Download the Yesim app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Create an account using your email.
3. Choose a data plan for your destination.
4. After payment, scan the provided QR code in your phone’s settings (Settings > Cellular > Add Cellular Plan) to activate your eSIM.
Once installed, your phone will automatically connect to the best available network, ensuring smooth connectivity from the moment you land.
Maximising productivity on the go
Consider a common scenario for Scottish business travellers: Attending meetings abroad while needing to access company documents, host video calls and work remotely. With modern eSIM solutions like Yesim, professionals can securely connect through built-in VPN services and use their phones as hotspots for laptops during meetings.
Smart travel planning includes setting up data usage alerts to monitor consumption and scheduling automatic email syncing during off-peak hours for better efficiency. With 5G networks expanding globally, checking network availability before departure helps ensure the fastest possible connection for crucial video conferences.
Scottish businesses can’t afford to be offline, even briefly. But high roaming charges shouldn’t be a barrier to success. By leveraging innovative eSIM solutions, companies can equip their employees with reliable global connectivity while keeping costs under control. The time saved on troubleshooting network issues? Better spent growing the business.