How UK Business Can Avoid Costly Voice & Data Roaming Charges

There has been a fair amount written about this but I’m still seeing newspaper articles every other day where people have been caught out and run up several thousand pounds of roamed data charges.  During my time at Telefonica, it was a major gripe for International business travelers who regularly spent hundreds of pounds on roaming every month.  However, there are steps you can take to avoid or reduce your roaming spend.

Step 1 – Turn of Data roaming!

Sounds too easy but if you have Wi-Fi access when abroad, use it!  Your phone will constantly seek updates, whether its push email, facebook, twitter or the operating system – they all consume data even when you are not using them.

Step 2 – Bar the phone for all international access.

If staff don’t need their business phone abroad then bar it.  Most operators will allow you to do this but can depend on the contract, especially on business.

Step 3 – Add a roaming package

EU regulations mean that calls and data in Europe are not too scary these days but you can save even more by adding a Euro Data bundle or call package.  Your operator should be able to advise on the best offers.  Data costs outside of Europe are still expensive, as much as £6 per MG, which is equivalent to just 20 emails.

Step 4 – Buy a local SIM

If you regularly do business outside of Europe, it may be worthwhile having a local SIM (and number) and forwarding your calls to it.  Personally I find this a bit of a pain but it’s an option that works for some. 

Step 5 – Use a Mi-Fi unit for data and calls

There are suppliers that can provide you with your own personal Wi-Fi hotspot that works anywhere in the world.  The unit (pictured), supplied by Cellular UK, is slightly larger than a credit card and provides around 8 hours of use before recharging.  This allows users to connect any Wi-Fi enabled device for a fraction of the cost of normal mobile data roaming & can be shared between colleagues.   If you are on O2, use their TUGO service and make your calls over Wi-Fi and avoid ALL roaming voice charges.

You can read more on my blog