Finding the best Mobile Phone deals for your business?

There is no shortage of smartphones. Every year manufacturers release new phones with the latest features, offering a whole new level of convenience and function. Devices are costly at first release, so it is worth working out if they are essential for your business.  If they are there are a number of ways you can make your mobile phone deal work for you – Pay As You Go, Sim Only or Affordable Contracts.

However, finding the best mobile phone deal is not easy. There are a lot of offers to choose from; too many deals that seem to be suitable for you. So you need to be mindful and thorough in choosing the option for you. 

More often than not, businesses find themselves overwhelmed by choice, or worse stuck in decision paralysis, and end up renewing their contracts out of ease, even though there are better options available across the networks. This article will give you a guide to spotting the best deals the market can offer for your company company size and with consideration of your finances/budgets. 

Small Business Mobile Phone Deals – things to consider

If you are a small to medium business, you need to determine whether you will purchase a phone through a contract or pay for your device outright and use a SIM Only tariff. Both are feasible options to consider and provide different benefits for you. 

For contracted deals, a sim card is provided free of charge. Usually, tariffs come with unlimited calls and texts, with options for international calls and/or overseas roaming. The latter can be further discussed and customised based on the chosen deal. The variation in price usually comes with the allocation of data – usually allocated on a per user basis, the smaller the data allowance, the smaller the monthly price point. 

Of course, the device you choose will also impact on the cost of your contract – the newer launched, premium devices will carry a premium compared to those mid-range devices. A contract allows you to cover the cost of the device alongside the sim services in a fixed time – giving the ability to fix your contracted monthly charge & avoid high OPEX costs in buying devices outright on day 1. 

On the other hand, if you’re looking to purchase a smartphone outright, there are a lot of SIM only tariff options available. 

Once again, the brand, age, model & features of the phone will determine the price you pay for the device, but you do then have the freedom to choose the network, tariff & price point that best suits your business. Much like contracted mobile services, most SIM only tariffs come with unlimited calls & texts with data options from 1Gb to Unlimited.  These tariffs also come with more flexibility on contract terms with 30 day, 12 month & 24 month options – but the price for the shorter times are more expensive if you then keep that tariff for longer, so it is worth doing a true comparison against the total contract length to work out what is best for you financially.

Whichever you choose, you need to assess if the mobile phone you are buying is necessary or not. It will be easy to get tempted by the latest features, but do you or your staff truly need those to effectively run your business? How often will they need to be replaced? What tangible & intangible benefits do the newest/premium devices bring v’s mid-range devices available? Determine this to help you better decide the best device and tariff option for you

Business Plans – Contract v’s SIMO

With so many choices of devices and tariffs, and competition for mobile network providers, finding a good deal is not hard.  The hard part is working out which is best for you! 

• Contracted monthly tariffs – monthly contracts allow you to combine the cost of the service from the network (calls, texts & data) with a new device which doesn’t immediately drain your cash reserves. Of course, the device is never free, you simply pay for it over the contract length, but saves you spending a large budget upfront (especially if you need to purchase 50+ devices).

• SIMO tariffs – generally, SIMO mobile plans are more expensive month by month, when you add in the cost of purchasing a device outright, as you are paying for the flexibility in contract terms. However, if you already have a device and are happy with that for the foreseeable future, SIMO becomes a winning option on a monthly basis.

Business Mobile Plans – Other Things to consider

It is worth giving some consideration to the contract you are signing – regardless of whether you choose monthly or SIMO tariffs.  Here are some things you should understand before signing:

• Exceeding monthly limits – though you generally don’t have to worry about calls and texts, as these are unlimited, you will have a data cap you need to consider. Going beyond this results in additional fees and data usage, outside of your contracted allowance is very expensive. You should always review your usage to your allocation and adjust accordingly. 

• Out of Bundle Charges – as well as charges that apply for exceeding your monthly allowances, you should also make sure you are aware of what are the costs you will incur if you/your user goes abroad; makes calls to international numbers, sends picture messages; dials premium numbers – all these will incur extra charges

• Charging beyond the contract – once your committed term ends, usually after 2 or 3 years, you will be able to keep using your service and tariff without signing a new contract – but you need to remember that if you have taken the option to pay monthly, the price you are paying will have the cost of the device built in, so the longer you go after your contract term without changing, the more you will be overpaying.

Best Business Mobile Devices

Be it a contracted or outright purchase option, below are what we believe are the best of the newest released devices for businesses to consider – we’ve considered convenience of use, lifespan of the device, storage capacity and what most business owners tell us they want their company mobile phones to deliver:

• Apple iPhone 12 – the best things about this new release is that it is waterproof, it has a wireless charging feature, and is 5G ready. As always, the Apple brand carries a premium price point and is therefore generally reserved for business owners/directors.
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G – being 5G ready and waterproof, this device also has an extendable 128GB storage allowing for more photos, files and data.Though it is Samsung’s flagship device, it has a mid-budget price point, making it a popular choice for Senior leaders and managers 
• Samsung Galaxy A51 – what makes a great mid-range option is that it strikes a great balance between features (such as the display, battery life and performance) to the price you pay. Although the A51 has four cameras, it has, in our opinion, poor picture quality than its predecessors – but it is a great device for general business
• OnePlus Nord N100 – this is a budget-friendly phone and great for workers who need a device for calls & email access. It is easy to use, but with limited features, low processing power and only 64GB of expandable storage it really is an entry device for business users

If you are looking for the best mobile phone deal for your business, contact DRC.  With a choice of networks, devices and tariffs to suit every business requirements.