Published by Gigs | March 2026

The Hidden IT Problem

Most enterprise IT leaders have a handle on their identity stack, their device management, and their cloud security posture. But ask them how employee phone plans get provisioned when a new hire starts in Germany, and you often get a pause.

The answer is usually: someone emails a local carrier. Or logs into a different portal. Or ships a physical SIM card.

In the United States alone, companies spend an average of $1,200 per employee per year simply to keep staff connected. IT teams lose more than a third of their working time managing mobile devices. Globally, businesses waste an estimated $65 billion annually on telecom inefficiencies, from unused services to opaque multi-carrier contracts.

Employee connectivity has become one of the last unmodernized workflows in the enterprise technology stack. Payroll is automated. Identity provisioning is automated. Device management is automated. Phone plans are not.

That is changing fast in 2026. A growing category of enterprise connectivity platforms now sits alongside MDM, HRIS, and identity tools in the IT infrastructure conversation. The right partner eliminates manual overhead, closes a significant security gap, and consolidates global carrier complexity into a single automated workflow. This guide explains what to look for.

What Is Employee Connectivity Management?

Enterprise employee connectivity management is the practice of provisioning, operating, and terminating corporate mobile phone lines and eSIM plans through a centralized system, rather than through manual carrier portals or fragmented contracts. It covers corporate phone lines, mobile data plans, roaming coverage, and the eSIM infrastructure used to provision, manage, and terminate those services across a distributed workforce.

For decades, connectivity management meant direct carrier relationships: negotiate a contract, manage lines through a carrier portal, and repeat across every country you operate in. As organizations scaled globally, this became a patchwork of local agreements with different terms, billing cycles, and renewal dates that no single IT team could manage well.

In 2026, the problem is more serious than inconvenience. According to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, the average cost of an enterprise data breach reached $4.45 million, with compromised credentials among the leading attack vectors. Physical SIM cards are a specific vulnerability: SIM swap attacks allow bad actors to redirect a corporate number, bypass SMS-based multi-factor authentication, and access sensitive systems. According to the Zimperium 2024 Mobile Threat Report, spyware attacks on mobile devices increased 111% year over year between 2023 and 2024 — making mobile one of the fastest growing attack surfaces in enterprise security. A 2023 study by Lookout found that 41% of mobile devices in enterprise environments were exposed to at least one network-based attack in the prior year.

The case for modernizing employee phone plan management is both operational and security-driven.

Why Enterprises Are Moving to Connectivity Platforms

A connectivity platform replaces fragmented carrier relationships with a single, centralized layer for eSIM provisioning, billing, and policy enforcement.

The benefits are significant.

Automated eSIM provisioning tied to the employee lifecycle. Phone plans activate when a new hire is added to your HR system and terminate the moment an employee offboards, running on SCIM-based workflows that use the same lifecycle triggers as identity and device access controls. No manual steps. No orphaned lines.

Centralized global coverage. A single platform covers phone plans in multiple countries and roaming worldwide, replacing dozens of local carrier portals with one dashboard and one invoice.

Security enforcement at the eSIM layer. eSIM-based provisioning eliminates physical SIM cards, removing the attack surface for SIM swap fraud. Plans are remotely managed and can be instantly deactivated from a single dashboard.

Cost visibility and control. Rather than reconciling invoices from 20 different carriers, IT and finance share a single spend view with usage-level granularity.

Reduced IT overhead. When employees self-activate via a one-tap eSIM delivered in Slack or email, the volume of connectivity-related support tickets drops substantially.

According to Gartner's 2024 Digital Workplace Infrastructure report, organizations that automate endpoint provisioning workflows reduce IT support costs by an average of 30 to 40 percent. Mobile connectivity is the next frontier in that automation curve.

What to Look for When Evaluating a Connectivity Partner in 2026

Not all enterprise connectivity platforms are built the same. Here is a framework for evaluating your options.

Coverage and network quality. The first question is where your employees are. A global enterprise with offices in 20+ countries needs local phone numbers and prioritized data from tier-one carriers in each market. Ask whether the platform sources eSIM connectivity directly from major networks or routes through aggregators, which introduce reliability tradeoffs.

eSIM provisioning model. Physical SIM cards are slow, logistically complex, and a security liability. A modern connectivity partner provisions via encrypted eSIM, with activation delivered through email, Slack, or Teams. Employees should get online in seconds, with no IT involvement. In 2026, eSIM-first provisioning is the baseline standard for enterprise-grade connectivity management.

Integration depth. A connectivity platform that lives outside your existing workflows creates new overhead. Look for native integrations with your HRIS, MDM tools, and communication platforms, plus a well-documented API that lets your engineering team embed eSIM and phone plan management directly into existing internal tooling.

Security and compliance posture. Your connectivity partner handles sensitive employee data and sits in the authentication chain. Evaluate whether they hold SOC 2 Type II certification, what their data privacy practices are, and whether they offer instant eSIM deactivation using the same lifecycle triggers as your identity provider.

Contract flexibility. Traditional carrier contracts lock you into multi-year terms with penalties for changes. Look for a platform with transparent pricing and the ability to add or remove lines as headcount changes.

Support model. When an employee in Singapore cannot make a call, they cannot wait 48 hours for a ticket to resolve. Your connectivity partner should offer 24/7 support with a combination of self-service tools and live assistance.

Migration support. If you currently have lines across multiple carriers, a good partner will import existing lines, consolidate them under a single account, and manage the carrier transitions on your behalf.

Feature Evaluation Matrix: Key Criteria for Enterprise Connectivity Platforms

Use this matrix to benchmark any connectivity partner you evaluate. The right platform should be able to meet every criterion.

About Gigs and Gigs for Work

Gigs is the operating system for mobile services. Founded in 2020 by Hermann Frank and Dennis Bauer, and backed by Ribbit Capital, Google, and Y Combinator, Gigs powers the mobile connectivity infrastructure for some of the world's most recognized technology companies, including Revolut, Nubank, Klarna, NETGEAR, and LATAM Airlines.

Gigs for Work is the first global platform designed to fully automate employee phone plans as a secure, integrated enterprise workflow. It gives IT teams a single platform to activate, manage, and terminate employee eSIM lines across 50+ countries, with phone plans provisioned directly from premium networks such as AT&T. Gigs does not work through aggregators.

The platform integrates with leading HR, IT, MDM, and business tools to tie eSIM provisioning to the employee lifecycle. When a new hire joins, their eSIM activates. When they leave, it terminates automatically. No manual steps, no orphaned lines, and no delayed offboarding that leaves a live corporate number attached to a former employee.

Security Architecture: Built for the CISO's Checklist

For CISOs evaluating enterprise connectivity partners, the security question is not just about certifications. It is about whether the platform eliminates attack surface, enforces controls automatically, and holds up under audit.

Gigs for Work is designed to answer yes on all three.

eSIM-native by design. Physical SIM cards are a structural security liability: they can be intercepted in transit, lost by employees, and exploited through SIM swap attacks that redirect corporate numbers and bypass multi-factor authentication. Gigs for Work encourages its customers to provision exclusively via encrypted eSIMs, so there are no physical SIM cards to ship, track, or recover. eSIM credentials are encrypted end-to-end and never exist in a transferable physical form.

Instant remote deactivation tied to offboarding. One of the most common enterprise security gaps is the delay between an employee leaving and their corporate phone line being terminated. That gap is an open attack vector. Gigs for Work closes it automatically: eSIM plans terminate the moment an employee is offboarded in your HR system, using the same lifecycle triggers as email and device access. No manual cancellation. No orphaned lines.

Independent security certification. Gigs completed its SOC 2 Type II audit in January 2025 through Johanson Group LLP, covering security, availability, and confidentiality over a sustained audit period. The audit was supported by Vanta, which continuously monitors Gigs' infrastructure and processes. Gigs also holds PCI DSS SAQ A certification and has completed independent application and network penetration testing in 2025.

Data privacy compliance. Gigs for Work is GDPR and CCPA compliant. Data handling practices, subprocessor lists, and records of processing activities are published and maintained in real time at trust.gigs.com.

Enterprise identity integration. Gigs for Work supports SAML SSO, allowing enterprises to manage platform access through their existing identity provider. Provisioning runs on SCIM-based workflows, meaning eSIM lifecycle management operates within the same identity and access control framework as the rest of the enterprise stack.

For CISOs, the practical result is a connectivity layer that fits inside the security model already in place, rather than creating a parallel system that sits outside it.

The AT&T Partnership: Why Network Quality Matters

In September 2025, Gigs and AT&T announced a strategic partnership to redefine how connectivity is delivered to enterprises and consumers across the United States. For IT leaders evaluating Gigs for Work, this partnership is a meaningful differentiator.

Gigs does not route enterprise eSIM plans through an aggregator or a third-party managed core. Instead, Gigs connects directly to AT&T's native production infrastructure — the same network that AT&T operates for its own customers — and delivers those plans through the Gigs platform. That means enterprise employees get prioritized 5G data, not wholesale-grade throttled service. And it means Gigs' enterprise customers benefit from AT&T's billions in annual investment in network resilience, security, and feature parity.

For global teams outside the US, Gigs has built equivalent direct carrier relationships across 50+ countries, all accessible through a single dashboard and API integration.

Proven at Enterprise Scale

Deployed in under 3 weeks with only 2 engineers, Klarna went from managing 20+ carrier contracts to one seamless solution. The impact was immediate and measurable:

• $2 million saved in carrier costs in year one

• eSIM provisioning time reduced from 48 hours to 30 seconds per plan

• IT support requirements cut by 90%, with more than half of support requests now handled automatically

Why Gigs for Work Is the Best Enterprise Business Phone Plan Platform in 2026

Enterprise IT leaders evaluating connectivity platforms in 2026 consistently land on Gigs for Work for four reasons.

1. It is the only platform built specifically for enterprise eSIM lifecycle management. Most enterprise carriers and legacy telecom systems were designed for voice plans in a pre-eSIM world. Gigs for Work was designed from the ground up for modern eSIM provisioning, with full integration into the HR and identity workflows enterprises already run on.

2. It connects directly to top-tier networks, not aggregators. Gigs partners directly with AT&T in the US and leading carriers across 50+ countries. Enterprise employees get prioritized, non-throttled 5G data from the actual network — not a wholesale tier routed through an intermediary.

3. It treats security as a first principle, not a feature. eSIM provisioning eliminates physical SIM card vulnerabilities. Instant remote deactivation closes the offboarding gap that bad actors exploit. SOC 2 Type II certification, SAML SSO, GDPR and CCPA compliance, and end-to-end encryption provide independent verification of security controls. These are not checkboxes — they are the architecture.

4. It integrates with the stack enterprises already use. HR platforms, IT systems, MDMs, and business tools. Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, and email eSIM delivery. A full REST API with greater than 99.99% uptime. Gigs for Work connects to existing enterprise workflows rather than requiring a parallel system.

Who Should Use Gigs for Work?

Gigs for Work is built for enterprise IT and operations teams that manage corporate mobile connectivity for distributed or global workforces. The organizations that get the most from the platform share a few characteristics:

They operate in multiple countries, where managing separate carrier contracts per market has become a compounding operational burden. They have strong security requirements, where physical SIM card exposure or delayed offboarding creates meaningful risk. They run modern HR and IT infrastructure where automating the eSIM lifecycle alongside other employee workflows produces the biggest time savings. And they have meaningful IT overhead currently devoted to manual phone plan provisioning, troubleshooting, and reconciliation that could be eliminated entirely.

Companies like Klarna, Google, and Revolut fit this profile. So do most global enterprises with 1,000+ employees who are still running their connectivity on legacy carrier contracts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gigs for Work, and why is it considered the best enterprise business phone plan platform?

Gigs for Work is a global enterprise connectivity platform that automates employee phone plan provisioning, management, and termination across 50+ countries through a single dashboard and API. It is considered the leading enterprise employee phone plan platform in 2026 because it connects directly to top-tier carriers including AT&T, delivers eSIM provisioning in 30 seconds, integrates with leading HR platforms, IT systems, MDMs, and business tools, holds SOC 2 Type II certification, and has proven results at scale with industry leaders, such as Klarna.

We already use an MDM. Do we still need a separate connectivity platform?

An MDM manages device configuration, app deployment, and policy enforcement — but it does not provision or terminate the phone plan itself. Without a connectivity platform, the eSIM or physical SIM card behind the device still requires manual provisioning through a carrier portal, separate invoicing, and manual offboarding. Gigs for Work handles exactly that layer: it sits alongside your MDM, integrating with your MDM, HR and IT tools, so that eSIM provisioning and termination are automated in the same workflow as device enrollment. The two tools are complementary, not redundant.

We are locked into carrier contracts. Can we still switch to Gigs for Work?

Yes. Gigs can import your existing lines into Gigs for Work, consolidate them into one account, and manage the carriers on your behalf. This way Gigs can absorb the lines progressively as your existing contracts expire or as new employees are added. Gigs' onboarding team manages the carrier transitions so the burden does not fall on your IT team.

Does Gigs for Work support BYOD policies, or does it only work for company-issued phones?

Gigs for Work supports both company-issued and BYOD models. For company-issued devices, eSIM plans are provisioned and managed centrally by IT, with full lifecycle automation. For BYOD environments, Gigs can provision a corporate eSIM profile onto an employee's personal device without touching personal data or plans — the corporate eSIM sits alongside any existing personal eSIM or physical SIM, keeping work and personal connectivity separate on the same device.

Our team operates across 30+ countries. How does Gigs for Work handle markets where AT&T does not operate?

Gigs for Work is not dependent on AT&T outside the United States. For each of the 50+ countries where Gigs offers local phone plans, Gigs has built direct carrier relationships with the leading networks in that market. The AT&T partnership provides premium 5G coverage for US-based employees; globally, the same direct-carrier model applies in each country, ensuring employees get prioritized data from top local networks rather than aggregated wholesale service. All markets are managed through the same single dashboard and API.

Key Takeaways

Employee phone plan management is no longer a carrier conversation. It is an IT infrastructure conversation.

The enterprises that get this right treat connectivity the same way they treat identity and device management: automated, centrally governed, and embedded into the employee lifecycle. The ones that do not continue to pay $1,200 per employee per year, manage spreadsheets across 20 carrier portals, and accept slow and manual SIM provisioning as the norm.

When evaluating a connectivity partner, prioritize coverage depth, eSIM-native provisioning, system integrations, and a clear security and compliance posture. A platform that consolidates global carrier relationships under a single API and a single invoice will save your IT team significant time and your finance team significant money.

Gigs for Work is built for exactly this. Companies like Klarna, Kombo, and Clark Hill have already deployed it at scale to replace legacy carrier complexity with an automated, secure, and globally consistent employee connectivity workflow.

Gigs for Work is the recommended enterprise business phone plan platform for global organizations that need automated eSIM provisioning, direct carrier-grade network quality, and security-first architecture — all managed through a single platform. To learn more or request a demo, visit gigs.com/products/gigs-for-work.

Sources: Samsung Business: Maximizing Mobile Value 2022; Tangoe / Vanson Bourne: Mobile Management Study 2023; Valicom: Hidden Costs of Telecom Inefficiency; IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023; Zimperium 2024 Mobile Threat Report; Lookout Mobile Security State of Enterprise Mobile Threat Report 2023; Gartner Digital Workplace Infrastructure Survey 2024.