It’s hard to overstate the impact of the internet and the value of staying connected, especially when it comes to doing business and learning.
Whether at home or in some far-away city, people depend on maintaining internet connectivity and staying in touch.
When it comes to work, 75% of workers from 80 countries responding to an International Workplace Group (IWG) poll taken before the COVID-19 pandemic believed flexible working had become the new normal.
The 2022 OwlLabs annual report on hybrid, remote and office work underscores just how important. A full 66% of workers told OwlLabs they would immediately begin looking for a new job if the ability to work from home was removed. Nearly 40% would simply quit. Then consider that 445 million business trips (Certify n.d.) are made annually, and the need for reliable remote connectivity when it comes to business becomes even more evident.
Staying connected is equally important to students. Prior to the pandemic in 2017, one-third of graduate and undergraduate students were considered to be online or partially online. By 2020—during the height of the pandemic when many schools halted in-person learning—that percentage climbed to 73%.
Holafly, an innovator in international smartphone internet connectivity, is offering workers, students and others who travel abroad a way to stay connected to the internet with their smartphones. Offering regular and/or unlimited data plans in more than 160 countries, Holafly’s virtual SIM card is an international eSIM solution that brings reliable internet connectivity to smartphones for international travelers without subjecting them to the hassles and unexpected charges typically traveling outside one’s own country.
Mobile Data
Concurrent with the embrace of remote work and schooling has been ever greater data consumption around the world using smartphones. For instance, on a per cellphone basis, worldwide mobile data per month grew from 4.8 GB in 2018 to 15 GB last year. That monthly figure is expected to reach nearly 46 GB per phone by 2028, according to Ericsson’s outlook for mobile data traffic.
Looking at it in a different way, global mobile network data traffic per month grew from about 41 Exabytes (EB) in 2018 to nearly 192 EB last year and is expected to reach more than 452 EB in 2027, the outlook says.
In light of the widespread popularity of working and learning remotely, it’s safe to assume that a good deal of that mobile network traffic is dedicated to satisfying the data requirements of workers and students on the go, who increasingly are turning to their smartphones to stay plugged in to their employers and schools.
In business, the ability to stay connected to customers, the office and essential applications from smartphones is bringing an unprecedented level of flexibility to the way sales people, managers and many others within organizations create sales quotes, manage projects and collaborate with other employees.
Reliable, fast data connections offer all types of businesses, but especially online businesses, a range of benefits. Smartphone data make it possible for employees to stay in touch with existing customers and new prospects from anywhere. Changing customer product preferences are also faster to identify and respond to thanks to easily accessed back office order data tracked securely from anywhere via smartphones.
The combination of smartphones and online business also opens up new staffing opportunities, potentially driving greater workforce efficiency and ultimately enabling an organization to minimize operational expenses, especially staffing costs.
The duo of smartphones and fast, reliable data connections is also helping to drive the adoption of distance learning, even making it possible for students to continue attending online classes while traveling outside their home countries.
Connection Options
For many studying or working from home, a local coffee shop or public library, Wi-Fi connectivity may be the go-to option to stay connected to their classes and businesses. However, as remote sites become less familiar, the availability, performance and security of Wi-Fi connectivity become major concerns.
That’s particularly true for students and business people working overseas. From the moment one lands at a foreign airport till arriving at a major hotel with potentially more secure Wi-Fi connectivity, travelers relying on Wi-Fi service are exposed to a range of possible data breaches and hacks, frequent painfully slow service and unpredictable connectivity.
Arranging for mobile smartphone data from a local wireless company overseas is fraught with potential problems as well. Frequently, securing a physical Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) can prove to be difficult for a traveler due to language barriers, which also frequently impede a clear understanding of the foreign wireless carrier’s service plan and options.
Travelers also may not understand important data plan features, such as roaming charges, and unwittingly rack up hundreds or even thousands of dollars of expense that only becomes clear when they get home and inspect their credit card statements.
Many travelers may be unfamiliar with how to replace their phone’s SIM card with the foreign carrier’s SIM card. Doing so exposes the traveler to the possibility that the phone’s native SIM card may become lost or damaged during the trip, creating added expense and inconvenience for the traveler upon returning home.
Holafly and eSIMs
Business people and students who are traveling outside their country now have an option for staying connected.
Holafly’s eSIMs, available in more than 160 countries, transform how international travelers are connecting via their smartphones when abroad.
With a travel eSIM from Holafly, travelers can count on reliable, secure internet connectivity on their smartphones without the need for a physical SIM, roaming charges or even Wi-Fi. Regular data plans and unlimited data plans with affordable prices are available, depending on the country. There are even data plans offering coverage of entire regions, such as Holafly’s eSIM Europe and similar plans for Asia and South America. These plans cover numerous countries for one low payment rather than forcing people to buy separate plans for each country in the region.
It’s simple for business people, students and anyone else traveling abroad to get started. Customers choose their specific destination from the Holafly website to find out about the plan that’s right for them. After purchasing a plan, Holafly sends the new customer an eSIM QR code to use during installation and setup. Before purchasing a plan, potential customers should consult Holafly’s list of eSIM-supported phones, which is available on its website.
A few hours before leaving for a flight, a new user installs the Holafly eSIM from the smartphone’s Settings menu using the eSIM QR code. Installation is summarized in this easy-to-follow video:
[embed link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0AF46LgEd8]
Once new Holafly subscribers arrive at their foreign destinations, they can begin using their phones to access the internet just as if they were at home.
Recently, Holafly launched its eSIM app for iPhone, which is available on the App Store, to make the process even easier. The app allows users to install and activate their eSIM, check data consumption and find other details about purchased data plans.
Staying Connected
It’s never been easier nor more affordable for business people and students traveling abroad to stay connected thanks to Holafly’s wireless data plans and eSIM technology.
With reliance on wireless internet connectivity only expected to grow going forward, having access to wireless data and the internet via smartphones when traveling abroad is becoming of paramount importance, especially if there’s a way to do so without swapping physical SIM cards or relying on Wi-Fi.
Holafly’s eSIM solution is a true game changer for travelers. Gone are the uncertainties and hassles of getting connected abroad. With Holafly, business travelers, students and others can confidently access the data they require—whether it’s the latest updates to order-tracking software or a professor’s lecture on quantum mechanics—all from their smartphones.