UK business travellers expect seamless data, but corporate support lags

 Europe (and UK) have the lowest rate of corporate provision for mobile data solutions

The UK remains a global economic and travel hub, yet a new report suggested British companies may be under-preparing their business travellers for the realities of staying online internationally.

The Holafly Global eSIM & Travel Report 2025-2026, by Holafly, highlighted a clear trend - while eight out of ten professionals worldwide rate having reliable internet as "very important" during business trips, the European region, which includes the UK, shows the lowest rate of corporate provision for mobile data solutions.

The region encompassing Europe (which strongly influences UK trends) is at the bottom, globally, with only 69% of companies providing mobile or digital access solutions for traveling employees.

This lag is partially attributed to the reliance on the EU's "Roam Like at Home" policy. 

However, for UK travellers venturing outside this zone, or dealing with lingering post-Brexit complexities, this over-reliance can translate into a lack of preparation, exposing them to high costs and digital incompatibility.

And yet, the vast majority of business travellers globally (93%) experience at least occasional problems staying online abroad, indicating that current corporate provisions often fall short of delivering the reliable and easy to use experience professional’s demand.

The UK's enduring role as a central node in the global business travel architecture emphasises the need for trustworthy corporate mobility policies with it projected to be the 2nd most visited business travel destination for North America and Oceania and the 3rd most planned destination for Africa in 2026.

As globally aware professionals, UK business travellers align with key global priorities for a successful trip.

Professionals no longer ask for hotel upgrades; they ask for a stable digital lifeline. The top priorities for staying online are speed and reliability (33%) and security (22%).

Having Unlimited Data for travellers offers is part of this. For the growing number of professionals who extend their trip for personal time, employer-provided digital data plans significantly affect costs and convenience. 

The report showed the future winners in corporate mobility will be those who move past traditional, fragmented roaming solutions and offer instant, easy to use global data access, like eSIMs. 

For UK companies, this means proactively closing the experience gap to ensure their traveling workforce is "productive, secure, and confident".