Corporate mobile phone contracts

How corporate mobile contracts differ

Large organisations buy mobile differently from small teams. Instead of choosing from a published range, you usually agree terms for the whole estate based on your number of lines, devices, usage and service needs. Networks have separate large business sales routes for this.

The contract tends to cover more than airtime:

• Account structure: cost centres, multiple billing accounts and administrator roles that match your organisation
• Bill analytics and reporting: usage by person, department or site, and data to spot unused lines
• Device services: enrolment, repair and recycling for the devices you buy
• Security: device management integration, mobile threat defence and data controls
• Travel: roaming arrangements for staff who work abroad
• Connectivity beyond phones: data SIMs, routers, IoT and, for some, private 5G

Sourcing and tenders

Most corporate buyers compare more than one network before committing. A good process covers:

1. Gather your current position: lines by type, contract end dates, devices and their age, roaming usage and any unused lines.
2. Set requirements: coverage at your sites and on the routes your people travel, devices and operating systems, security and device management, reporting and billing structure.
3. Test coverage on site with each network you are considering, inside buildings as well as outside.
4. Ask for proposals on a like-for-like basis, including terms on price changes, early exit and adding lines.
5. Plan the migration: porting numbers in batches, device delivery and enrolment, and communication to staff.

Forever Communications supplies EE Business and Three Business, and can also supply O2 Business and Vodafone Business, so we can help you gather proposals on more than one network and present them in a consistent format. Public sector bodies often buy through procurement frameworks; tell us how your procurement team needs to buy and we will set out how we can help on that route.

What the networks offer large organisations

Each network describes its large business services in its own way. These are some of the services each one lists for larger customers.

EE Business

EE Business lists plans for organisations with 250 or more employees and has a separate sales route for organisations with more than 100. Its listed services include device lifecycle management, device enrolment and management, a service relationship manager option, on-site support, self-service account management through Mobile Manager, mobile threat defence and support for the UK public sector. Forever Group has pages on EE Business for corporates and EE Business for large businesses.

Three Business

Three Business offers Three Device Management for businesses with more than 25 devices, a cloud service powered by Ivanti, the Three Analyst bill analytics tool, Three Business Repairs and Enterprise Go Roam for businesses with over 75 employees. See our Three Business page.

O2 Business

O2 Business, the name adopted in April 2026 after the network's business division merged with Daisy Group, offers business mobile alongside IoT services and a satellite-to-mobile service for compatible smartphones. See our O2 Business mobile phones page.

Vodafone Business

Vodafone Business offers larger organisations 5G+ Slicing (a prioritised slice of its network), Mobile Private Networks (dedicated on-site 4G and 5G), IoT and business roaming. See our Vodafone Business mobile phones page.

Device management and zero-touch enrolment

At scale, you cannot set up phones by hand. Corporate fleets normally use mobile device management (MDM) or unified endpoint management (UEM) to apply security policies, deploy apps and wipe lost devices. Our guide to mobile device management software covers the main options, including Microsoft Intune, Sophos Mobile and IBM MaaS360.

Zero-touch enrolment means a new phone enrols itself into your MDM the first time it is switched on. For iPhone this uses Apple Business Manager, now called Apple Business; Samsung devices can use Knox Mobile Enrollment. The network or supplier registers the devices to your organisation when they are bought, so it pays to set this up before the first order. We can help set it up.

Reporting and cost control at scale

With hundreds of lines, small inefficiencies add up. The tools the networks give business customers let you see usage by line, and with a sensible account structure, by department, cost centre or site. Use them to:

• Find unused lines: SIMs belonging to leavers or devices that were replaced but not cancelled
• Right-size plans: move heavy and light users to plans that match how they actually work
• Control roaming: set spend caps and bars, and give regular travellers plans or add-ons that suit their destinations
• Recharge costs: split bills by cost centre so departments see what they use
• Plan refreshes: track device age and security update dates, so you replace phones when it suits you rather than when an airtime contract ends

A review at the start of a sourcing exercise can turn up lines and plans you no longer need before any new contract is signed. Forever Group's telecoms cost reduction service looks across mobile, lines and connectivity together.

Security and compliance

Corporate phones carry email, files and sign-in apps, so they belong inside your security programme. Typical controls include enforced screen locks and encryption, minimum operating system versions, app restrictions, conditional access so only compliant devices reach company data, and remote wipe. Mobile threat defence adds protection against malicious apps, phishing links and risky networks; Forever Group can supply products such as Sophos Mobile and Check Point Harmony Mobile, now called Check Point Mobile Security.

If your organisation holds Cyber Essentials, phones and tablets that access company data can be in scope, including staff-owned devices; see how it treats BYOD and home working.

Device lifecycle, BYOD and policy

A corporate fleet needs a plan for every stage of a device's life: choosing models, buying, enrolling, repairing, refreshing and finally wiping and recycling. We focus on getting your airtime costs down, so devices can be bought separately through your usual procurement, which can save a lot of money and lets you set your own refresh cycle. Decide early whether staff will use company-owned phones, their own devices, or a mix, because that shapes your security settings and your tax position.

Our company mobile phones guide covers fleet processes, company mobile phone policy lists what to put in writing, and are company mobile phones a benefit in kind? summarises HMRC's rules.

Working with Forever Communications

We help larger organisations compare networks, plan migrations and set up devices so they are ready to enrol when they arrive. What we provide, and how, is agreed in your proposal rather than promised in advance, so you know exactly what is included. Where your estate includes security software, Forever Group can also supply mobile security licences through Software Licensing UK.

Pricing depends on your estate and requirements, so ask us for a quote. Contact us with a summary of your lines, sites and contract end dates.