How Much Should I be Paying for my Blue-Collar Team's Mobile Plans?

In industries where your teams are constantly on the move, like construction, logistics, or field services, mobile plans are a necessity. But are they cost-effective? If you’ve ever looked at your bill and wondered if something isn’t right, you’re not alone. Managing mobile contracts, devices, and data use across your workforce can quickly become complicated and costly. 

 As a mobile solutions specialist at Babble, I’ve had this conversation with hundreds of businesses over the years that are in the same position and helped them find the right solution for their needs and budget. Most of them come to us not because they want the cheapest deal, but because they’re tired of not knowing whether they’re making the right decisions. And that’s fair—mobile estates can be complex, especially with field teams and fluctuating usage. 

In this article, I’ll walk you through the real cost of mobiles for field-based teams. We'll unpack what drives those costs up or down, what you can avoid, and how to make smarter, more confident decisions moving forward. By the end, you’ll know exactly what to look for in your mobile setup and how to bring costs under control without compromising on what your team needs to get the job done. 

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What This Blog Covers:

• How Much Should I Pay for Business Mobiles? 
• What Drives Mobile Costs Up (and How to Stay in Control) 
• Hidden Costs Most Businesses Don’t Expect 
• What Can You Do About It? 
  

How Much Should I Pay for Business Mobiles? 

Blue-collar teams typically spend between £7 and £30 per user per month on mobile plans, and where you fall on that spectrum depends entirely on how your team uses their devices. Mobile costs aren’t just about the contract price; they’re a direct reflection of user behaviour. The biggest drivers are how your people actually use their phones day-to day, especially their data consumption and international roaming. 

If you don’t know what your team is doing with their mobiles, you can’t assess whether your plan is a good deal or a bad one. It’s not just about cost — it’s about fit. 

Here’s what I mean - If your field engineers are uploading site reports, joining Teams calls from the van, using GPS and job management apps all day, they’re going to use more data. Or if your drivers are using their mobiles as a Wi-Fi hotspot for their laptops or tablets on overnight jobs, that spikes consumption too. If a site manager uses their device primarily for calls, SMS, and the odd WhatsApp message, unlimited data may not be necessary. 

When I talk to customers who want to make the most of their mobile plans, I always ask these questions:  

• Who uses the devices?
• Where do they work — on-site, on the road, in the office? 
• What apps are essential to them? 
• Do they travel abroad or frequently make calls outside of the UK? 
• Do they have company-issued devices or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)?  
• Are they using their phones for hotspot tethering? 

You can’t make smart buying decisions without knowing this context. You’ll either over-provision (and overspend) or under-provision (and pay in productivity losses). When we understand these behaviours, we can recommend a solution that’s both cost-effective and fit for purpose. 

What Drives Mobile Costs Up (and How to Stay in Control) 

 When businesses come to us with unexpectedly high mobile bills, we almost always find one (or more) of the following culprits: 

 1. Data 

Whether it’s remote apps, using their phone as a mobile hotspot, or Teams meetings, data is the number one cost driver on business mobile plans. Data isn’t just the biggest part of your mobile plan, it’s also the part most likely to go unchecked, overused, or misunderstood. 

It’s harder to control what people are doing when they’re tethered to personal or unmanaged devices. 

Many businesses overcompensate for this by putting everyone on unlimited plans “just to be safe.” But that introduces its own set of problems: 

• If only 30% of your team needs an unlimited plan, you're overpaying for the rest. Businesses often set a blanket policy, then forget to review whether it's still relevant. 
• Unlimited data can invite misuse. Without limits or monitoring, team members could be watching Netflix, YouTube, or sports on the job, and you wouldn’t know. 
• Many users, especially admin staff or supervisors, generally don’t need more than 5–10GB/month. If they’re on unlimited plans, you’re wasting budget every single month. 

2. International Roaming

This one catches people out a lot. Especially when someone travels abroad, doesn’t tell the business, and starts using their phone like normal, from the Maldives. I’ve seen roaming bills hit four figures because international data usage lags by 3 days. By the time the business knows what’s happening, it’s too late.  

You can add a full roaming bar to prevent overseas usage entirely, but this applies globally — you can’t pick and choose which countries are blocked. The better solution? Mobile Device Management (also known as MDM), with location-based control. 

3. Lack of Visibility or Control

If you can’t see what’s being used, you can’t manage it. If staff are using their phones as hotspots or watching Netflix, your bill pays the price.
Solutions like Mobile Device Management (MDM) allow you to restrict apps, control data usage, and even geofence or disable devices automatically if needed. 

Hidden Costs Most Businesses Don’t Expect 

 Besides usage, there are a few common “gotchas” that trip up even well-run operations: 

Annual price increases 

• Every major UK network applies annual price hikes. During COVID, we saw increases as high as 14%. Today, it’s closer to 4–5%, but it still adds up, especially on large estates. 

Non-geographic call charges 

• Numbers like 0870 or 0845 still incur fees. If your teams call these regularly, those charges add up fast. 

Out-of-bundle charges 

• These often come from things like roaming outside of the UK, or calling international numbers without a bolt-on. They’re preventable — if you know they’re happening. 
• BYOD risks: Bring Your Own Device policies can save on hardware but complicate control. People use their phones for everything, including heavy personal data use, and your business ends up footing the bill. 

What Can You Do About It? 

If you haven’t reviewed your mobile setup in the last 12 months, now’s the time. 

Every month you delay could be costing you hundreds, if not thousands, in avoidable charges, overprovisioning, or underutilised contracts. 

 Here’s where to start: 

• Review a recent invoice: Look for roaming, out-of-bundle, or non-geographic charges. 
• Check your contract terms: When does it end? Are you locked in? 
• Ask your team how they’re using devices: Real usage is more insightful than assumptions. 
• Consider MDM: Even basic tools can save thousands in unnecessary usage or data abuse, and keep sensitive company data secure. 

The first step is simple: review how your team is actually using their mobiles — not just what you’re paying for, but who’s using what, where, and why. 

At Babble, we help businesses like yours get complete visibility into their mobile estate. We’ll analyse your current usage, highlight where you’re overspending or under-protected, and recommend a setup that fits the way your team works, whether that’s smarter data plans, tighter controls, or clearer contract terms. You’ll walk away with practical insights, tailored recommendations, and total clarity on how to bring your mobile estate in line with how your team works.