Having a reliable mobile connection has become an essential part of business travel, as employees are increasingly expected to work while moving between countries and time zones. According to Holafly’s 2026 Summer Travel & eSIM Report, employees using company-provided eSIMs report an 81.3% positive impact on productivity, compared with 52.4% among those managing connectivity themselves, representing a difference of 28.9 percentage points.

Business travel accounts for 24.9% of all planned trips, with professionals heading to major business hubs such as Japan, Spain, and the United States. This increase in mobility also changes how companies think about being connected: staying online while traveling is no longer a minor operational detail, but something that affects productivity and security.

The report highlights that traditional methods, such as buying local SIM cards or relying on public Wi-Fi, often create delays and introduce risks. As a result, many companies are shifting toward managed connectivity tools such as corporate eSIM solutions like Holafly for Business to reduce friction during travel.

How does mobile data affect productivity during business travel?

Business travel continues to concentrate around global economic hubs, where a reliable connection is essential for day-to-day work. Despite this, connectivity is not managed the same way across organizations: according to the report, 53.4% of employees still arrange their own mobile connection while travelling. This can mean spending time solving connectivity issues instead of focusing on work.

The difference is reflected in reported productivity, as employees managing their own connectivity see a positive impact on their work in 52.4% of cases, but that figure rises to 61.2% among those using traditional corporate roaming and reaches 81.3% for employees provided with a company eSIM. In other words, company-provided eSIMs deliver a 28.9 percentage point productivity advantage over a self-managed connection.

The findings also point to differences beyond productivity: among employees without company-managed mobile data, 86.5% report experiencing stress related to connection problems while travelling. Together, these results suggest that providing reliable internet has become an important part of enabling employees to work efficiently while travelling.

How South Africa is leading the rise of business travel

South Africa stands out as one of the world’s leading markets for business travel. According to the report, 56.8% of travelers from the country travel for work, one of the highest shares globally.

The data also shows that South African companies are more likely to manage employee connectivity before international trips. Rather than leaving workers to arrange their own mobile data while abroad, businesses are providing company-managed solutions, helping employees stay connected from the moment they arrive.

Treating a reliable connection as a core part of trip planning rather than an afterthought significantly improves the travel experience. In fact, South Africa and the broader region show the lowest rate of self-managed connectivity globally, with only 25% of workers arranging their own mobile service while abroad. At the same time, company-provided eSIM adoption reaches 29.2%, one of the highest levels reported in the survey.

Because these organizations take full ownership of their teams’ digital needs, 75% of African business travelers now report that their connection directly improves their ability to work. This proactive corporate approach also perfectly supports their commitment to safety, as 56.2% of travelers from this market state that a secure connection is their absolute top priority.

South Africa has built a clear example for how to run efficient operations across a mobile workforce, showing that proper corporate support with solutions like Holafly for Business leads directly to a highly motivated and productive team.

Why North America is driving corporate-led adoption

North America is showing how businesses can accelerate eSIM adoption. By providing corporate eSIMs to traveling employees, companies are introducing thousands of workers to the technology before they would have discovered it on their own. This is why they lead in digital innovation, giving 29.3% of their traveling staff a corporate eSIM.

Interestingly, this corporate push happens despite a significant consumer blind spot: almost half of the consumer base in the United States, exactly 49.5%, has no idea that eSIM technology even exists. To bridge this gap, avoid large international roaming fees, and keep workers safely connected, businesses are bypassing traditional phone plans entirely.

This proactive intervention directly targets a major psychological pain point, given that 82.8% of North American corporate travelers admit to experiencing severe stress due to past connectivity failures. Furthermore, with data protection acting as a core business driver, this shift perfectly aligns with employee expectations, as 46.5% of travelers in the region name secure connections as their absolute top priority.

Because corporate travel buyers are actively placing this technology into the hands of their employees, the workplace has become the main driver for tech education where traveling professionals are learning the benefits of modern connectivity and transforming how the region connects across borders. It is a clear example of businesses leading a technological shift, solving the awareness problem one employee at a time while protecting company data and performance.

Security as the main priority in business travel

As business travelers move between established hubs and fast-growing cities, the priorities of the traveler are shifting. We used to care mostly about how fast a website loaded, but today cybersecurity has become the number one necessity for anyone working on the go. The report shows that secure connections have officially overtaken pure network speed as the top priority for business travelers worldwide at 41.7%.

Interestingly, the data shows that when a company uses solutions like Holafly for Business, employees become much more aware of data safety: when workers handle their own internet, they worry about speed at 35.1% and safety at 37.3%. In contrast, the moment an employer steps in and provides a corporate eSIM, the demand for security increases to 52.0% and the desire for speed drops to 22.8%.

This shift highlights a change in mindset where, when companies take charge of the travel experience, employees expect their digital workspace to be entirely protected against outside threats and where high speed is not enough if the connection puts company data at risk.

Why a proactive connection strategy is best

The data shows how leaving employees to manage their own digital setups while traveling introduces a hidden cost on corporate time, safety, and money. Furthermore, relying on travelers to sort out their own mobile access across international borders directly limits their daily performance and leaves organizations exposed to unnecessary issues.

Managing communication tools ahead of time is now a major financial and operational requirement. By shifting away from self-managed data plans to provide a structured corporate eSIM, companies give their teams a direct 28.9 point performance advantage on the road.

Also, moving to a corporate solution aligns with the demand for high-level data safety, as when the employer takes control of the internet connection, data security becomes a standard part of the trip rather than a risk.

As shown by leaders such as South Africa and North America, we can already see the success of business-led eSIM solutions like Holafly for Business, removing travel stress and improving results.