Tide adds embedded 5G mobile plans for UK small firms

Tide has launched a mobile service for small businesses inside its business banking app, giving customers a dedicated UK phone number and, on some plans, unlimited 5G data.

The product, Tide Business Phone Number, uses eSIM technology and runs on Vodafone's 5G network. Connectivity is delivered through Gigs, a specialist in embedded mobile services that links digital platforms with telecoms carriers.

Tide says this is the first time a business banking provider has integrated a full mobile plan with a UK phone number directly into its platform. The launch expands Tide's services for small firms, which already include business accounts and tools such as invoicing and accounting.

What customers get

Tide Business Phone Number is included at no extra cost for members on Tide's Smart, Pro and Max subscriptions. It provides a business number with unlimited calls and texts.

Customers who want mobile data can add the Unlimited Boost plan for £15 per month, which includes unlimited 5G data and 10GB of EU roaming data.

Tide says the plans have no annual price rises and do not require credit checks. Users can cancel from within the Tide app.

eSIM set-up

Because the service uses eSIM, customers do not need a second handset. Users can activate a new business number or transfer an existing one into the app.

Tide says customers and their teams can switch between personal and business numbers for calls. Incoming calls indicate whether they are to the business or personal line, and outbound calls can use the business number. This reduces the need to share personal numbers with customers and suppliers.

Billing and account management sit in one place, removing the need for separate contracts with a mobile network operator. Tide positions the service as part of its wider push to cut admin for founders and sole traders.

Tide has close to 800,000 SME members in the UK, which it says represents around 14% of the market. It has also expanded beyond the UK, with more than 1 million SMEs in India. Tide launched in Germany in 2024 and in France in 2025.

Platform strategy

The launch reflects a broader trend among fintechs that began with payments and accounts and has moved into adjacent business services. For Tide, these have included company formation and back-office tools. Adding mobile connectivity broadens its role in customers' daily operations and increases the number of services they run through a single app.

Embedded mobile services also let non-telecoms brands offer phone plans without building their own networks. Here, Gigs provides the integration layer while Vodafone supplies the network. The approach mirrors banking-as-a-service, where regulated and operational components sit behind a customer-facing platform.

Heather Cobb, UK Managing Director at Tide, said: "Small business owners tell us time and again that admin gets in the way of doing what they actually set out to do - running and growing their business. Tide BPN is a natural extension of our mission to save small businesses time and money. By bringing business phone numbers directly into the Tide app, we are removing yet another task from their to-do list and helping founders keep their business and personal lives clearly separate."

The partnership gives Gigs a high-profile distribution channel in the UK small business market. Gigs works with digital platforms that want to add mobile connectivity as a built-in feature, rather than sending users to a separate mobile operator.

"Every new business requires the same essentials. Tide brings them together in one digital experience, combining company formation, a business account and now a mobile plan to help entrepreneurs get up and running faster and at lower cost than ever before. Gigs is proud to partner with Tide to power the UK's first fully embedded mobile plan designed for small businesses," said Rafa Plantier, VP Go-To-Market at Gigs.

Tide employs more than 2,500 people globally and counts investors including Anthemis, Apax Digital Funds, Augmentum Fintech, Creandum, LocalGlobe, SBI Group, Speedinvest and TPG. Gigs is backed by Ribbit Capital, Google's Gradient Ventures and Y Combinator.

The companies say the mobile service is available to Tide members through the app, with activation via eSIM and connectivity delivered over Vodafone's 5G network.