Beyond Wi-Fi: The Best POS Connectivity Options for Retail

Point-of-sale (POS) systems have developed rapidly over the last decade, transitioning from fixed countertop units to portable systems imbued with an SaaS sales software and wireless internet connection. This new generation of consumer-grade devices can be paired to an external chip and PIN reader, or process transactions themselves via NFC.  
 
Today, wireless system manufacturers like Square or SumUp have themselves become recognizable brands – an indicator of the growing role POS systems play in cultivating brand trust and customer satisfaction. 

As the pace of retail technology continues to accelerate, the next market shift – from Wi-Fi POS to mobile data-connected systems – is already on its way. For retailers, it's essential to understand this movement, and how to best prepare their checkout processes for the future of the industry. Here, we explore the different POS connectivity options, and how to embrace the advantages of wireless POS systems while avoiding any potential pitfalls.

Cellular or Wi-Fi POS connectivity? 5 points to consider

We’ve previously discussed the reasons behind the trend towards wireless systems, and in particular iOS-based sales terminals. Here, we dig deeper into one of the reasons driving the market-wide adoption of eSIM-enabled POS terminals: the limitations of Wi-Fi-only POS. In the last two years, the availability and reliability of high-speed 4G/5G mobile data have spiked, allowing enterprises to connect their smart devices via mobile data, rather than Wi-Fi. What are the advantages of doing so? And how are retail businesses using cellular connectivity to get ahead of the competition?

1. Security and privacy

Wi-Fi can be a practical option for connecting POS systems in a limited area. However, stores must ensure the arrangement of separate Wi-Fi networks for POS systems and customer use. A public network is always at risk of cybersecurity attacks and unsuited to processes that involve customer financial data.

An encrypted cellular connection offers a higher degree of privacy and security for both retailers and customers, with the flexibility of a wireless POS experience.

2. Portability

Global retailers understand the importance of adapting their physical presence to new industry developments. Being able to carry out transactions at events, trade shows, pop-ups, and more brings in new revenue streams and grows brand awareness among a new customer base.

Wi-Fi terminals were the first to offer retailers this option, at the cost of security (connecting to unfamiliar and unsecured public Wi-Fi networks) and reliability (transactions were confined to the Wi-Fi coverage area). Now, the new generation of eSIM and mobile data-enabled devices has enabled true POS connectivity anywhere. For retailers, this presents a world of possibilities: any place with a mobile signal can function as a point of sale.

With this increased flexibility, however, comes a new series of connectivity challenges.

3. Consistent data speeds

The key to ensuring a smooth in-store customer experience is fast POS connectivity. Delays in processing transactions can lead to increased waiting times and even queue abandonments. A 2022 survey of US shoppers found that the checkout experience is a major factor in determining where they do their shopping – only location and price ranked higher. 

In busy periods, such as sales or the festive seasons, in-store Wi-Fi is often stretched to breaking point, with continuous transactions occupying greater amounts of bandwidth. To mitigate Wi-Fi downtime, retailers must take the further step of setting up separate private and public networks in the same store. Even then, the store is still at risk of a network outage. 

Multinational retail chains are hit even harder. Not only does the risk of outages increase with the number of stores and new locations, but locally available network speeds can vary both intra- and internationally, providing an uneven payment process and customer experience between stores.

By partnering with a worldwide network provider like 1GLOBAL, retailers can ensure consistent high-speed POS connectivity across all systems in all stores. 

The rise of enterprise 5G

Enterprise 5G is a recent development in the telecoms industry that provides private, high-speed mobile internet to multi-user organizations. Though relatively new, 5G is seeing rapid adoption among businesses and consumers: in Europe, the number of new 5G connections is expected to overtake 4G as early as 2026.

Nokia and 1GLOBAL

In 2025, 1GLOBAL partnered with tech giant Nokia to bring 5G data to businesses operating in nearly every corner of 1GLOBAL’s 190+ country coverage map. For retailers, a 1GLOBAL connection now means uninterrupted, high-speed POS connectivity in all stores.

4. Globalization

For multinational retail chains, in-store Wi-Fi presents an often-overlooked challenge: localization. Wi-Fi providers vary from country to country, with the local cabling infrastructure determining the available network speed and suppliers.

In most cases, this means negotiating, managing and budgeting separate individual internet contracts for every country of operation. Juggling multiple Wi-Fi contracts, each with different rates, offers, and speeds, is a time-consuming ordeal. The result is a severe increase in accounting overheads and highly variant network speeds between stores. From a strategic viewpoint, this process hinders expansion and can even delay or prevent the opening of new stores.

While mobile data generally offers a more consistent level of service across the globe, most network providers still operate on a country-by-country basis. To truly take advantage of eSIM, multinational retailers require an international partner. 1GLOBAL SafeRetail connectivity offers the same high-speed access to POS connectivity in 190+ countries.

5. POS Connectivity

Perhaps the most significant benefit of mobile data connection, from both a revenue and customer experience perspective, is that it solves the issue of POS downtime — provided the right tools and software are in place. 

A Wi-Fi-only POS system is tethered to a single network. If the Wi-Fi fails, so does the POS.  

Network downtime has an immediate revenue impact, as well as causing wider damage to brand reputation, in-store experiences, and customer loyalty. For multi-store retail chains, even a brief network outage can quickly snowball into significant losses. 

With a mobile data connection, POS downtime can be completely avoided. Most eSIM-enabled devices, like recent iPad and iPhone models, support simultaneous connections to multiple Wi-Fi and mobile data networks. Arranging a backup POS connectivity network can help safeguard businesses from Wi-Fi outages. 

SIM card or eSIM POS connectivity?

Many backup connectivity providers require a dedicated plastic SIM card for each terminal, which limits their efficacy:

• The logistics of SIM cards: Issuing, activating, and monitoring physical SIM cards for each individual POS device is an operational challenge. When the goal is to improve efficiency and save revenue, some retailers may find this offers a poor ROI. 

• The limitations of card-only devices: SIM-card-based solutions naturally require a SIM card-enabled POS device. At the time of writing, this covers the majority of iOS-based POS systems. However, it’s also important to consider that Apple is enthusiastically advocating for eSIM connectivity (illustrated by the eSIM-only version of the iPhone 14). For retailers looking to protect their investment and stay ahead of the curve for years to come, relying on card-only devices and software may prove risky. 

Partnering with a retail connectivity product like 1GLOBAL offers an emergency backup network, safeguarding all systems company-wide from network outages. The compatibility of modern iOS devices with eSIM connectivity makes SafeRetail an ideal solution for iOS POS systems.

Preparing for the future of in-store checkouts

The competitive, hyper-visible world of physical retail means that companies can’t stay viable by simply adapting to technological trends; they need to actively pursue new solutions and stay ahead of the curve.  

The eSIM is already proving to be a fundamental aspect of the future telecommunications industry: by 2030, eSIMs are expected to be present in 98% of all North American smartphones, while the number of connected IoT devices is surging.

In an eSIM-based POS system, software and security updates can be remotely and instantly installed, while cloud-based data storage allows retailers to set up and replace new devices within minutes in the event of damage.

SafeRetail by 1GLOBAL

SafeRetail is a mobile data connectivity solution for POS systems, specifically designed for multinational retailers. Retailers can utilize SafeRetail in two ways:

• As a primary connectivity source: All POS devices company-wide are connected to the 600+ carrier-strong 1GLOBAL network, ensuring a continuous high-speed data connection, regardless of location or individual local network outages.

• As a fallback connectivity option: In the event of a primary network (e.g. in-store Wi-Fi) failure, SafeRetail-enabled POS systems will instantly and automatically connect to the 1GLOBAL mobile network and continue to work as usual, eliminating the risk of POS downtime.

Key features

• Reliable
  A global connection to over 600 networks means that SafeRetail-enabled POS systems aren’t simply connected to a fallback connection in the event of a network failure: they’re connected to the best available network, ensuring a reliable signal and negating any drop-off in processing time.

• Scalable
  Whether it’s a 1000+ employee multinational or a single store, SafeRetail offers instant and reliable POS connections that grow with your business. This simplifies the billing process too: even in multinational organizations, all eSIMs are managed on one single contract.

• Secure
  A cloud-based connection ensures access to regular security and software upgrades, while eSIMs that integrate into existing MDM systems make it easy to manage all devices company-wide: A cloud-based connection ensures access to regular security and software upgrades, while eSIMs that integrate into existing MDM systems make it easy to manage all devices company-wide

Read more about SafeRetail and the challenges facing the physical retail space in our whitepaper.

See how SafeRetail can help your business – contact our team today to learn more and try a free demo.