PoC radio SIM card: which one, how much data, what it costs

Which SIM card does a PoC radio need?

A SIM with mobile data, on an operator whose LTE bands your radio supports. A data-only plan is enough, because voice travels as data: a French distributor says the Inrico T320 works with a data-only SIM or a voice-plus-data SIM, and lists a standard SIM and a nano SIM slot.1

SIMs for PoC radios come from four places. Prices are as published in October 2026.

The slot differs by model. The T320 takes a standard and a nano SIM,1 the TLK 110 one micro SIM,7 and the Retevis L2 is a dual-SIM radio.6 Confirm the size before you order a SIM.

Check the band list of the version you buy against your operator in the LTE band checker. The T320 sold for Europe lists B1, B3, B5, B7, B8, B20 and B28.8 The 4G LTE walkie-talkie guide explains which bands matter.

How much data does a PoC radio use?

Tens to a few hundred megabytes a month for voice. Zello gives 70 to 100 MB for an average user.9 The same shift can use several times more on a busy channel, because listening costs data as well as talking: Microsoft puts its walkie-talkie at about 20 kbit/s when sending or receiving audio.10

What uses the data is the audio, not the idle time. A radio sits at about 20 kB an hour idle on Zello,9 so the monthly figure follows how many minutes of voice cross your talk group, how often the radio reports its location, and whether people send photos. PeakPTT includes location every 60 seconds in its flat fee.14

The PoC data calculator turns talk time, shift length and location reports into a monthly figure. For Zello, 8-hour shifts on 22 days, 5 minutes of voice an hour and a location report every minute give about 96 to 314 MB a month, with location reports adding about 2 MB.

How big a data plan does a PoC radio need?

A plan of 500 MB to 1 GB per radio covers every published figure above. The highest are about 0.6 GB a month for ESChat's typical user and the 800 MB Retevis includes, and the calculator's Zello example peaks at 314 MB.136

Busy channels, Zello at its 45 kbit/s Wi-Fi rate, photos or app updates over mobile data push usage up.

Zello's 70 to 100 MB average applies with its bitrate on Auto, and the bitrate follows the connection of both sender and receiver.9 A radio that updates apps over Wi-Fi keeps those downloads off the plan.

Can you use an IoT or M2M SIM in a PoC radio?

Yes, if it gives the radio data on a band it supports and you can enter the provider's access point name (APN). 1NCE, for example, tells you to connect devices "via the 1NCE APN".3 Whether a given radio lets you edit the APN is a model detail to ask the seller before you buy.

IoT SIMs bill by the pack or by the megabyte, which suits the 70 to 100 MB a month a PoC radio uses and punishes heavy use. Speed is not the limit: 1NCE's lifetime pack runs at up to 1 Mbit/s,3 while a Zello call needs 12 to 45 kbit/s.9 Things Mobile adds €0.25 a month for each operator network a SIM connects to and €3.00 a month for portal access, and the SIM is not enabled for voice calls. Its prices exclude VAT.4

Does a PoC radio work with roaming and multi-network SIMs?

Inside the EU, "roam like at home" charges data at your domestic rate, but only for occasional travel, and the UK is not covered. An operator may add a surcharge if you spend more time abroad than at home, so a radio that lives in another country needs its own SIM.15

The operator may check your use over four months. The surcharge is capped at €1.30 per GB in 2025 and €1 per GB from 2027.15

A radio that works in another country for good needs a local SIM or a multi-network one. Things Mobile assigns a default multi-operator profile,4 and Hologram lists 190+ countries and territories.5 Motorola's pre-installed SIM covers the EU, EFTA and the UK.7

Do PoC radios support eSIM?

A few do. Of 291 current models in the radio catalog, 9 list eSIM support and 3 more list it as optional. Plan for a physical SIM unless the data sheet lists eSIM.16

Examples that list it include the Hytera P60 and PNC660, and the Sonim XP Pro.16

Should you buy, rent or subscribe?

Buy when you need the radios for years, subscribe when you want one monthly line that includes the SIM, and rent when you need them for days. The choice follows how long you need the radios and who should manage the SIM. There are three ways to pay:

• Buy the radio, bring your own SIM and app license. You hold each cost line. A Retevis L2 costs $205.99, its SIM plan is separate, and Zello Work Core is $8 per user a month.617
• Take a bundled service plan. The SIM and the service arrive together. PeakPTT charges $24.95 a month per radio with nationwide US push-to-talk on carrier SIMs, month to month or on a 36-month lease with no upfront equipment cost.14 Motorola sells the TLK 110 with a pre-installed SIM inside the WAVE PTX subscription.7
• Rent for a short job. For an event or a project, renting spares you the SIM and the app. ACMA says renting a radio can be quick and easy and that rental companies make sure their radios comply with its rules.18

A bundle fixes the monthly bill and moves the work of SIM management to the provider; owning each line lets you swap the SIM or the app without touching the other. A lease binds you for its term: PeakPTT's runs 36 months with a continuous 36-month service term.14

What does a PoC radio cost over three years?

With its own SIM and a paid app, a radio costs roughly $540 over three years in the US figures below. A bundled nationwide service is $898 for service alone. In euros, a T320 with an IoT SIM comes to about €290 before any app plan. Prices were published in October 2026.

The IoT row assumes 100 MB a month, the top of Zello's average,9 which uses the 500 MB in the €12 pack and seven more. The Retevis SIM carries 800 MB a month and the Tele2 plan 30 GB. The table leaves out chargers, spare batteries, accessories and dispatch seats; PeakPTT's dispatch seat is $12 a month and its app user $9.95.14 Platform plans billed yearly are cheaper: Zello is $6.80 and $12.75 per user a month.17 The L2 page also says each radio includes a free SIM without saying for how long, so the table counts three paid years. Enter your own prices in the cost calculator.

What happens to old PoC radios when 2G and 3G close?

A radio that connects only over 2G or 3G stops working when its operator switches that network off. An LTE radio keeps working if its bands match. Three UK completed its 3G switch-off on 27 November 2025.19 Switch-offs are happening now, country by country.

Orange plans to remove 2G from mainland France by the end of December 2026,20 and Deutsche Telekom expects to switch off 2G around 30 June 2028.21

Band lists also change by version. Retevis states that the L51 is "only suitable for Asian countries" and warns that 2G and 3G networks are being switched off.22 The 4G LTE walkie-talkie guide tabulates the announced dates; what is a PoC radio? covers the system, and the radio catalog and software list show which radios and services pair.

Questions

Sources

1. Inrico T320 LTE radio · Passion Radio, France
2. Datu plāns 30 GB: contract summary (in Latvian) · Tele2 Latvia
3. IoT Lifetime Flat: pricing · 1NCE
4. Pay-per-use plan with subscription fee · Things Mobile
5. Pricing · Hologram
6. Retevis MateTalk L2 PoC radio · Retevis
7. TLK 110 data sheet (EMEA) · Motorola Solutions
8. Inrico T320 specifications · Inrico
9. How much data bandwidth does the app use? · Zello Work Help Center
10. Manage the Walkie Talkie app in Microsoft Teams · Microsoft Learn