How the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) modernised its mobile estate by combining our expertise with iPhone and iPad’s built-in eSIM capabilities.
Defra set out to replace its physical SIM-based iPhone and iPad fleet with a convenient, secure, and sustainability‑led solution that maintained seamless service for 34,000 mobile‑reliant staff.
The solution
We delivered a fully digital solution leveraging iPhone and iPad eSIM technology, simplifying activation, strengthening security, and reducing Defra’s carbon footprint.
The result
Defra’s mobile voice and data services (MVDS) project set a new public sector standard for secure, sustainable, user centric mobile transformation using our services and Apple’s eSIM technology.
The challenge
Defra set out to replace its physical SIM-based iPhone and iPad fleet with a convenient, secure, and sustainability‑led solution that maintained seamless service for 34,000 mobile‑reliant staff.
The solution
We delivered a fully digital solution leveraging iPhone and iPad eSIM technology, simplifying activation, strengthening security, and reducing Defra’s carbon footprint.
The result
Defra’s mobile voice and data services (MVDS) project set a new public sector standard for secure, sustainable, user centric mobile transformation using our services and Apple’s eSIM technology.
Defra set out to modernise its mobile estate in a way that aligned with its environmental mission. They needed a partner who could help them turn ambition into operational reality. With more than 34,000 iPhone and iPad in the hands of field workers, inspectors, and frontline teams, Defra needed a mobile solution that delivered security, sustainability, and, critically, seamless continuity of service.
By combining the built-in eSIM capabilities of iPhone and iPad with our eSIM solution from EE Businessdevice management expertise, and sustainability-led service design, Defra replaced every physical SIM with a fully digital solution, eliminating unnecessary emissions, plastic waste, and operational complexity.
The result is an award-winning programme that demonstrates exactly what is possible when iPhone and iPad's built-in capabilities and our services come together: a more secure, more sustainable, and more user-friendly mobile estate for the UK public sector.
The challenge
Defra recognised that its legacy telecoms set-up no longer aligned with its environmental ambitions. Every physical SIM card – across 34,000 iPhone and iPad – generated avoidable carbon emissions, plastic waste, and administrative overhead.
The transition to a new network provider needed to maintain full continuity of service for thousands of mobile-dependent colleagues working across environmental protection, rural affairs, disease management, and emergency response. This wasn't simply a procurement exercise; it was a whole-organisation transformation touching culture, process, sustainability, and technology.
Cross-department collaboration between Defra commercial, digital, cyber security, and sustainability teams resulted in a clear ambition: to move entirely to eSIM and embed sustainability as a core contract requirement.
We’re the environment department… sustainability is absolutely a golden thread through our core infrastructure and technology contract.
We designed and delivered a fully digital mobile solution built on eSIM for business from EE Business, bringing together our network expertise, deployment services, and sustainability-driven design.
Using our deploy-to-device activation, designed specifically to take advantage of iPhone and iPad's built-in eSIM technology, we provisioned eSIM profiles directly onto each device, with profiles managed and controlled via our device lifecycle management services.
It became pretty clear from the start that our deploy-to-device activation method was the perfect choice – it’s seamless through and through.
Matt MurrellSIM/eSIM Product Manager, BT Group
To ensure an accessible experience for all colleagues, Defra avoided QR code-based activations and instead used Apple's Lookup Server. The built-in eSIM experience on iPhone and iPad enabled zero-touch, over-the-air provisioning, simplifying activation for all 34,000 staff. Apple's embedded technology meant that eSIM profiles were harder to remove or tamper with, reducing operational risk. Our expertise ensured secure provisioning aligned with Defra's cybersecurity requirements.
Together with Defra, we co-designed a telecoms contract that prioritised environmental outcomes, leveraged the efficiencies of Apple's eSIM technology, and supported Defra's organisational mission to lead in sustainable operations.
The result
The MVDS project has become a public sector blueprint for sustainable, secure, and user‑centric mobile transformation – demonstrating the power of the built-in eSIM capabilities of iPhone and iPad enhanced by our services.
Ultimately, Defra will save £6.16 million over the next five years, driven by a 65% reduction in mobile service costs.
Defra saw a 99% reduction in emissions associated with SIM production, shipping, and disposal, resulting in a significant reduction in plastic waste and increased circularity. With 86% positive feedback, Defra’s sustainability mission translated into greater workplace efficiency, improved accessibility for all users, while Apple’s eSIM technology delivered enhanced security across the estate.
Now, Defra’s sustainable procurement model is influencing other governmental departments into exploring eSIM options. The contract demonstrates how iPhone and iPad and our services can deliver sustainability at scale and strengthens alignment between digital transformation and environmental commitments.
Our users had a fantastic experience… we're now recognised as a leader in this space and that's a fantastic achievement for the entire team.
Ulrike Hartmann-CadeyDeputy Director, Head of Group Infrastructure & Operations Delivery Portfolio, DDTS, Defra
