Work Phones Make a Comeback as Offices Ban WhatsApp, TikTok (1)

There may be a new ringtone in your life — the urgent chime of a company-issued cell phone.

In a throwback to the BlackBerry era, telecom-service providers are seeing strong growth from companies handing out phones to employees. The phenomenon, which started during the pandemic, picked up recently thanks to new compliance policies around the use of WhatsApp and TikTok. It’s provided a “tailwind” for subscriber gains at AT&T Inc., Chief Financial Officer Pascal Desroches said at a conference this week.

At the same event, T-Mobile US Inc. Chief Financial Officer Peter Osvaldik said his company’s corporate customer ...