Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Jola celebrates its 10^th birthday in April 2024, after its best-ever financial performance.

We now have over 1400 partners selling unique mobile data solutions, earning healthy recurring margins, and increasing the value of their companies with happy customers. Our ability to innovate and automate, as well as help partners identify, qualify and win significant deals from the mobile networks is part of our success story. The other is the fantastic relationships with have with our suppliers, partners and exceptional team.

Adrian Sunderland, CEO of Jola commented, “Our mission is to serve the channel providing solutions for every mobile data requirement globally. We strive to make unique solutions you can’t buy from anyone else, make them easy to sell, provision, support and bill. We enjoy working with partners on new and innovative solutions to common problems using the latest technologies. When we look back at what we have achieved over the last ten years it is quite phenomenal, when we started with nothing but enthusiasm, a belief in each other and a passion for the channel. We look forward to achieving our next growth milestone.”

Hiring 

We are looking for problem solvers in the channel. People who go the extra mile, who are innovative and who can deliver what they say they will. Key skills and experience vary by department, however an appreciation of the market and how relationships between end-users, channel partners and their suppliers work is essential. At Jola, we have found success looking for people who share our values, who go the extra mile to solve problems and who continually learn and improve.

Home-grown talent

We offer work experience, hire university students on their gap year, offer graduate schemes, return to work schemes, and apprenticeship schemes. When we have the right people, we invest in their training and development. We have a support training school, a sales training academy and a marketing development programme. In accounts, we offer professional qualifications and in development offer bespoke training schemes for  ZoHo, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.

Partner support

For partners, we run the usual product and portal training sessions as part of our onboarding process, but what partners tell us they want are opportunities they can win to fill their pipelines. For this, we have the MRG™ programme. A successful programme we run with partners to help identify, qualify and win high-margin, recurring revenue mobile-data opportunities. Scaling organically is a resellers’ biggest challenge because for this they need quality leads and salespeople to close them.Marketing is often viewed as an overhead rather than revenue generating. Sometimes companies aren’t specific with what they want from marketing and don’t measure activities accurately. A steady flow of leads is good news for salespeople and employers.Jola helps partners with their strategy. Our partner managers are trained to help partners identify the best prospects for mobile data and give them the questions to ask to generate the need and close the deals.

Planning for growth

Many of our academies in sales and support are set up to fill opportunities as employees develop and get promoted within our business. 

5G in the UK

Investment

The UK was one of the first markets to launch 5G. As soon as this happened all mobile network operators in the UK ramped up investment in 5G. Three UK invested over £2 billion as part of a five-year program to deliver the UK’s Fastest 5GNetwork. These investments included network intelligence to enable data-driven network improvements. As a result of their network investments, Three has won the Speedtest Award™ for Fastest 5G Network for four consecutive award periods including Q3-Q4 2022, Q1–Q2 2022, Q3–Q4 2021, and Q1–Q2 2021.

Spectrum

When the United Kingdom auctioned off spectrum licenses in 2021, Three acquired the largest dedicated band of 5G spectrum — 140MHz frequency across several 5G spectrum bands, including a 100 MHz block of contiguous spectrum in the 3.3-3.8 GHz band.

Three has the largest single slice of 5G spectrum of any network provider. The contiguous spectrum is dedicated to 5G, allowing uninterrupted data flow across the Three Network, providing higher speeds and lower latency. Three has the world’s first 5G-ready fully Cloud Core Network managed from 20 new data centres across the UK and currently provides over 61% of the UK with 5G coverage.

Demand

Demand for cost-effective, unlimited SIMs from the channel, has never been so high, for use in, phones, 5G routers, pre-Ethernet connectivity and Ethernet back-up. Applications range from digital signage and mobile broadband to bus and train WiFi, monitoring and smart devices.  Every day, resellers, manufacturers and service companies are finding new uses for 5G mobile data and this is unlikely to slow down.

According to the Ofcom Connected Nations 2022 report, the pool of 5G capable devices increased from around 10% in 2021 to 20% in 2022, while data traffic carried over 5G tripled — from 3% of all traffic in 2021 to over 9% in 2022. In April 2023, as part of the new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, the government set out its ambitions for all populated areas to be covered by “standalone” 5G by 2030, increasing from 77% of the population already having access to 5G from one provider using 5G NSA. 

Speeds

If you have customers with a need for 5G, trial Three Business unlimited SIMs. Packaged with 5G Routers they are perfect for primary and secondary connectivity in remote areas with external antenna speeds can far exceed those of available fixed-line connectivity and are faster to install and more cost-effective.

With the sunsetting of 3G, the PSTN Switch off and the rollout of 5G, demand for mobile data solutions has never been higher. Resellers and MSPs are in the perfect position to take advantage of this and they are looking for reliable suppliers who can help them grow high-margin, recurring mobile data revenues, whilst simultaneously increasing the overall value of their company.

Wholesale suppliers will need to give channel partners the tools to win deals, usually competing with the direct sales arms of the mobile networks. They must be an aggregator with access to all the networks and ideally, they will also be an independent MVNO. Most importantly everything must be automated, with real-time APIs offering zero-touch provisioning and management through a single self-service portal.

The most successful of these will be highly innovative, with a constant stream of relevant mobile data and IoT products that the networks would otherwise take years to develop and launch. When you partner with the right channel supplier, mobile data is easy to sell, support and bill.

The prospect for the channel is significant. ICT resellers already enjoy strong relationships with businesses and the public sector having sold them a range of IT and telecoms infrastructure. Within this customer base, opportunities for mobile data solutions exist in asset tracking, digital signage, mobile WiFi, monitoring and utilities.

Mobile data is an easy product to sell and provision and needs very little support. Jola signed just over 200 new partners in 2023 and now has nearly 1500. One of our partners recently won a huge deal for thousands of RoamNet data SIMs for use in phones and tablets. Using our unique QR technology eliminated the need for physical SIM cards, making the rollout quick and easy. QR codes are also a significant step towards minimising e-waste and removing several operational headaches. SIMs roam over hundreds of mobile networks and are managed via a single platform – Mobile Manager.

Jola SIMs also operate ANPR cameras, CCTV cameras, vending machines, digital signs and tracking devices around the world.

Our partners don’t have to add any more people in billing or accounts departments to support these deals. SIMs provision immediately on Mobile Manager, so you don’t have to wait to start generating recurring margins. As soon as customers put that SIM into their device, you’re billing for it.

Jola, the first company to establish an eSIM data MVNO dedicated to the channel in 2019, has gone one step further by including voice and SMS with their brand new global MVNO – RoamNet Voice.  Using a single UK number, customers of Jola’s 1400+ partners can access multiple networks in the UK and Ireland, for voice, data and SMS. This innovative roaming product can be steered or un-steered and is available via eSIM, triple-cut plastic SIM and, uniquely, a simple QR code.

Their first QR implementation saw thousands of demonstration handsets go live in minutes simply by using the phone’s camera to scan a single QR code. There is no alternative quite like RoamNet Voice on the market, and certainly nothing else available to resellers and MSPs. 

Jola partners now have a genuinely differentiated product to win against the Mobile Networks with great recurring margins and the real-time management and control of Mobile Manager.

“One of the great benefits of being a channel-only, independently run company within the Wireless Logic group is that we can quickly productise solutions for the channel using existing networks. RoamNet Voice combines a true roaming SIM with a UK mobile phone number and the flexibility of our fully managed voice network. RoamNet is the most cost-effective multi-network solution we offer and competes with similar offerings from the MNOs.” Adrian Sunderland CEO, Jola.

Most resellers still do not have a mobile data proposition and they will need one to fulfil PSTN replacement opportunities and connectivity requirements for their customers. Jola’s CEO Adrian Sunderland will highlight the opportunity at the Channel Live Exhibition at the NEC on the panel discussion’ Future Proofing Connectivity’.

Using case studies, Adrian will explain the mobile data opportunity and how high ARPUs and good margins can be achieved.  He will help the audience to uncover opportunities sitting within their own customer bases and explain how mobile data can only be successfully scaled with a supplier who can deliver unique and differentiated solutions managed in a fully automated, real-time portal.

Every reseller has at least one significant mobile data opportunity in their customer base. The objective of this panel debate is to let the audience know how they can win these deals with the help of their suppliers. Panellists will outline the opportunities and deals being won and how they contribute positively to their enterprise value. They will highlight barriers to success and how to overcome them with the right partners.

Fixed IP SIMs have been available on a wholesale model via Jola for many years. They are typically used for CCTV cameras, alarm systems, sensors, Point-of-Sale systems, mobile broadband and fixed line broadband back-up which need stable fixed IP addresses. Many of these applications typically use a lot of data which has driven up the cost of solutions for end users in locations where EE is the preferred network. Jola has solved this problem by adding Fixed IP EE SIMs with unlimited data to their real-time management portal, Mobile Manager. 

“Our solution is unique to us as the Fixed IP address applies to the SIM card and not the router.  This means that any device with a SIM slot can now have a fixed public IP address.  We offer unlimited data so users do not have to worry about data overage charges and MSPs can monitor data usage in Mobile Manager. Our competitive pricing allows MSPs to save end users money, give them more control over their solution, and make good recurring margins. Our Fixed IP SIMs transit the Cloudflare international IP Network giving partners peace of mind with full DDoS protection.” Cherie Howlett, CMO, Jola.

Jola is delighted to be a founding member of The Big Goal, an initiative dedicated to addressing youth homelessness through the transformative power of football.

The Street Soccer Foundation is tackling youth homelessness with the support of clubs across The Premier League and English Football League (EFL) by equipping individuals with the skills and support they need for a brighter future.

The Big Goal Initiative is known for its holistic approach to youth development, aligning with Jola's commitment to fostering positive change and well-being. By supporting this initiative, Jola aims to make a lasting impact on the lives of young people.

Cherie Howlett, CMO Jola, commented “Football is a passion for many at Jola and after England won the Women’s Euros in 2022 it has become even more of a talking point in the office. We got involved with this charity because it is a great cause. By supporting the Big Goal Initiative, Jola is supporting vulnerable young people in our community, who may one day work in the industry. This initiative focuses on imparting valuable skills, and changing lives for the better, which I think we can all get on-board with.”

When advertising for new recruits, we use local apprenticeship specialists and target university students. We also advertise locally using a refer-a-friend scheme. LinkedIn and the website are a given, but we have more success targeting people we know, or local people looking for a chance to learn something new.

A lot of experienced candidates expect remote working and often ask how many days they need to be in the office. However, we have also found that many new recruits want to be in the office with experienced mentors to help them develop and succeed in their roles. We have found running our business with a mix of remote working and in-office hot desking very successful. It is important to monitor and measure the right key performance indicators so that employees know what they need to achieve. With this in place, ‘where’ the work is completed becomes less important.

We are at the forefront of technology, with a work-from-anywhere ethos and connected Robustels in our backpacks. We embrace new technologies and help our channel partners to benefit from technology sunsetting and switch-offs.

I am not sure all companies are prioritising diversity and inclusion in their recruitment strategies but we do. We have reviewed our end-to-end process to eliminate unconscious bias and remove barriers.

Promoting company culture can attract like-minded individuals who share the same goals. A competitive package, attractive bonus schemes and the chance to grow and develop with a company are equally attractive.

Jola has over 1400 partners and runs a channel-only business. All of our growth comes from partners winning deals using our unique and differentiated solutions. Trust is a key element of our relationships with partners. MSPs need to trust that we have reliable, easy-to-manage solutions they can sell and support making healthy margins. Partners need full control of their own solutions, so having real-time fully automated portals allowing full direct control over live orders is essential. 

At Jola, we have taken our relationships to the next level. Partners trust us to identify and qualify opportunities from within their customer bases. They invite us to speak to end users to understand challenges and discuss solutions fully. We have a lot of vertical market experience which is useful for end-users who feel immediately at ease when they understand how we have solved similar problems in their industries.

Good supplier partners are open honest, trustworthy, always contactable and professional. They value every customer and always deliver what they say they will when they say they will. They go the extra mile to meet customer expectations and have case studies, testimonials, awards and NPS scores to back this up.

One of our partners was approached by a major supermarket to provide digital signage within their stores. The supermarket required a bespoke build with a completely managed solution. The digital advertising boards were for 300 stores across the UK and required 24/7 connectivity.

Due to the scale of the opportunity, our partner had to source reliable connectivity that could be rapidly deployed across the country. As well as working to a tight deadline, it was also necessary to find a solution that offered control and management of the connectivity across the different sites.

The Jola solution offered a complete connectivity package, including routers, SIMs and access to Mobile Manager®, an online management portal for ordering and managing estates of SIMs. Jola proposed 4G aggregated SIMs for un-steered, multi-network roaming connectivity with all four UK mobile networks. The SIMs are all managed within Mobile Manager®, which handles SIM and eSIM activations, ceases, suspensions, reports and bolt-ons. 

Jola recommended Intelligent 4G Routers. The routers are suitable for mobile broadband and large-scale IoT rollouts. Devices are pre-configured with the Jola App, allowing auto-configuration. As a result, there was no need for manual configuration on-site; the routers were delivered to stores, ready to install, saving valuable time and set-up costs.

To bolster security, Jola preconfigured a security measure into the devices, to prevent a third party from accessing the routers.