Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Cherie Howlett

Cherie has over 15 years’ experience in IT marketing and was promoted to Head of Marketing for MDNX post purchase of Griffin. She was Marketing Manager for 5 years and Head of Marketing for Griffin for 2 years setting up a marketing department and strategy for connectivity, data networks and cloud-hosted solutions. During her time at Griffin, the company won 7 Channel ISP of the year awards, 5 Sunday Times Tech Track 100 awards, 2 Deloitte Fast 500 EMEA awards, 1 Deloitte Fast 50 award and 1 Channel Expo award. Cherie built brand awareness in the channel from 0% to 95% using an integrated strategy consisting of online, print, electronic and face to face marketing. Cherie had previously spent 2 years in a Marketing Manager’s role at Pipemedia before it sold to Business Serve in 2006. At Pipemedia she built a VoIP brand called PipeCall using a combination of PR, direct marketing and an online ordering and provisioning portal with plug and play hardware and electronic point of sale units. Cherie’s early career was in International Marketing working for software house AceCad Software and IBM in the European sales division.

Recent Posts

Smart Cities and 5G

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 09-Jun-2021 17:37:02

According to the United Nations, 55% of the world’s population live in cities and they predict this will grow to 68% by 2050. County councils are investing in technology to help reduce pollution, reduce the cost of street lighting and increase traffic throughput. 5G is an enabling technology for IoT.

5G

5G is designed to be high data-rate and low-latency, which allows for the fast real-time transfer of data between two or more points.

Internet of Things (IoT) refers to smart, web-enabled devices that have more of a fixed functionality, than general purpose smartphones, tablets or computers. Examples of IoT devices include ANPR cameras, IP-CCTV cameras.

Connectivity will enable maintenance of the infrastructure and manufacturing systems, as well as flow control. Adjustment and fine tuning of operating parameters will respond to real time fluctuations in the environment and processes.

MSPs are turning to Jola for their 5G requirements when rolling out solutions for smart cities. Jola provides a wide range of cost-effective 5G and 4G data SIM packages which are managed and monitored in Mobile Manager to avoid bill shock from monthly data overage charges.

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Topics: 5G

4G in smart transport networks

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 09-Jun-2021 17:28:28

Smart transport networks offer significant benefits to passengers, operators and local authorities, enabling urban services to become more efficient, effective and safe. Cities from London to Singapore are already building them. Madrid is leading the way, with a central control room that receives and integrates data from 40 urban control rooms. They cover over 100 bus routes, 300 railway lines and 200,000 cameras, delivering end-to-end surveillance and security solutions.

There are many experienced providers offering end-to-end solutions to the transport industry, involving 4G routers and cameras. Trams, buses and trains are tracked, and arrival times accurately estimated and advertised, factoring in potential delays. These devices need 4G data SIMs, often with a fixed IP or delivered via a secure Private APN. On average there are seven SIMs per bus, for logging into the cameras to download relevant footage, Wi-Fi, secure card payments, passenger trackers, applications tracking hours worked, engine telemetry and miles travelled.

Challenges

Service providers face a few challenges with 4G. Some networks are stronger than others in specific locations requiring relationships with multiple network providers. Secondly, they have no way of tracking data usage and if devices use more than their allocated monthly allowance, they get high data overage charges. Thirdly, they need a secure channel for transmitting financial data.

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Topics: 4G

Unlimited data

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 26-May-2021 11:39:17

Unlimited data SIM cards have been available for a while. They are great for users who don’t want to worry about how much data they are consuming each month. MSPs prefer to buy wholesale packages fit for purpose, they can control.

Jola supplies unlimited data packages, fit for purpose on 30-day, 12-month and 24-month contracts that will work on 5G, where available. They are keenly priced and designed to work in routers and M2M devices.

Jola also offers a range of intelligent 4G routers which provide high speed connectivity for M2M and IoT applications. They are all IoT gateways, with built-in intelligence. Our models are competitively priced and available to order via Mobile Manager. They are delivered to site pre-configured with a Jola SIM and are suitable for mobile broadband and large scale IoT roll outs.

In Demand

Demand for unlimited data SIMs is high, as is demand for intelligent 4G routers. MSPs partnering with Jola and selling unlimited data packages enjoy an uplift in revenue and margin.

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Topics: 4G

Why are ISPs interested in Mobile L2TP?

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 26-May-2021 10:24:37

Layer 2 tunnelling protocol (L2TP) mobile solutions are not widely available. Few suppliers offer a 4G L2TP solution, and even fewer offer reliable roaming.

Internet service providers (ISPs) use mobile data for primary internet connectivity until a leased line circuit can be made live and also as a backup for when primary circuits fail. The challenge they face is finding the strongest signal in each location. To do this effectively, they send engineers to run site surveys, which is expensive and time consuming. Once they have installed the best 4G network at the required location, it can be very costly to operate. If used as a backup solution, most of the time the service is unused, and when it is used during an outage on a primary circuit, it may consume a lot of data, generating overage charges. A cost-effective monthly L2TP mobile data package that can add large bolt-ons when required may be the solution ISPs are looking for.

The Jola management team used to run Griffin Internet. We understand the challenges ISPs face when managing traffic and MPLS networks. We offer multinetwork data SIM packages that roam across UK mobile networks and across hundreds globally. We can scale solutions easily and offer diverse routing.

ISPs have built their services for decades by consuming L2TP connections from wholesale suppliers. Jola delivers mobile broadband via L2TP. We have designed the service to be easily consumed by any ISP with the infrastructure in place to terminate L2TP wholesale broadband.

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Topics: Mobile L2TP

5G – the channel opportunity

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 18-May-2021 15:51:34

The channel is well-placed to help customers adopt new technologies such as 5G. Resellers will know which of their customers are in an area with 5G coverage and also what their requirements are. Many resellers may already be using 4G to address their customers’ Internet access issues in areas with poorly performing fixed-line services, so 5G is a great opportunity to upsell to new 5G hardware and SIMs.

Now is the time to build offerings that use 5G, as they present the opportunity to provide 5G-ready solutions. 5G routers also support LTE Advanced, which is already available in more areas in the country than 5G. So by selling a 5G-ready SIM and router, the customer could get a big performance boost even before 5G actually arrives. 

In the mobile voice space, the latest handsets from all the main manufacturers are already 5G-ready, so any handset replacement project would likely have 5G readiness as a requirement. In the mobile router space, though there are very few 5G options available, we expect that to change this year now that the major chipset and modem module manufacturers are now producing 5G components in volume.

Jola offers the widest range of mobile data SIMs from multiple suppliers, which are easy to order and manage via Mobile Manager.  

Mobile Manager

Mobile Manager is our online management portal for ordering and managing estates of SIMs. This white-label portal communicates in real time with mobile networks and can be used by both resellers and their end users. Mobile Manager handles SIM activations, ceases, suspensions, reports, alerts and bolt-ons.

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Topics: 5G

Smart Water Meters

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 18-May-2021 15:43:05

As water management systems age and infrastructures are updated, utilities companies consider long-range remote meter systems. By connecting water meters, utility companies eliminate the need for on-site meter readings, saving time and often improving customer satisfaction.

Dispatching staff to manually read water meters is both time-consuming and a logistical challenge. Reductions in manpower, fuel and vehicle maintenance costs add up to significant savings for utility companies switching to smart water meters.

Nonconnected water meters take point-in-time readings on a periodic basis, therefore providing a fairly limited amount of data about water usage patterns. Smart water meters give companies access to a continuous stream of real-time information about water consumption.

Smart water meters also give utility companies real-time alerts regarding outages, pipeline failures and leaks. This additional information allows companies to engage in early or preventative maintenance, detecting problems before they worsen and become more costly. Water management information can be stored in the cloud, accessible via web-based dashboards, making data gathering and analysis simple and efficient.

Specialists rolling out smart meters need reliable cellular connectivity they can manage, which will continue to perform as long as the devices are deployed.

Jola offers the widest range of mobile data SIMs from multiple suppliers, including LP-WAN, which are easy to order and manage via Mobile Manager.  

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Topics: IoT

Looking for a mobile L2TP solution that meets your needs?

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 18-May-2021 15:29:27

ISPs have been looking for efficient and inexpensive failover for fixed line services, pre-Ethernet connectivity and primary mobile broadband connectivity.

Mobile L2TP gives ISPs full control over routing and IP addressing, facilitating the creation of fixed-line failover, pre-ethernet and stand-alone internet access services. Mobile L2TP gives ISPs access to networks in the UK and hundreds of networks around the world.

The solution is inexpensive, reliable and straightforward to set-up. With un-steered multi-network SIMs, ISPs are not tied to any particular network and no longer need to do a site survey to determine the best signal – globally.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have built their services for decades by consuming L2TP (Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol) connections from wholesale suppliers. Jola delivers mobile broadband via L2TP.  We have designed the service to be easily consumed by any ISP that has the infrastructure in place to terminate L2TP wholesale broadband.

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Topics: Mobile L2TP

Intel selects Jola to join the Open Retail Initiative (ORI)

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 13-May-2021 16:39:30

Jola joins Intel’s ORI, which is a broad ecosystem of retailers, system integrators, software vendors, equipment manufacturers and solution aggregators that drive the future of retail. The goal of ORI is to enable open, accessible solutions that accelerate iteration, flexibility and innovation at scale – from the edge to the cloud.

A collaboration between leading industry vendors enables retailers to minimise up-front investment time, reduce interoperability issues and allow innovation to happen at an accelerated pace.

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Topics: IoT

Why sell 4G SIMs?

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 13-May-2021 08:40:34

There are two types of partners that sign up with Jola for SIMs. The first already has an opportunity and needs a supplier to help fulfil their 4G element; the second is looking to grow their business by adding profitable M2M/IoT revenue streams to their portfolio.

Experienced Partners

Partners with existing opportunities often have strong relationships with their clients. Although they may not yet offer 4G, they are trusted advisors and source the elements they need to build and roll out solutions. These partners are looking for a solution to a data problem. They need a partner to provide a cost-effective solution and help them win their bid. This may involve presales and product development to create a tailored solution. MSPs winning bids for thousands of connected devices, such as iPads for the NHS and tablets for local schools, often include SIMs and associated security measures to help win the deal.

New Partners

New partners selling 4G data for the first time want to understand the products, pricing and, more importantly, the opportunity. Partners with a large connectivity base often start by offering 4G backup solutions and temporary Ethernet solutions. Many can already see how the product would meet the needs of their audience and package it accordingly. During lockdown, many sold homeworking solutions involving 4G routers and unlimited SIM cards and then moved to keyworker solutions for pop-up hospitals and testing and vaccination centres.

In retail and construction, specialists started to add 4G connectivity to their IP-CCTV and IP-PTT radios on short-term contracts for site offices. In transport, specialists sourced 4G connectivity partners for their cashless ticketing systems, on-board WiFi, IP-CCTV and tracking solutions.

Successful partners conducted case studies and produced reference sites to help them build a pipeline of similar opportunities.

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Topics: 4G

Looking for SIMs for smart parking solutions?

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 13-May-2021 08:25:16

The Internet of Things (IoT) is making parking in major cities a lot easier. IoT parking solutions provide information such as available parking spaces to connected users. Information is collected, analysed and personalised for users in real time. Intelligent parking, as well as traffic monitoring, has helped to reduce congestion and improve traffic mobility in major European cities such as Barcelona and Madrid.

County councils are investing in technology to help reduce pollution and increase traffic throughput in major cities. Intelligent parking apps are available to keep commuters informed of available parking spaces in their area.

IoT parking solutions offer a few key benefits as follows:

  1. Less time spent in vehicles helps improve the productivity of commuters, and the lower volume of circulating traffic helps reduce the number of road accidents.
  2. A high volume of vehicles circulating at low speed creates traffic congestion, which contributes to higher levels of gas emissions. More fluid traffic helps reduce fuel consumption and the build-up of road traffic air pollution.
  3. Parking sensors are autonomous, wireless devices that are easy to install. The entrance and exit of vehicles in parking spaces and the duration of parking are monitored in real time. Data is sent to an application so that all users can track free parking spaces efficiently and parking costs are calculated accurately.

Councils are partnering with solution providers to help reduce pollution and improve traffic flow in major cities. Specialists are providing solutions for public and private car parks to help users park and pay more efficiently.

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Topics: IoT

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