Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Jola offers a range of affordable, robust M2M and IoT routers, available to order in Mobile Manager, which will arrive directly at your customers’ sites. The proprietary Jola App, included with all routers, auto-configures the APN and WiFi settings and allows full control over all router settings. Customer configuration is available for suitable projects. The premium models also feature Smart Roaming Technology. Intelligent 4G routers are only to be re-sold with JolaMobile SIMs.

R1510

The R1510 router is a Dual Ethernet port (LAN + WAN) 3G/4G router with advanced software functions at a very competitive price point.

KEY FEATURES

• Highly stable 2G/3G/4G cellular connections
• Ethernet, WiFi and 4G internet connection options with auto-failover
• Fully programmable Linux environment with excellent SDK documentation
• ‘Smart Reboot’ for enhanced roaming SIM management
• Full SMS control for diagnosis and recovery from data network problems
• Very small footprint for space-constrained applications
• Wall-mount and DIN-rail mounting options available

R1520

The R1520 router is a versatile 4G router with 5 Ethernet pots and GPS. It has an E-mark certification, making it suitable for in-vehicle use. Other hardware features include optionally isolated digital inputs and outputs as well as a 10-bit analogue input, capable of interfacing directly with sensors and a range of 0 to 24Vdc or 0 to 20mA.

The R1520(G) model has the same features and specification as the R1520(V) but is supplied with a global PSU and is certified for use in a long and growing list of counties outside of Europe.

KEY FEATURES

• Cost-effective & high performance 3G/4G router
• Rugged design with 9 to 36Vdc power
• E-mark certification for in vehicle use
• Optically isolated digital IO
• 10-bit Analogue interface for direct sensor connections
• Supports Dual SIMs & WiFi/Ethernet as WAN
• Cellular keep-alive and fast failover
• Extensive range of software “apps” for enhanced functionality
• IPsec/OpenVPN/GRE/L2TP/PPTP/DMVPN supported
• Extensive global certifications

The pandemic has changed the way we work and helped us to focus on the best way to interact with our audiences. In the past we favoured face-to-face meetings and have been forced to move to a virtual environment.

It was a great opportunity to consider our content and how it gets delivered. What makes a great webinar and how do you put one together?

Audience

The first thing to consider is your audience. What are their requirements? What would make them give up an hour of their time and spend it on a webinar with you? Once you have worked out your agenda, drafted the content and arranged your speaker, you can start to think about your software.

To get high engagement and great feedback from participants, you need a piece of software that allows interaction. Chat boxes and poll questions are good interactive features.

With the software installed, you can start to plan your invitations. Catch attention, draw the audience in and have a strong call to action to ensure a good response rate. Using your sales team to invite key prospects and promote webinars is useful to get the audience you require.

Create engaging content

Think through your content and make sure it matches your advertised agenda. Use graphics, where possible, and avoid overloading your slides with text and reading from them. Use case studies your audience can relate to and address real problems. Keep your content concise and relevant. Then practice, practice… practice! Make sure your speaker is comfortable with the content and if required has additional resource on hand to answer detailed questions live.

It is worth researching your participants before each webinar and asking a few qualifying poll questions before you start. This way you can make sure your content is relevant. Set up early to test the sound, chat boxes and poll questions. Test your software demonstrations and make sure you have your passwords handy. Switch off phones, notifications and encourage feedback after every webinar. This way you can improve materials for the next one.

Measure your success

How many participants do you want on each webinar? Set this as a target and measure attendees against it. Set targets for engagement and make sure you follow up every question and request for further information. Give out your contact details and encourage participants to invite colleagues to join you for the next session. Don’t be too keen to email out recordings. If you can view a video, do you really need to attend a live event?

Do you serve customers in public or private transportation? Who do they buy their 4G data from? Could they be buying it from you instead?

Like many companies right now, the bus and coach industry are looking to make savings, in addition to creating a safe environment for their drivers and passengers. With the COVID virus transmitted on hard surfaces, as well as being airborne, many companies are looking to reduce cash transactions on-board. New ticketing machines process cashless transactions and contain 4G SIM cards. Many companies also want to include free WiFi as part of their passenger experience, however want to avoid expenses overages.

Jola works with MSPs to help reduce the cost of 4G data SIM estates, in ticketing machines and routers. We work with MSPs to novate SIMs where possible, to avoid the need to swap out SIMs manually. We also provide MSPs and, where required, their end users with access to Mobile Manager, to control their entire data SIM estate in one easy portal.

Jola is an award-winning, channel-only supplier of business communications, specialising in mobile data SIMs. We are a global eSIM MVNO, providing innovative IoT and mobile data solutions to MSPs, ISPs, IT Support companies and Telecommunications Resellers.

Do you serve taxi companies in public or private transportation? Who do they buy their 4G data from? Could they be buying it from you instead?

Taxis use 4G devices to plan their routes, record their fares and process card payments. They need their 4G to be reliable and to work anywhere.

Jola eSIMs are multi-network roaming SIMs that roam across 450 networks worldwide, including Vodafone, O2, Three and EE in the UK. By proposing Jola eSIMs, partners can provide taxi companies with reliable 4G connectivity anywhere in the UK. Mobile Manager gives MSPs the ability to manage estates of 4G data SIMs in one easy-to-use portal. Jola can provide a content filtering service to prevent drivers removing SIM cards, inserting them into iPads, tablets and phones for personal use in-between pick-ups.

Jola is an award-winning, channel-only supplier of business communications, specialising in mobile data SIMs. We are a global eSIM MVNO, providing innovative IoT and mobile data solutions to MSPs, ISPs, IT Support companies and Telecommunications Resellers.

Many of our partners are thriving rather than surviving at the moment thanks to 4G. When traditional leased line and broadband business dried up during lockdown, companies turned to 4G to meet the current demand.

We are getting used to working from home and many businesses have invested in dedicated 4G routers for their staff to provide continuous access to fast, reliable internet connectivity.

Students are getting used to learning remotely and the government is investing in both devices and 4G connectivity to help.

M2M/IoT is really taking off, with high demand for smart devices such as digital signage and remote tracking and monitoring.

There has been a digital revolution caused by the pandemic. We have been forced into online shopping, remote working and online classes. We have embraced the technology, upgraded our home broadband and created functional spaces to work, rest and play.

The channel had the flexibility to pivot into new products, the expertise to differentiate and the customer service to pull it off.

Jola

Jola supplies a wide range of 4G data including unlimited data packages, multi-network roaming SIMs and eSIMs, fit for purpose. They are keenly priced and designed to work in routers and M2M devices.

Jola offers a range of affordable, intelligent routers, available to order in Mobile Manager. Devices arrive pre-configured with the Jola App, allowing auto-configuration. The premium models also feature Smart Roaming Technology. 

Smart metering is the collection of remote data using IoT sensors in real-time, without human intervention.

Smart metering provides the tracking of any measurable parameter available on a machine, in a room or an outdoor environment. It is traditionally used to describe the monitoring of utilities such as water, gas and electricity.

Who are MSPs turning to for 4G data for smart meters?

Jola offers the widest range of mobile data SIMs from multiple suppliers, which are easy to order and manage via Mobile Manager.  We offer embedded MFF2 SIMs and low-power SIMs for long-life battery powered devices.

Mobile Manager

Mobile Manager is our online management portal for ordering and managing estates of eSIMs. This white label portal communicates in real-time with 4G networks and can be used by both resellers and their end users. Mobile Manager handles SIM activations, ceases, suspensions, reports, alerts and bolt-ons.

MSPs specialising in transport, logistics, utilities and the public sector already have strong relationships with well-known brands in these sectors. They could also be meeting the LPWAN requirements for metering, tracking and monitoring by working with the right wholesale partner.

LPWAN enables IoT connections for remote battery-powered devices such as smart meters, containers in logistics, or critical infrastructure like fire hydrants in cities. IoT Analytics report that in 2020 this market reached 423 million IoT connections and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 43% to reach 2.5 billion IoT connections by 2025.

NB-IoT is a low power wide area network (LPWAN) technology. Narrowband Internet of Things is one of the new breeds of Low Power Wide Area Network (LP-WAN) standards.

It has been developed for devices which have a long battery life. It provides long range communication, with the ability to connect a wide range of assets.

Gas and electric companies are installing hundreds of thousands of smart meters, which require a low power SIM on a long-term contract. Usage is minimal, costs are a few pence per SIM, however the contract length is typically 5 years plus.

To win the business MSPs need to be able to control vast numbers of cost-effective data SIMs over long periods of time.

Jola

Jola is an award-winning, channel-only supplier of business communications, specialising in mobile data SIMs. We are a global eSIM MVNO, providing innovative IoT and mobile data solutions to MSPs, ISPs, IT Support companies and Telecommunications Resellers.

Mobile Manager is our online management portal for ordering and managing estates of mobile data-only SIMs, as well as Voice and Data SIMs. This white label portal communicates in real-time with multiple 4G networks and can be used by both resellers and their end users. Mobile Manager handles SIM activations, ceases, suspensions, reports, alerts and bolt-ons.

LPWAN opportunities are hidden mobile data SIM gems nestled in the customer bases of resellers and MSPs. End-users are going to the networks directly for LPWANs instead of going to their trusted MSP but are disappointed by the lack of control MNOs give them over their SIM estates. These deals can be to supply thousands of devices on long-term contracts and are low-hanging fruit for MSPs with existing relationships and control panels.

Who uses this technology?

It is being used in street lighting, smart bins, smart parking and traffic monitoring, as well as parking sensors. Their devices don’t need much power and have a long battery life. The SIMs required for these smart solutions are low-cost, long-life SIM cards, which can be activated and controlled within a central portal.

This technology is also being used in the consumer space with smart metering. Gas and electric companies are installing hundreds of thousands of smart meters, which require a low power SIM on a long-term contract. Usage is minimal, costs are a few pence per SIM, however the contract length is typically 5 years plus.

Warehouses are adopting smart technologies and there are opportunities for resellers to supply LPWANs in warehouse monitoring, within safety devices such as cameras in lifts used by lone workers washing windows at height and in cranes.

In agriculture, LPWANs SIMs are being used in monitoring devices for animals, crops and soil. They need a SIM card with the same lifespan as their device.

What are LPWANs? 

LPWAN stands for Low Power Wide Area Network. LPWANs are used to deliver IoT connectivity at low cost, over wide geographic areas, often where there is no local power source, so battery life becomes key. LPWAN deployments are often simple and cost-effective, due to device design and long battery life. With efficient power consumption and battery lifetime of up to 10 years, management costs are low.  It also delivers the added benefit of deep penetration into areas such as basements and underground car parks. The protocols used in LPWANs provide much better wireless penetration so it is possible to get a signal where a standard 3G or 4G SIM wouldn’t be able to.

Generating leads and winning new business is a challenge, made harder by current market conditions and strong competition. There is no ‘one size fits all’ strategy, but there are things you can try, to develop a strategy that works for you.

The Dream Scenario

A unique proposition which meets a growing need, better than the competition, that cannot easily be copied and can be easily promoted. The reality is that in most growing markets there are global brands competing for business, who have bigger advertising budgets, larger development teams and better pricing. Your job is not to compete head-to-head, but to find your own niche, targeting business not well served by your competition. The companies who require a personal service and who want to build long-lasting business relationships. To do this you need a strong proposition, pricing, service wrap and an excellent team.

Continuous Process

The first thing to consider is a continuous strategy. Successful lead generation campaigns cannot be achieved overnight. It takes hard work, dedication and conviction. New business should not be something you think about when times are hard and ditch for the next new idea.

Knowing your audience

This is the key to success. It is easy to buy a database and throw out a few campaigns, easy to pick up the phone and cold call a few new prospects or send bulk connection requests on LinkedIn. The challenge is understanding who you are talking to, their needs and your ability to meet them. By spending time, not just cleaning your database, but researching your contacts, you can tailor your approach. By ‘knowing’ instead of ‘guessing’ what their current issues are (and they are different at different times and levels), you will be more successful crafting your messaging and planning a strategic campaign to highlight your own unique solutions.

Working together

By joining up your sales and marketing strategies and getting your teams to work together, you will be much more successful. Marketing conduct desk research to understand prospect profiles, but sales actually talk to the audience and have a better understanding of customer needs. By feeding information back into the business you may be able to change your approach. If you share a CRM system with other teams and implement a strict process on documenting market intelligence in the system, each department has the information they need to craft competitive propositions and compelling campaigns.

Unlimited data SIM cards have been available for a while. They are great for homeworkers, 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

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

Jola offers a range of affordable, intelligent routers, available to order in Mobile Manager. Devices arrive pre-configured with the Jola App, allowing auto-configuration. The premium models also feature Smart Roaming Technology.

Suitable for mobile broadband and large scale IoT roll outs, our routers run a unique operating system allowing Apps to be installed alongside the core routing software. There is a range of off-the-shelf Apps that add additional capabilities. A Software Development Kit is available and open to enable third-parties to develop their own applications. To help accelerate IoT projects, Jola can develop Apps on a consultancy basis.

In Demand

Demand for unlimited data SIMs is high at the moment, as is demand for 4G routers. Jola resellers enjoy an uplift in revenue and margin.