Many operators have announced dates for closing down their 3G networks.  For some customers this means that they will need to swap out their SIMs.  Of course, this is a huge expense and inconvenience which is causing many of those affected to now research the market for alternative suppliers.

What is the opportunity?

4G is preferable for M2M and IoT customers due to its speed, however moving to 4G may involve switching thousands of SIM cards deployed globally and upgrading devices, which is an operational headache with a large associated cost. Timing is key, especially for tracking and monitoring devices, smart signage, kiosks and ANPR cameras, as they gather data 24/7/365.

End users may take this opportunity to analyse their requirements and may search the market for an alternative. Will they find a Jola Partner? Do you have mobile data packages promoted on your website? It may be worth putting out an email to your customer base to remind them that you can help:

• Review requirements
• Offer a wide range of solutions including multi network SIMs, 5G and NB-IoT
• Help swap out legacy EE SIMs
• Manage SIM estates to avoid overage charges
• Provide a management portal to view data usage

Are you rolling out solutions that require 4G data in multiple locations? Could you benefit from direct control over SIM assets and the ability to aggregate data across sites?

The challenges

Managing multiple carriers, manual processes, the lack of direct control, the high cost of site surveys and monitoring data usage can all be challenging. MSPs will not always know how much 4G data has been used in each location, especially when used as part of a 4G backup solution. Corporate clients often complain about data overage charges they do not expect.

Jola

Jola has a network of just under 1,000 partners, with a 95% approval rating, made up of global MSPs, specialists and resellers. MSPs say they choose Jola for their differentiated and cost-effective product range, management portals and excellent service.

We work with global MSPs with offices in the UK and abroad. Our MSPs service well-known brands in multiple sectors and countries. We provide bespoke solutions that cannot be bought directly from mobile carriers, giving MSPs complete control over their global estates of SIMs and some connected devices.

Our solutions

Jola provides a wide range of data-only M2M/IoT SIM packages including multinetwork roaming SIMs with pooled data options. MSPs only need to contract with one supplier. They have access to an automated management portal and complete visibility and control over their entire SIM estate.

The problem with roaming SIMs is management. They often roam into countries with expensive data rates or use more data than they should. This results in data overage charges. On a single SIM this is bad enough, but for MSPs managing thousands of SIMs in smart devices globally, this is a serious problem.

What MSPs really need is a management portal to see where each SIM is at any time with the ability to set up alerts should any wander into countries with higher data charges. A single supplier and one portal are much easier to manage than multiple suppliers in different languages. The ability to share data across an estate is also useful to avoid overage costs. Real-time data is essential to accurately estimate usage across the estate as well as full automation so that requests for activations, bolt-ons and ceases are implemented directly.

Most importantly, MSPs need reliable, cost-effective mobile data which is fit for purpose and which they can control without needing to go out to site and run surveys.

Low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) opportunities are hidden mobile data SIM gems nestled in the customer bases of resellers and MSPs. In the past, end-users have been to the mobile network operators directly for LPWANs but were disappointed by the lack of flexibility and ease of dealing with them.

Deals are often made up of thousands of devices on long-term contracts and are low-hanging fruit for MSPs who already have close relationships with their end-users.

Who uses this technology?

It is being used in street lighting, smart bins, smart parking, traffic monitoring and environmental monitoring. 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 and costs are a few pence per SIM, but the contract length is typically five years plus.

In agriculture, LPWAN 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? 

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 their device design and long battery life. With efficient power consumption and a 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.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is making parking a lot easier. IoT parking solutions capture images of vehicles, registration numbers and times of entry to automatically calculate parking charges on exit.

Parking sensors are autonomous, wireless devices that are easy to install. The entrance and exit of vehicles and the duration of parking are monitored in real-time, and parking costs are calculated accurately.

Specialists are providing solutions for public and private car parks to help users pay for parking more efficiently. Private APN connectivity is often required, and data deal sizes are often in their thousands. The challenge to some specialists lies in the service they directly receive from the MNOs and the lack of direct monitoring and control over their SIM estates. Lack of visibility of usage can lead to large data overage charges on a regular basis.

Aggregated multinetwork SIMs managed in a single management portal offer specialists full visibility and control over their estates as well as the ability to completely avoid data overage charges.

Jola is an award-winning, channel-only supplier of business communications, specialising in mobile data SIMs. We are a global mobile data specialist providing innovative IoT and mobile data solutions to MSPs, ISPs, distributors, IT support companies and telecommunications resellers.

UK police forces are using technology to become more productive, efficient and visible. The digital policing vision aims to improve investigations and make it easier for the public and police to communicate. Forces collaborate with technology partners, generating mobile data opportunities.

Mobile Forensics

Police are using mobile fingerprinting systems that allow them to check an unknown person’s identity against a database of 12 million records in less than a minute. Some officers carry handheld smart scanners, allowing them to scan fingertips in the field.

Smart Devices

4G smart devices such as mobiles, tablets and cameras are being used to complete reports much more efficiently. Police officers are able to record incidents and arrests on body cameras and have the option to send livestreams to nearby officers for assessment and support.

Push-to-Talk Radio

Two-way walkie-talkie radio technology is being upgraded to 4G. While this has created an opportunity, suppliers are finding it difficult to identify the strongest 4G signal for each device.

Leading Push-to-Talk specialists opt for multinetwork SIMs, which will work in the majority of locations. They provide data SIMs for LTE Push-to-Talk radios in both the public and private sectors. They replace legacy PTT radio, which requires base stations with new LTE hardware, improving connectivity and coverage and reducing maintenance costs significantly.

As COVID restrictions were lifted, how has this affected your business? How do your employees feel about returning to the office? What is your plan to build both customer and employee confidence living with the virus going forwards? How are you planning to manage the risk of a COVID outbreak in the office and the impact it may have on the efficient running of your business?

During lockdown, we got used to a different way of working. We were forced to isolate and adapt to a new way of working. In the channel, we already had the technology and a work-from-anywhere ethos, but as many companies prepare to return to the office, the Jola team are making flexible working part of their benefits package.

Like many channel companies, we found the transition to working remotely an easy one. We were still able to answer 90% of calls within 20 seconds and reply to tickets within one working day. Productivity went through the roof in our sales team, who were able to book back-to-back meetings online without the need to plan in travel time. Partners were happy to be trained online, and the company benefitted from a reduction in expenses.

As the restrictions ease, it makes sense for some teams to return to the office to train and coach new starters and for others to keep working from home to develop new products without interruption. For the Jola team, it makes sense to offer flexible working to ensure a safe and productive workforce to support our future growth. 

Many ISPs delivering ICT services across private, secure and superfast networks have experienced high growth in recent months. Their commitment to innovation is one of their greatest strengths as well as their breadth and depth of managing networks, cyber security and IT services.  Excellent customer service is at the heart of everything they do, so resilience is high up the priority list.

ISPs are looking for a partner that can deliver secure, resilient and network-agnostic solutions for 4G connectivity as well as IoT. They are searching for partners who can deliver the same level of technical excellence their own customers expect with the knowledge to integrate directly into their core network whilst providing full control and visibility over SIMs and their usage in the field.

ISPs need global coverage, and by partnering with Jola, ISPs gain access to all four UK networks and over 330 networks across the globe. ISPs can cross-connect at layer 2 directly into the Jola platform. They can also provide their customers a carrier-grade 4G solution using fixed IP and private APN over a resilient connection, strengthening end users’ WAN infrastructure.

By using unsteered SIMs, ISPs have access to Vodafone, O2, EE and Three networks in the UK; AT&T in the USA and hundreds of networks globally. Global estates are controlled with a touch of a button in our automated white-label portal, Mobile Manager.

Mobile L2TP gives ISPs full control over routing and IP addressing, facilitating the creation of fixed-line failover, pre-Ethernet and standalone Internet access services.

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

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.

When do most people check their e-mail? First thing after meetings and before they finish for the day. In my experience, e-mails sent around 11:00 a.m. midweek have the best open rates, as my target audience has cleared their spam, started their day and is ready to consider something new.

Promotional e-mails sent at lunchtime can work well, as people may take the time to complete a short survey whilst eating their lunch if the incentive is strong enough and the questions few and easy to answer.

Looking at unsubscribe rates, if you get your audience and your messaging right, this rate should be low and is typically lower still at the start of the week. At the end of the week, with people fighting e-mails to get done for the day, you might find an increase in unsubscribe rates, especially if you have misjudged your frequency of e-mails, audience and content.

Hints and tips

Personalised e-mails tend to have higher engagement rates if you get the right content to the right person at the right time. Not just ‘Dear [name]’ but really personalised content by job title, industry or key challenge.

Measurements

Key measures for success in e-mail marketing are delivery rates, open rates, clickthrough rates and responses. Typically 98% delivery rates and 20%–50% open rates are considered good, and clickthrough rates and responses can vary dramatically in the holiday months.

Social media

Messages sent via platforms such as LinkedIn have their own rules and best practices. Much of our target audience check LinkedIn during their free time, so sending messages between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. has worked well for us. Be mindful of the time and day of the week, as you may be happy working Sunday afternoons but your target audience may not be.

In a crowded marketplace, building a great product is not enough to guarantee growth; you also need to invest in an effective go-to-market strategy.

Marketing is a diverse function composed of different processes and skillsets. Many marketing teams manage strategy, positioning, messaging, branding, advertising, online and social presence, as well as demand and lead generation. An effective go-to-market strategy takes advantage of all in-house skills and complements the skills of the sales team.

When launching a new product, you need to get yourself in front of your buyers and be disruptive. How can you find more buyers than your competition faster than they can, and how can you convert them more effectively?

1 – Know your market

What does your target customer look like in terms of turnover, description and product set? How many target prospects are out there? Who is also targeting this audience? What are the common challenges that your solution uniquely resolves? How have you disrupted this market?

2 – Create compelling content

What would make your prospects engage with your content? How can you influence your decision-makers? How do you get to understand the challenges faced by your prospects and their buying process? 

3 – Hot-button entry points

In what scenario would your prospect need a supplier like you? What process would they undergo to find you? How can you ensure you are part of this process? The more you can understand the buying habits of your prospects, the influencers and blockers within the account, the more successful you will be at identifying hot-button entry points.