Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Consider 4G internet connectivity.

JolaNet 4G offers monthly data packages of up to 300GB. It is a managed 4G router with an integrated data SIM. Choose from a selection of data SIMs from O2, Vodafone and EE, as well as multi-network EU roaming SIMs and Fixed IP SIMs.

Control

The solution is managed by the Mobile Manager portal, which gives you the ability to view real-time data usage, set-up alerts, apply SIM-swaps, add bolt-ons and bar SIMs. Using Mobile Manager, you can maximise margins and eliminate overage charges.

The ZyXEL LTE3302 4G router provides wireless broadband connectivity over any available mobile data signal. The router comes with support for external antennas and will support 32 simultaneous Wi-Fi connections. You can rent the router on either a 12 or 24-month contract or choose to buy the router and pay monthly for monitoring.

Demand is growing for managed 4G solutions from businesses who; cannot get fast, fixed line services, who need a temporary solution until leased lines can be installed, and who need a cost-effective 4G back-up. The biggest benefit is the real-time data usage report you can view in Mobile Manager and auto bolt-on facility to eliminate bill shock. 

For companies that already sell internet services, back-up solutions are a natural up-sell. The challenge for resellers is that catastrophic failure often effects multiple services going into a building, so additional fixed line connections don’t guarantee business continuity.

Until now, the alternative, mobile data, has been slow and expensive with only dynamic IP options on offer. Customers have had to estimate the amount of data needed in the event of a primary failure and pay for it whether it is used or not.

With the introduction of 4G management portals for fixed IP SIMs and unique overage protection, 4G becomes a cost-effective alternative. Customers pay a small monthly fee for the back-up service and when the data fails-over, they pay for the additional usage, only for the period it was used.

Fixed IP Failover SIMs offer customers significant cost savings, due to the unique way they are managed. Data usage is monitored and additional data bolt-ons automatically added as required and removed again when the primary route is restored.

According to a recent report by Ofcom, 90% of all UK premises (almost 26 million) can access up to 24Mb/s fixed line broadband, however there are at least 190,000 premises that can’t get 2Mb/s and 2.2 million premises that can’t get 10Mb/s. Locations with less than 2Mb/s broadband speeds are known as slow spots.

The problem

Businesses in areas of slow speed broadband cannot benefit from hosted applications (pay-per-month software, hosted online) such as office applications, telephony, CRM and accountancy packages. They rely on on-site solutions, which need to be serviced and are more expensive.

The solution

4G offers fast, reliable internet connectivity where it is available. The mobile carriers are advertising 90%+ UK 4G coverage, however speeds can vary. SMEs need to review all the mobile networks to see who has the best frequency, highest speed and lowest price to meet their requirements.

In the IT/communications industry most of the products we buy from the networks are essentially commodities, in vanilla form. This is because product development in the large Telcos lags technical innovation by 2-3 years. With such rapid technical innovation and cost/unit (£/MB, £/MBs) decline, more bespoke products are often out of date before the network has a chance to launch them.

This is one reason why good aggregators thrive in the channel and why good resellers and dealers are able to beat the direct selling divisions of the networks – particularly in the SME market. For aggregators, tailoring these vanilla products for specific markets is critical to continuous growth. For resellers it often comes down to their process for evaluating, selecting and on-boarding new suppliers (usually aggregators) and then how quickly they can produce collateral, update provisioning systems and train staff.

A mobile data aggregator partners with all the mobile carrier networks to provide the widest range of mobile data services, at the best possible pricing. Aggregators have one platform for ordering, monitoring and management.

Why do I need a mobile data aggregator?

Mobile data coverage is not universal. The networks use frequencies between 800Mhz and 2600Mhz. This means that the best network for a customer depends on their location, the device they are using and whether they are indoors or outdoors. Companies are looking for providers to meet an increasing demand for 4G services from SMEs. It is much easier to contract with one provider, with one portal, than it is dealing with multiple providers and platforms.

Selling services to UK SMEs is rarely a nine to five occupation. When customers need information quickly, companies can’t afford to rely on third parties. They need access to answers fast. For core products this information is readily available. When launching new products, easy access to relevant information helps to influence decision makers, improve sales and reduce churn.

The Knowledge Base

Jola is a wholesale provider of hosted telephony, internet connectivity and 4G solutions to the voice and data channel. We created the Knowledge Base for partners to have 24/7/365 access to our product information, templates and guides in a white label format.

It is divided into product sections to make it easier to search for materials. Partners can re-brand ‘how to’ guides to help customers manage their own changes instantly. Guides are designed for both the employee and organisations to answer common set-up and provisioning questions such as; how do I set up busy lamp fields on my new handset? and how do I reset my Office UC password?

There are many ways to build a strong brand to positively influence your target audience and support sales. There are also a few things to avoid. Jola is a wholesale provider of hosted voice, internet connectivity and 4G solutions to the voice and data channel. We provide white-label services to help our partners build their own brands and increase the value of their businesses. Our top three tips on building a strong brand are as follows;

Naming

The name of your business is really important. It is tempting when you are starting a business to link your company name with the products you sell. This can be challenging in the voice and data industry, where technologies have shorter product life cycles and ‘the next big thing’ doesn’t take-off as predicted. By distancing your brand name from your products, you are less likely to have to re-brand, if the technology you sell becomes obsolete or your business goes in a different direction.

Are you an IT VAR looking for a good deal on a world-class, hosted telephony brand?

Best of Breed

Jola is a channel-only supplier of Broadsoft hosted telephony solutions. Our packages come with 45 features as standard and a range of cost-effective add-ons. By packaging the common features, we made it easier for our partners to meet the majority of requirements, with the ability to bespoke solutions with add-ons.

Managed Billing

If branching out into telephony for the first time, do you have an adequate billing system?

To save the cost of new billing software and additional resource, Jola offers a fully managed, white label billing solution for both Jola and non-Jola services. We have developed a cost-effective front-end to the market-leading platform aBILLity™.

Our billing platform can be programmed to invoice any product you require and data can be pre-loaded. Our specialist team does the legwork for you; managing ‘back office’ processes to ensure customers are billed correctly and processes run smoothly. Our system provides real-time analysis and fraud prevention, with a data export facility to common accounts software.

We have developed a unique white label SIM management platform called Mobile Manager which is unlike any other mobile data management platform because it is multi-carrier and has the ability to eliminate bill shock.

Mobile Manager is Jola’s online management portal for ordering and managing estates of mobile data SIMs. The 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.

Why was Mobile Manager developed?

It was designed to help channel partners grow profitable revenue streams from SIM-only solutions, for 4G connectivity. Our partners have found opportunities for DSL and Ethernet back-up, fixed line replacement, multi-network worldwide roaming and multiple IoT and M2M projects. Resellers can brand and package their own 4G data solutions for multiple devices all over the world. We have helped partners to supply 4G routers to UK SMEs in areas of poor fixed line connectivity, as a replacement for satellite services and in cameras for national TV coverage of live events, such as the General Election.

How does it manage overages?

The portal solves the problem of bill shock from data overages by allowing partners to track usage and add bolt-ons to help eliminate overage charges completely. This is the exact opposite of what the market does at the moment. Carriers earn super-profits from overage charges and the channel loses customers because of it. We are the first company in the channel to challenge this and put the resellers and their customers first.

Why is it unique?

Mobile management portals are available from other suppliers, but Mobile Manager is unique and the first of its kind because it communicates with multiple carrier networks and actual devices. With monitored 4G routers (ZyXEL and Teltonika) Mobile Manager has instant access to data usage, avoiding delays from carrier CRDs. As well as usage alerts, Mobile Manager employs a predictive algorithm to track usage and has an automatic bolt-on feature that can eliminate out-of-bundle charges.

When starting a new business venture, it is useful to consider your exit strategy, especially when building a business to sell. Many of our partners started their business with a view to sell it for a life-changing amount, in an agreed timeframe. By considering the types of business that are attractive to buyers, you are more likely to build a business that sells.

There are many qualities a potential buyer looks for in a business for sale such as;

• A good spread of longstanding customers. Businesses with one large customer that makes up most of the revenue are riskier investments.

• Loyal customers that order on a predictable and frequent cycle. Recurring revenue streams from a wide range of customers, on predictable contracts, with high margins are attractive.

• Good quality financial information, showing which customers and products are profitable. Market data demonstrating future opportunities can also help.

• A simple ownership structure is attractive. No one wants to deal with difficult shareholders with very different needs.

• A flexible property position such as short leases are attractive. Requirements to sell a freehold property along with the business can complicate deals and put off potential investors.

• A clean history of tax and regulatory compliance, if the seller wants to maximise entrepreneurs’ relief by selling shares.