Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Your customers are working on mobile data projects right now and demand is predicted to increase dramatically over the next few years, writes Adrian Sunderland, CEO at Jola. If you get it right with M2M and IoT, you will quickly generate high-margin recurring revenue and, due to higher EBITDA multiples, increase the value of your company.

According to McKinsey, revenues from mobile data are set to increase dramatically over the next five years due to the availability, speed and reliability of 4G, 5G and IoT. Statista forecasts that there will be over 25.4 billion IoT devices worldwide in 2030. Fortune Business Insights predict this market will be worth £1085bn by 2027.

People think IoT is low revenue and you’ve got to win hundreds of thousands. You don’t. You can often get a decent ARPU of £10 to £15 on thousands of devices and sometimes margins of more than 40%, so it’s an attractive line of business to pivot into.

Your mobile data partner will need to give you the tools to win deals, usually competing with the direct sales arms of the mobile networks. Your supplier will need to 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.

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

The opportunity for the channel is significant. ICT resellers already have strong relationships with business customers for IT infrastructure, 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 took on just over 200 new partners in 2022 and now has over 1300. We put 30,000 multinetwork SIMs into iPads for one public sector project, with a very quick book-to-bill timeframe and no issues. Our SIMs are in devices such as ANPR cameras, CCTV cameras, vending machines, digital signs and tracking devices around the world.

Retail customers are using 4G and 5G for temporary sites, for backup and in locations where fixed-line connectivity is impractical, such as for digital signage in retail stores where running cables is difficult. Multi-network SIMs are useful for multiple, geographically dispersed sites as they negate the need for costly site surveys and provide nearly 100% uptime. One supplier is easier to manage and visibility and control over all SIM assets in a single real-time mobile manager portal is essential.

Fast food restaurants are increasingly adopting self-service kiosks for in-store ordering and delivery. These kiosks require routers and data SIMs and intelligent 4G/5G routers eliminate the need for gateways and simplify setup.  These routers offer multinetwork roaming data connectivity and arrive preconfigured for easy installation.

Retailers will need to replace single PSTN lines in lifts, payment terminals and alarm lines. Often mobile broadband solutions are faster, cheaper and more practical than fixed-line connectivity solutions. Selecting the right SIM package is key and managing the data costs is essential.

Jola helps partners uncover prospects with immediate requirements for mobile data SIMs. We help develop unique solutions to existing issues, they can't buy from anyone else at a competitive price for them and margin for partners. We are channel-only so by helping resellers fill their pipeline we are filling our own and can help pitch and close big deals. We are on hand to support MSPs and their customers throughout the buying process and post-sale and can help partners use this winning proposition to target and win similar deals.

Supported by BT Wholesale and Robustel, the BT Tower was packed with Jola partners and prospects on 27^th September. Over seventy channel partners and prospects gathered to hear about the latest hardware and network innovations and how these are creating high-recurring margin opportunities for resellers and MSPs. With legacy mobile and PSTN networks being decommissioned, there is no better time for the channel to sell mobile data.

We help find and close new opportunities

During the COVID lockdown, offices closed, and engineers were banned from installing and maintaining fixed lines and phone systems. Resellers turned to mobile data as very often the only product they could sell, Jola’s partner acquisition accelerated such that in one month alone we signed 34 new partners. The lack of opportunity in those partners’ bases was not an issue – it was finding and closing it. Those resellers that committed themselves totally to Jola gave us their customer lists to evaluate and through that partnership, we developed a unique Partner Programme and called it the MRG™. It combines both sales and marketing and works like this:

Between us we look for their best customers in the most attractive sectors i.e. those where other Jola partners have had success; where competition is weak and margins are high.

1. We evaluate the suitability of their salesforce, collateral, how they present financially, and their capabilities around billing and support.
2. Once we have selected our targets we train their best salespeople on the products and propositions appropriate for the opportunities we have identified.

Over the last 12 months, we have improved and simplified the Mobile-data Revenue Generator™(MRG™) and over 300 of our 1300 partners have gone through it. Thanks in no small part to the MRG™ we have been named by Megabuyte as the fastest-growing Telecom services company two years in a row. 

Innovative products

Our strategy is to give channel partners control of their customers’ experience and deliver well-priced, innovative products, you can’t buy from anyone else to improve their quote-to-order hit rate.

Self-serve fully automated portals

We were the first to market with a real-time automated portal to manage data SIMs We invented the concept of ‘no bill shock’, removing the fear of data overage charges, and helped over one thousand traditional resellers to pivot into mobile data. We have similar portals to manage hosted telephony, SIP and Direct Routing. We have automated quoting tools for roaming SIMs and Ethernet.

Onboarding

We run a variety of set onboarding processes depending on partner type. Some prefer more in-depth training for product, procurement and sales staff, others prefer a lighter touch and a focus on portal training. Every month we run webinars highlighting key opportunities, unique solutions and updates on the portal. Over 200 partners attended a recent webinar on PSTN replacement.

If you are looking for a reliable, wholesale partner for mobile data, consider Jola.

Most resellers and MSPs in the UK either sell or have sold mobile but comparatively, few have productised mobile data. In terms of margin and opportunity, the two couldn’t be more different, but resellers set up to bill CDRs and support traditional mobile have a head start when it comes to mobile data.

For many PSTN replacement projects, mobile data is the only viable solution. If resellers don’t establish a partnership with a mobile data aggregator soon their customers may come under attack from competitors with a full switch-off portfolio.

Jola’s strategy is simply to encourage the channel to get into mobile data by supplying differentiated products, keenly priced, delivered and managed via a world-class self-service portal. The only barrier is mindset and we overcome this through case studies, use cases, and our unique process that helps our partners find, convert and deliver large global projects.

The Mobile-Data Revenue Generator defines the way we work with the channel to qualify opportunities, capabilities and skills. We help our partners to focus on large opportunities and ultimately win large, high-margin long-term contracts.

Jola will help partners to uncover prospects with immediate requirements for mobile data SIMs. We will help develop unique solutions to existing issues, they can't buy from anyone else at a competitive price for them and margin for partners. We are channel-only so by helping resellers fill their pipeline we are filling our own and can help pitch and close big deals. We are on hand to support MSPs and their customers throughout the buying process and post-sale and can help partners use this winning proposition to target and win similar deals.

Today channel suppliers need to do so much more than train their channel partners on products and portals, especially with newer technologies such as M2M and IoT. Training webinars are expected but successful vendors go much further than this, taking partners through slick onboarding processes and programmes which generate new recurring revenue streams.

Companies that can demonstrate success not just through case studies and testimonials but through a structured programme are most in demand. Resellers need help to productise solutions, find prospects and close deals. So much time and resource is wasted on chasing deals that can’t be won. Vendors with proven programmes that start with buy-in from senior management, engagement with sales and marketing teams and training of provisioning, support and billing teams are the most successful.

Jola developed the Mobile-data Revenue Generator (MRG™) programme during Lockdown. Openreach engineers were stood down and resellers were looking for alternative revenue streams. A long-standing Jola partner asked us to look at their customer base to identify mobile data opportunities from our experience in different sectors. We found a major retailer providing access to sensitive CCTV via insecure consumer SIMs bought off the high street. The partner replaced hundreds of SIMs with secure Fixed IP alternatives running over Jola’s secure DDOS-protected Cloudflare network and managed within Mobile Manager®. By controlling usage and limiting on-site visits, the retailer saved time and money. The partner instantly added thousands of pounds of recurring 40% margin revenue to their P&L.

Demand

With technologies being switched off (PSTN, ISDN, 3G) and the current economic climate, demand for cost-effective, managed mobile data solutions from the channel, has never been so high. We are seeing an exponential rise in demand for SIMs not only for use in 5G/4G routers, pre-Ethernet connectivity and Ethernet back-up but also for digital signage, monitoring and smart devices.  Resellers, manufacturers and service companies are finding new uses for mobile data daily and, as we accelerate towards 5G, this is unlikely to slow down.

Opportunities

Public Sector

The NHS has rolled out iPads to ambulance crews all over the UK recently. The iPads will help them access medical records to help inform their course of action.

MSPs who help ambulance trusts roll out technology and who previously worked with mobile networks directly have found that partnering with aggregators offering multi-network services and a management portal gives them so much more control and removes the headache of dealing with multiple carriers and manual requests for changes.

Digital signage

AV Specialists are ordering complete, secure connectivity packages for digital signage, to arrive plug-and-play to each site, and consisting of an intelligent 4G router, a SIM and some clever configurations to prevent hackers from accessing the signs. Devices arrived pre-configured with an app, allowing auto-configuration, saving time and money.

Buses and Coaches

Specialists are novating SIMs on various tariffs and price plans with their Private APN for bus and coach companies for cashless ticketing systems and WiFi. End-users can manage data usage directly on their own management portal.

Car Parks

IT Resellers provide both voice and data and data-only SIMs for car parks.  They can use aggregated data SIMs and voice and data SIMs, which means they can share data across sites to avoid data overage charges and use a Private APN for their CCTV cameras.

Monitoring

MSPs are helping property owners and developers to monitor carbon levels. They have created solutions to monitor energy consumption across many different devices within the home. Their devices need 4G to report usage information and for general maintenance of the equipment.

General

Most telecommunications resellers use SIMs for short-term internet connectivity, 4G backup and as part of PSTN replacement solutions where fixed-line connectivity is not practical.

The opportunity for the channel is massive. The challenge is finding the opportunities each partner can win. Suppliers that can help resellers target opportunities they can win are crucial. Solutions need to be easy to sell, roll out and manage.

Key Trends

A key trend driving the as-a-service model is the move to IP and the imminent PSTN switch-off. There are millions of single-call PSTN lines in the UK that are soon to be end-of-life. Upgrading to broadband is expensive and capital costs of converters and 4G routers soon mount up. Device-as-a-service models have solved this problem with no up-front hardware costs and low monthly charges, plus the added benefit of ‘advance replacement’ and free returns for faulty routers.

Look for a channel-only supplier with

• A real-time, fully automated, API-enabled, white-label portal that connects to every mobile network in the world
• A network and internal systems protected from DDOS attacks
• Global eSIM networks
• OPEX and CAPEX financial models on hardware
• Financial stability and demonstrable growth
• A wide range of SIM options across a number of different networks
• Cost-effective SIP-enabled 4G/5G PSTN replacement products
• Routers with proprietary auto-configuration and management software built-in
• A programme to help you identify opportunities you can win

Jola was shortlisted for two awards and won Best Wireless Connectivity Provider at the Comms Business Awards in London on Thursday night. The judges found Jola’s entry to be the most compelling because of its use of case examples.

Andrew Dickinson, CEO Jola, commented, “We were delighted to win this award. We continue to grow and to invest in people, products, platforms and processes. We have a talented team here at Jola who are dedicated to supporting our growing partner base. It is great to see so many Jola partners building profitable revenue streams from our unique mobile data solutions. We would like to thank all our staff, partners and suppliers for all their support.”

Social Housing

Jola supplies MSPs with mobile data solutions to monitor and control the usage of gas and electric systems in social housing. Usage is monitored to try and create efficiencies and move towards a carbon-neutral goal. The challenge their customers have is one of affordability. Hardware costs are high as is deployment countrywide with single network coverage issues.

Hardware

End-users expect always-on 24/7/365 internet connectivity and reliable hardware to be able to monitor usage in near real-time. They don’t want to be paying over the odds for data usage and would prefer to pay monthly for hardware.

Partners can work with end-user businesses to meet the unique connectivity requirements of their customers, helping to test and roll out solutions which exactly meet their needs.

Trends

In the upcoming year, businesses are expected to focus on several trends in the analytics space. Automated analytics is set to increase allowing businesses to quickly analyse data and to generate insights without manual analysis. Machine learning algorithms are predicted to be used more widely to help with decision-making. There will be a greater emphasis on data security. Real-time analytics will be a major focus and there will be a shift towards hybrid cloud analytics as businesses look to gain competitive advantage and retain security over their data.

Demand for faster, more reliable internet connectivity has never been higher for business users. Companies are turning to mobile data solutions for both interim and longer-term solutions, as they can provide faster speeds and be installed very quickly. This provides opportunities for trusted suppliers.

Jola partners differentiate themselves by offering bespoke solutions for different vertical markets such as secure, intelligent 4G and 5G solutions for digital signage. They are plug-and-play, will work anywhere with an electrical socket and are protected from hackers.

MSPs save money on surveys, as they use un-steered multi-network SIMs which will connect to the strongest mobile signal. They can be rapidly deployed to multiple sites globally and will arrive pre-configured with the Jola App, allowing auto-configuration. There is no need for manual configuration on site, saving valuable time and set-up costs.

With technologies being switched off (PSTN, ISDN, 3G) and the current economic climate, demand for cost-effective, managed mobile data solutions from the channel, has never been so high. There are solutions such as lift lines and alarm lines where fixed line connectivity is impractical and 4G/5G is much faster and cheaper to deploy.

Hotels and care homes are replacing single phone lines with managed 4G and 5G solutions and other single PSTN applications like lifts, alarm lines and door entry systems are following suit. There is a need for temporary WiFi for construction sites and fixed IP SIMs for CCTV cameras. Multi-Net SIMs are required for ANPR cameras, wearables and tracking devices. 3G SIMs in thousands of devices from fixed line backup to street signs need to be replaced. The list goes on, and the opportunity for the channel is massive. 

There is huge demand from businesses for unlimited SIMs for mobile phones, tablets, routers and smart devices. Jola’s Three Business Unlimited SIMs combine the UK’s best 5G network with price points which allow resellers to make substantial recurring margins.