Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Increased demand

According to the 2016 Cisco Mobile Visual Networking Index, mobile data consumption is to grow sevenfold by 2021. By the end of the forecast period, mobile data is projected to account for 20% of total internet traffic, up from just 8% in 2016. Business 4G consumption is rising at a similar rate, with companies turning to 4G for reliable internet connectivity where fast, fibre broadband is not available and for a range of connected devices.

The problem

High out-of-bundle rates and delayed usage information from the networks can make costs unpredictable.

The solution

JolaNet 4G is a managed 4G router with an integrated data SIM on either Vodafone or O2 networks. Fixed IP SIMs are also available. The solution is managed by Jola’s Mobile Manager portal, where partners have complete control to view real-time data usage, set-up alerts, apply SIM-swaps, add bolt-ons and bar SIMs. Using Mobile Manager, they can maximise margins and completely eliminate overage charges.

With JolaNet 4G, resellers send a pre-configured router to their customers, which works out-of-the-box, doesn’t need cabling or a land-line and can be monitored in real-time.

I heard on the radio that yesterday was the day most people gave up on their new year’s resolutions? Did you make any? Are you sticking to them? What resolutions did you make for your business?

Looking back

In January, we tend to look back over the last 12 months and analyse our performance before making plans for the future. What will your business look like in 12 months, 3 years or even 5 years’ time? What do you need to do to get you there? Will you need more staff? New premises? New revenue streams?

Looking forwards

Jola is a wholesale supplier of voice and data solutions servicing SMEs via a channel of IT and Telecommunications partners. One of our resolutions is to help our partners capitalise from the rising demand for 4G data from SMEs.

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. Where the LTE signal is strong, 4G data is a great solution.

In addition to laptops, mobiles and tablets it is predicted that 28 billion other smart devices will be connected globally over the next three years with the worldwide market for IoT solutions worth £5.6 trillion.

Overindulgence

For companies looking to use 4G from remote or temporary sites or within IoT devices, the first challenge they face is how to manage their data usage.

iPhone X

The iPhone X is coming soon with a price tag of around £999. The new model has an all-new 5.8-inch super retina screen, durable glass, wireless charging, Face ID, TrueDepth camera, A11 bionic chip and iOS 11.  It is widely anticipated and due to arrive in the UK in November.

Apple iPhone Upgrade Programme

As in the consumer world, the trend in small businesses is away from 24-month, handset and airtime contracts and towards buying your own phone and taking a monthly SIM-only deal. For users looking to trade in older iPhone models for the latest handset not wanting to spend £999 upfront, Apple has a solution.

The Apple iPhone Upgrade Programme. It’s a bit like an interest free loan for individuals. The cost of the iPhone and AppleCare Plus is spread over 24 months. At the end of the 24 months the user owns the phone. After 12 months, they have the option to upgrade so can have a new phone every year.

The latest iPhone will appeal to tech enthusiasts and switching is seamless with data stored in the cloud. Users then have a choice of SIM-only providers for their service. To provide more than one network, trusted providers turn to SIM-only wholesalers like Jola.

We are getting the emails about Mobile Manager, but we don’t do mobile as a rule, as it’s too competitive and too difficult to manage.

It’s too competitive

The mobile space is competitive. How can we compete? We don’t have the resource to manage handset queries, returns, upgrades etc. and don’t have a billing platform to manage overages.

Customers come to us with package requirements and price points we can’t buy at never mind sell for and we don’t have the resource to manage multiple suppliers.

Have you thought about going SIM-only?

Do your customers need to upgrade to the latest handsets? If you have customers working within the NHS, healthcare, charities etc. they are more likely to be focused on saving money than having the latest handset.

You may have low users, making very few calls and texts who hardly use their data package. Many business users want unlimited calls and texts but want to choose their data allowance to suit their requirement. There will be some customer types, financial services for example, where having the latest handsets and hardware funds is also attractive.

Partnering with companies such as Jola, gives you access to differentiated packages and competitive pricing. By partnering with one company you get access to the best deals from two networks, O2 and Vodafone, with EE in the pipeline. We create packages to suit every pocket and are unique in our ability to tailor packages with additional bolt-ons, available when required.

It’s too difficult to manage

Without a portal to pro-actively monitor usage, how do we protect customers from overages? We have had customers taking their devices abroad not realising how expensive it is to use their phone and download files in some countries.

If you sell mobile SIM cards to SMEs, you may have customers calling in, wanting to activate, cease, bar or swap SIM cards. You have sent an email to the appropriate supplier and have repeatedly checked for a response. You have then called to chase your email and are having target response rates explained to you. In the meanwhile, you are being chased by your customer, who is questioning their importance to you as a customer.

If you had a management portal, you could make changes during the phone call. With real-time APIs, the actions could complete whilst you are still on the phone. Better still you can grant the customer access to be able to manage this themselves.

Mobile Manager is an online management portal for ordering and managing estates of mobile data SIMs. The portal communicates with Vodafone and O2 networks, enabling partners to create customers, manage activations and instantly control SIM swaps, bars, ceases, tariff changes and bolt-ons.

Air2Air wanted to make helipads part of the helicopter. They developed a solar-powered lighting system controlled by an application, which allowed the pilot to turn the lights on before take-off. The helipad can be built on concrete or grass and is designed to control debris from hitting the helicopter.

They needed a way for the application to communicate with the helipad in situations where hard-wiring the system to the internet is impractical. Air2Air choose JolaMobile data SIMs as they exactly met the requirements, were cost effective and easy to manage. Through Mobile Manager they were able to pause, swap and upgrade SIMs remotely whereas other alternatives required physical intervention.

Jola are productising simple IoT solutions using JolaMobile SIMs. We developed Mobile Manager for partners and their end users to be able to set up alerts and add bolt-ons as required. We also have fixed IP SIMs in the pipeline on Vodafone and O2 networks.

Demand for mobile solutions is escalating and more and more partners are asking about JolaMobile. We put together a blog answering your top 5 questions.

What types of JolaMobile SIM cards are there?

In terms of SIM-size, we offer all the usual SIMs including nano, micro and standard. We offer a range of voice and data SIMs or data-only SIMs as well as multi-network roaming SIMs that pick up the best network available and are designed to be used outside the UK.

Can I have static IPs?

They are coming soon. We are currently trialling static IP SIMs on Vodafone with other networks to follow.

What are managed SIM cards, APIs and CDRs?

We refer to our data SIMs as managed as they come with Mobile Manager, where you can activate, deactivate, SIM swap and check usage, via APIs we have directly into Vodafone and O2. There is a small data delay to be aware of, however the portal allows you to set alerts and manage usage to help avoid bill shock.

API stands for Application Programming Interface and is a set of commands, functions, protocols and objects that programmers can use to create software or interact with an external system. It is a short cut so developers don’t have to start writing code from scratch integrating external systems.

CDRs are Call Detail Records, also known as Call Data Records, which are used to rate and bill calls.

I hear this phrase a lot when we present the IoT opportunity in partner training sessions. Some partners get fed up of hearing the latest buzz word. They immediately think of smart meters when we reference the predicted 28 billion devices to be connected globally over the next three years. When we get to the part about the worldwide market for IoT solutions predicted to be worth £5.6 trillion, they have switched off completely because they don’t believe they will see a penny of it.

Current opportunities

Other partners in the room are engaged. They have customers connecting mobiles, tablets and routers to 4G already. They are productising satellite replacement services in rural areas of traditionally poor fixed line services and are offering cost-effective 4G replacements. They have customers wanting short-term connectivity contracts for temporary offices on building sites and have customers with recording equipment travelling abroad at a moment’s notice. They have the knowledge and experience in-house to create bespoke solutions, sourcing hardware from multiple suppliers and already have JolaMobile SIMs and Mobile Manager.

Future opportunities

These partners have forward-thinking customers looking to connect other devices such as CCTV cameras and vending machines and are asking about fixed IPs. CCTV customers are asking to view their cameras remotely over the internet in real-time. Vending machines now take cashless payments and can be managed remotely to check they are working. Low stock alerts are sent in real-time. The ability to connect devices to the internet has changed behaviour, increased efficiency and improved the customer experience.

New legislation

On June 15^th, the EU introduced Roam Like at Home (RLAH), allowing EU residents to use their mobile allowances anywhere in the EU.

What does this mean?

There will be no roaming charges when travelling to another EU country from 15th June. Every existing or new contract that includes roaming services will change to a Roam Like At Home contract. New EU rules will cover data services, voice calls and SMS.

Communications (phone calls, SMS, data) made from another EU country will be covered in the national bundle: the minutes, SMS and gigabytes of data consumed abroad in the EU will be deducted from the volumes of the national tariff plan.

Which countries are covered?

All 28 countries of the EU are covered by the legislation; Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

New opportunity

This presents resellers with an opportunity to become trusted advisors and experts in mobile SIM management. The mobile networks have created their own zones to include additional countries. Mobile users may still incur overages if they go over their allowances or breach Fair Usage Policies. They will often incur significant, out-of-bundle charges if they roam outside of these ‘Euro Zones’.

According to the 2016 Cisco Mobile Visual Networking Index, mobile data consumption is to grow sevenfold by 2021. By the end of the forecast period, mobile data is projected to account for 20% of total internet traffic, up from just 8% in 2016.

Smartphones will account for more than 50% of connected devices and the number of smartphones is predicted to rise to 6.2 billion by 2021. Mobile video is to grow 870% making up 78% of total mobile traffic due to the wide adoption of live video, AR and VR. Data networks offloading to wi-fi is also to soar.

Business consumption increases as 4G is being increasingly utilised in areas of slower fixed connectivity and for connected devices nationwide. The challenge for businesses is how to manage the cost.

Unlike FTTC, which is largely unlimited (usually with a fair use policy), mobile data is sold with monthly usage allowances and financial penalties for over-usage. Until recently pricing has been high and there has been no easy management portal.

As speeds increase and prices tumble, mobile data revenues are likely to soar. To allow resellers to manage large estates of mobile data SIMs, Jola has developed Mobile Manager. Mobile Manager handles SIM activations, ceases, suspensions, reports, alerts and bolt-ons.