Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

2024

Posted by Adrian Sunderland on 31-Jan-2024 13:42:32

During 2024 3G will be switched off by most, if not all, UK mobile operators. This transition will leave end-users stranded with devices that no longer work such as vehicle trackers, payment terminals, and industrial handheld devices. This situation presents a significant opportunity for the Channel to offer new devices paired with SIMs supporting 4G and 5G.

While most of the population will have access to 5G, fostering the adoption of higher bandwidth applications, SME businesses can expect optimal performance and value for money through (FTTP). In cases where FTTP is unavailable, 5G is likely to hugely outperform (SoGEA) based broadband in terms of performance and efficiency. The cost of 5G hardware is expected to decrease with advances in performance, making it an attractive investment.

The opportunity

The ongoing PSTN switch-off represents a substantial business opportunity. Many major operators and resellers may underestimate the amount of businesses using PSTN lines in locations where high-speed broadband is unnecessary. Resellers offering PSTN replacement solutions leveraging 4G find they are easy to sell. Many resellers will already be talking to their customers about the PSTN switch-off and guiding them towards appropriate solutions in plenty of time, potentially saving their customers money whilst making more margin.

Internet security is no longer a nice to have. In the mobile data space, the Fixed Public IP SIMs present the easiest attack surface for hackers.  There have been many examples of CCTV cameras, IoT devices, VoIP handsets and mobile data routers being hacked, used as part of botnets and used to facilitate DDoS attacks and telephony fraud.  At Jola, we’ve been running all our Fixed IP traffic through Cloudflare for two years and we now prevent hundreds of hacking attempts against our customers monthly.  

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Providing support for PSTN replacement solutions

Posted by Adrian Sunderland on 20-Dec-2023 15:17:46

Businesses don’t have ISDN, WLR3 or ADSL problems. Businesses have credit card payment processing, voice communication, security alarm monitoring and emergency lift line problems. The channel’s job is to be the trusted advisor and recommend the right solution for each problem. As a mobile broadband company, we’ve seen resellers use low-cost SIMs to solve all the problems mentioned above whilst saving their customers money and making more margin than they would be by simply pushing fibre-based solutions.

The country will be split into businesses with type A and type B resellers. Type A resellers will already be talking to their customers about the PSTN switch-off and guiding them towards appropriate solutions in plenty of time, potentially saving their customers money whilst making more margin. Type B resellers will be too busy to worry about 2025, so they won’t proactively do anything about the PSTN switch-off.  As a result, they might lose some of their customers to the proactive Type A resellers. Alternatively, they will be having a very stressful time in 2025 when suddenly their customers are being bombarded by warnings coming from every direction about their services being disconnected and then rushing to prevent that from happening.

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

PSTN Switch-off Preparation

Posted by Adrian Sunderland on 13-Dec-2023 12:55:29

Are we ready?

Of course not!  The BT Digital Voice debacle and the Salisbury and Mildenhall delays show that neither industry nor customers are ready.

What support is available?

Businesses don’t have ISDN, WLR3 or ADSL problems.  Businesses have credit card payment processing, voice communication, security alarm monitoring and emergency lift line problems.  It’s the job of the channel to be the trusted advisor and recommend the right solution for each of these problems.  As a mobile broadband specialist, we’ve seen resellers use low-cost SIMs to solve all the problems mentioned above whilst saving their customers money and making more margin than they would be simply pushing fibre-based solutions as the solution to every problem.

How will it all play out?

I think the country will be split into businesses with type A resellers and businesses with type B resellers.  Type A resellers will already be talking to their customers about the PSTN switch-off and guiding them towards appropriate solutions in plenty of time, potentially saving their customers money whilst making more margin.  Type B resellers will be too busy to worry about 2025, so they won’t be proactively doing anything about the PSTN switch-off.  As a result, they might lose some of their customers to the proactive Type A resellers.  Alternatively, they’re going to be having a very stressful time in 2025 when suddenly their customers are being bombarded by warnings coming from every direction about their services being disconnected and then rushing to prevent that from actually happening.

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Mobile data and IoT opportunities in The Channel

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 22-Mar-2023 11:24:30

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.

Hotels and care homes are replacing single phone lines with managed 4G solutions and other single PSTN applications like lifts, alarm lines and door entry systems are following suit. There is a need for secure pre-configured 4G routers for digital signage, 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. The challenge is finding the opportunities each partner can win and to do this Jola has come up with a unique process called The Mobile Data Revenue Generator™.

Jola is helping channel partners uncover prospects with immediate requirements for mobile data SIMs. We help develop unique solutions that partners can't buy from anyone else, at a competitive price and healthy margin. We are channel-only so partners can trust us to help them pitch and close deals. We are on hand to support partners and their customers throughout the buying process and we can help create winning propositions, producing large, high-margin long-term contracts.

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Topics: IoT, M2M, PSTN Replacement

Jola launches CloudNumber App

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 08-Feb-2023 10:43:10

Telephone lines as we know them will not exist in a few years’ time and millions of end users will need to decide what to do with their existing phone numbers. Jola has come up with a free white-label application that resellers can use with their customers to forward calls from landlines to mobiles or to add landline numbers to mobile data SIMs.

Jola operates both a mobile data network and a SIP network and has developed an innovative application that partners can re-brand. CloudNumber is available to download free from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Instead of having to use an analogue phone or Analogue Telephone Adapter (ATA), CloudNumber allows users to connect to Jola’s PSTN replacement services via their mobile phone. Experts in number porting, Jola can facilitate the porting of both landline and mobile numbers. Jola partners have the choice of ordering new numbers or easily porting customers’ landline numbers, who can carry on making and receiving calls, without the need for any additional hardware.

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Over 200 resellers sign up for PSTN End-of-Life Webinar

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 02-Feb-2023 13:58:30

There are millions of individual PSTN lines in the UK that are soon to be end-of-life. Upgrading to broadband is an expensive overkill solution and can come with significant upfront costs.

Jola is in a unique position as the sole channel-only provider of both mobile data & SIP and has put together a webinar which focuses on PSTN Replacement Toolkits with multiple solutions for every requirement.

A record number of participants have signed up for the webinar. With the PSTN switch-off looming, the channel is looking for cost-effective solutions they can sell, deliver and control with ease.

Jola has created zero-CapEx hardware rental packages for single PSTN lines supporting phone calls, alarms, EPOS machines, door entry systems, CCTV, lift lines and calling kiosks, among many others. 

‘Resellers can replace common PSTN solutions at a really competitive price, managing operations and usage within Mobile Manager. End-users can retain their existing numbers and choose their preferred SIP Overlay solution with additional options such as voicemail and call recording.” Lee Broxson, CSO, Jola.

 

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Jola’s launches 4G/5G PSTN Replacement Rental Packages

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 21-Dec-2022 13:25:02

There are millions of individual PSTN lines in the UK that are soon to be end-of-life. Upgrading to broadband is an expensive overkill solution and can come with significant upfront costs.

Jola has solved this problem for resellers and their customers by creating zero-CapEx mobile data rental packages for single PSTN lines serving phone calls, alarms, EPOS machines, door entry systems, CCTV, faxes, lift lines and calling kiosks, among many others.

We have a wide range of DaaS (Device-as-a-Service) bundles which include the router, the SIM card, the SIP Trunk, porting, ATA and airtime. There are no upfront costs and in-term devices can be upgraded, with faulty equipment getting an advanced replacement as standard.

Resellers can replace common PSTN solutions at a really competitive price, managing operations and usage within Mobile Manager. End-users can retain their existing numbers and choose their preferred SIP Overlay solution with additional options such as voicemail and call recording.

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Jola’s latest DaaS offering

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 23-Nov-2022 16:31:27

Addresses PSTN replacement need

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.

Jola has solved this problem for resellers and their customers by providing everything they need, on one affordable monthly rental.

“We have recently added a wide range of Analogue Telephone Adapters to our PSTN Replacement Toolkit ranging from single to 48 port solutions. We also have routers with in-built ATAs as a ‘one box’ solution for those customers that only need a single line. Jola Partners manage each port on their ATAs using our portal. The credentials of their SIP overlay services are auto-configured on the devices. End-users can retain their existing analogue phones and port their numbers, which is great for customers such as hotels and care homes, who don’t want to replace their handsets. Jola ATAs complement our existing portfolio with customers able to plug the ATA into an intelligent 4G router and use Jola mobile connectivity to deliver the SIP service. The Device as a Service model is becoming increasingly popular because there are no up-front costs and the device is guaranteed for the duration of the contract” Lee Broxson, CSO, Jola.

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Jola launches High Availability SIP Trunks

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 03-Nov-2022 13:06:38

As BT starts to close down telephone exchanges in favour of a 100% IP network, millions of end users will need to consider how they are going to replace their ISDN and PSTN lines. Many will be considering availability requirements and backup solutions. This presents a considerable opportunity for the channel.

Jola is a wholesale SIP provider offering SIP and PSTN replacement services to the channel. They have developed High Availability SIP Trunks as an alternative to ISDN and PSTN lines, providing partners with a configuration which supports two SIP Gateways in geographically disparate regions. They are connected to one customer endpoint, giving end-users high availability with a built-in fail-over. HA Plus solutions support multiple CPE IP addresses.

Adrian Sunderland, CTO at Jola commented, “Our new High Availability SIP Trunks are a welcome addition to our PSTN Replacement Toolkit, which offers partners everything they need to replace PSTN and ISDN lines however they are being used. HA SIP Trunks support Enterprise Grade solutions for large corporates which require high availability solutions.”

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

Can the channel win big deals in the physical security sector?

Posted by Cherie Howlett on 12-Oct-2022 11:55:03

The UK Physical Security System Services market consists of 2,203 businesses, employing over ten thousand employees, generating £1.4bn in revenue and with an annual growth of 11.8%.

The impending ISDN/PSTN switch-off is an especially compelling event in this sector because it effects almost every monitored device in the UK. Anyone involved in physical security is planning to upgrade to IP, either via a fixed connection or mobile data. Mobile data features disproportionately in this sector because for millions of devices an upgrade to a fixed connection represents a significant increase in cost.

Thousands of resellers and MSPs still don’t have a mobile data proposition and are therefore unable to offer a one-stop solution to their customers in the security sector, amongst others. Early-movers who have partnered with a mobile data aggregator have been surprised at the margins achievable. This is because independent channel-only aggregators are able to provide differentiated products, like un-steered multinet SIMs and preconfigured specialist hardware, that the MNOs don’t offer. They have also found the products relatively easy to sell, deliver and support and, with book-to-bill times of only a few days sometimes, revenues flow quickly.

Andrew Dickinson, CEO Jola commented, “There is high demand for mobile data from customers in the security sector. For resellers it is an easy product to sell, provision, support and bill and if you get it right, you will quickly generate high-margin recurring revenue. Financial markets attribute higher EBITDA multiples to IoT/M2M so including it in your portfolio, increases the overall value of your enterprise. Jola partners have beaten the MNOs directly to win very large SIM deals from well-known logos in the security market. We have unique solutions with both network and device security built-in, protecting users from both DDOS attacks and hackers.”

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Topics: PSTN Replacement

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