Jola Cloud Solutions' Blog

Channel partners are increasing their reach internationally and demand for numbers over multiple geographies, requiring separate SIP trunks for each country is increasing. This setup often leads to increased costs and complexity for both resellers and end-users. Jola has developed Regional Zoned SIP Channels to eliminate this problem with a fixed fee to protect monthly recurring margins.

Regional Zoned SIP Channels allow resellers to purchase two-way numbers with no per-minute inbound costs. Resellers simply buy the number of channels needed to cover multiple countries. Each zone represents a group of countries and means resellers can buy an aggregated channel for a zone in SIP Manager. Zones are stacked, so Zone 2 includes the countries of Zone 1.

Adrian Sunderland, Jola’s CTO says, “Resellers servicing multi-national businesses often need numbers to cover multiple geographies, such as well-known retailers, manufacturers and gas and oil companies. Our new proposition is available in SIP Manager, so resellers have complete control over their channels as well as their margins.”

Jola has acquired Zapappi, a wholesale SIP provider, to bolster their SIP and PSTN replacement services to the channel.

Many SMEs will leave it to the last minute, but larger organisations have realised the potential scope of a PSTN/ISDN replacement project. Jola partners are already seeing tenders from their flagship customers. As with many new technologies, organisations prefer to award these contracts to existing suppliers, but only if they can demonstrate the capability to deliver the entire project.

They usually require three types of IP solution 1) where ISDN or PSTN numbers need to be ported onto a fixed broadband or Ethernet connectivity over SIP 2) where existing numbers need to be overlayed onto a 4G/4G+/5G mobile broadband connection, and 3) where the requirement is for a mobile broadband connection, but a landline number is not required and a 07x number is preferred.

Number porting in the UK is still not an easy process, and projects have run into difficulties where resellers have tried to juggle a number of different suppliers.

“With Jola’s recent acquisition of Zapappi, their network, their SIP Management platform, and suite of porting tools, we have the experience to support resellers in delivering an entire network upgrade, fixed line and mobile, at wholesale prices low enough to win these projects at decent margins.

For many applications (e.g., taxis, street lighting, signage, lifts etc), to be forced to upgrade from a single fixed telephone line to broadband would be a significant extra cost. For the millions of telephone lines that fall into this category the solution is mobile data, and where end users need to keep their existing phone numbers, the acquisition of Zapappi creates a differentiated offering and a margin opportunity for Jola partners.

Jola is the UK’s #1 supplier of mobile data to the channel and only we have the infrastructure, capability and experience to supply resellers and MSPs with a 100% end-to-end automated solution for PSTN/ISDN replacement projects.” Andrew Dickinson, CEO.

"We’ve worked closely with Jola for a number of years, and it’s great to be one team. All of Jola’s 1000+ partners are prospects for Zapappi products and our technology completes the Jola portfolio. Any Jola reseller serious about mobile data, SIP, Teams DR and the opportunities arising from the impending PSTN switch-off and retirement of 2G and 3G networks, will be excited by this announcement.” Ben Merrills, CEO Zapappi.