One of the fastest-growing areas of the telecoms industry is mobile data, specifically with regard to ‘things’ or ‘machines’ that use sim cards.
The phrases “internet of things (IoT)” or “machine to machine sims (M2M)” are now becoming known by the general public, not just by us telecoms nerds!
Well-known ‘things’ that carry sim cards vary from traffic lights to Amazon Click-and-Collect machines. In the 3rd sector, M2M technology has now led to a radical change in how people can donate to charities. One of the most novel uses is displayed by a charity in Cardiff, who allow passers-by at their city centre shop to donate by tapping their debit/credit card on the shop window! A simple tap on contactless payment device in the window and you’ve donated £3! This makes donating to charities much more accessible in a time when charities need to be savvy about the way they market to – and gain donations from – the general public.
If your charity could benefit from contactless payments, please contact Ali Marshall on 0131 300 0102.
This is not a new story (in fact, I wrote about it last year too), but at this time of year with offices being closed for extended periods, it is the most relevant story you should be reading in the lead up to Christmas.
Telecom Fraud is still a relatively unknown phenomenon, however you should be aware of the following headlines regarding cyber crime and fraud;
- 332,570 crimes were reported to Action Fraud.
- £706 million lost by victims.
- 62% of reports were from businesses and 38% from individuals.
Fraudsters generally hack telephone systems over long weekends, to maximise the time they have to rack up huge call costs before the office re-opens and they are discovered. With the majority of offices closing for over a week during the Christmas period, it is the busiest time of year for fraudsters to commit their crimes.
Were you aware that businesses are liable for any costs that are amounted due to telecoms fraud?
What can you do to prevent this?
There are several steps you can take to lock down your telephone systems. Speak to your telephone maintainers to ensure all remote access is locked down and not set up with standardised admin passwords. You can also set up international call bars to high-risk destinations, set daily spend limits and alerts for any out-of-the ordinary call traffic.
W offer services such as Voice Safe and VoIP Safe that will assist our clients by covering the cost of fraudulent activity up to the sum of £10,000.00. Please get in touch with your account manager to discuss these options, or for any further information regarding telecom fraud.
Land Rover has returned to the mobile phone market with a new smartphone that will suit those looking for a rugged phone that can survive a drop or a dunking and can be used whilst wearing gloves… This is less Evoke and more Defender or less Hunter and more Aigle!
The farming community have a long-term love affair with Land Rovers and these handsets will compete directly with the CAT range of Smartphones, which have proved very popular across our customer base over the last couple of years.
For the style conscious who may like the look of a Range Rover Sport, this phone is more substance over style, despite incorporating just a hint of the iconic Land Rover styling.
Whatever your mobile handset requirements, we have the perfect solution. Contact us on 0131 445 2846 for more information.
Adventures require technology, but while there are a handful of rugged phones available, most smartphones are slippery, terrible in freezing conditions, and lacking in the battery power required to fuel their feeble GPS skills. Cue the Land Rover Explore, an Android handset that contains a lot of unique outdoor tech It includes a proximity sensor, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, a GPS patch antenna and a 4,000mAh battery that can be almost doubled with a clip-on module that comes with the phone.
As previous articles have highlighted, Openreach will be switching off the digital phone network – known as ISDN – in 2025, and will no longer be providing new installs or support from 2020 onwards. Businesses using this old technology will need to make the switch before then, and over 50% of businesses in the UK have already done so. Openreach will also be extending this switch-off to their PSTN, or analogue line, services meaning ALL voice phone lines will need to be moved to VoIP.
Openreach are now in dialogue with service providers like us on how best to help businesses move to the new VoIP solutions to ensure no customers are left behind by carriers not pro-actively advising their clients on the implications of the switch-off.
SCG has been providing VoIP services since 2009 and we are well placed to advise businesses when and how to make the switch smoothly. If you have ISDN lines, or aren’t sure if you do, then please get in touch on 03456 200 222.
“Openreach, Britain’s digital network business, today launched a consultation with its Communications Provider (CP) customers and industry groups about the move from analogue telephony to digital voice services. The consultation will help prepare the industry for the upgrade to ‘Voice Over IP’ technology and the withdrawal of wholesale products and services that run over the traditional analogue telephone network – which is due to close in 2025.”
As the nation struggled under the burden of The Beast from the East, many of us in metropolitan areas were able to keep working due to good use of Cloud services for accessing emails and the use of hosted phone systems to work from elsewhere.
As the extremity of the weather that we see seems to increase year on year, spare a thought for businesses in rural locations who are continuing to genuinely struggle with poor broadband provision.
I was very interested to read The Scotsman Article yesterday concerning Glencoe Mountain Ski Resort – a resort that, by popular local repute, on a good day can be as good as skiing in Colorado!
Despite having a full fibre local area network, up and down the hills, they are so poorly served by broadband that their business is materially affected. There are options available, but at a high cost, and if rural businesses are to be capable of operating on a level playing field with their Metropolitan cousins, more must be done!
“At the moment we’re relying solely on mobile data to take card payments, send emails, do everything, because the [landline] connection we get from BT is so bad. We get a maximum of 0.2 mbps [megabytes per second] on old copper lines that run through one of the oldest exchanges in the country at the King’s House Hotel. If we lose our mobile signal we’re basically just dead in the water. We can’t do emails, we can’t do payroll, we can’t do anything.”
It’s time to ‘Flip the Iceberg’
Back in 2009 when I began with 2Circles, the country was bouncing back from a worldwide fiscal crisis and the priority for the majority of businesses I spoke to was: ‘Save money, cut costs’.
Helping businesses drive down their monthly telecom spend was the priority, and the value of investing in new technology, along with the complete lack of affordable fast broadband products meant looking at anything else except ‘cutting costs’ was lost both on the customer and I.
Fast forward to 2017 and, although the Brexit bombshell may be stifling some businesses, on the whole things look much rosier and with such dramatic changes in the telecoms landscape, the priorities for business have changed considerably. Yes, businesses are always keen to cut costs, but with the improvements in internet connectivity and reliability, the areas where these cost savings are being seen have typically been below the surface. I have written previous posts about the value of a high-quality, guaranteed broadband service and the power of our cloud-managed Meraki firewall devices but in some cases the true value of these services is often overlooked as the solutions are often looked at in isolation. Decisions are made without factoring in the other areas you would cut cost like the reduced IT support contracts required, the savings cloud-based solutions offer over the existing cumbersome and energy-heavy onsite servers – not to mention replacement costs when they go bang and the time-cost to your business.
Having a secure reliable, monitored connection also means less downtime on your broadband meaning the days of the significant time-cost of staff not able to work without internet connectivity are gone too.
Yes, better broadband and cloud managed services do cost more than your ‘off the shelf’ broadband products, and arranging a private fibre connection does cost more, however it’s time to flip the iceberg and ensure that the additional costs of NOT having a guaranteed and monitored connection are a thing of the past.
What has Tequila and Tacos got to do with WiFi and 4G Calling? Well it may be a bit tenuous but bear with me…
I was recently lucky enough to attend a most fantastic charity event. We gathered together a group of fun-loving people and were offered a superb talk on Tequila, (the good stuff, not the one that you slam back and regret the next day). There was a Burrito van offering the most wonderful food, 500+ pints from a local brewery and a marquee full of tequila, oh yes and a rodeo bull and a bungee run inflatable, all in the name of Charity – what could possibly go wrong?
Not much; the event was a huge success and raised large amounts of money for a very valuable cause. And as we looked out at the beautiful view from the stunning rural host location, you could almost excuse all the mobile networks for having such limited coverage; some even said that it was refreshing. I, however, got on my high horse (rodeo bull) and explained that there was no excuse as WiFi calling was available and that on my phone (on the O2 network), I could even pick up the host’s WiFi. So, after negotiating the WiFi access (I am sure that you can imagine the challenge: one Tequila, two Tequila, Three Tequila – FLOOR! Well, we had three Tequilas to taste in the official tasting!), I was finally on the WiFi and smug that I had enlightened the group. I exclaimed, “WiFi and 4G calling is here – see!”. My reward was a Tequila – FLOOR!
We’re delighted to announce that we’ve switched on WiFi and 4G Calling, giving our customers yet another way to stay connected with O2.
The service is currently available on O2 for iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus and SE. It’s also available on Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge and Sony Xperia XZ Premium devices that are using the O2 firmware variant.
What is WiFi and 4G Calling?
WiFi Calling uses any available WiFi connection to help you make and receive calls. It’s perfect for when customers don’t have a phone signal but do have a WiFi connection e.g. O2 WiFi, home or office broadband. Although the free TU Go app offers O2 customers the ability to make calls over WiFi, WiFi Calling means no app is needed – just dial a number as normal.
4G Calling means customers can make high-definition calls over the O2 4G network. This can bring benefits like better quality voice calls, a faster call set-up, better indoor coverage and longer battery life. It also means customers can make a 4G call and get online using 4G at the same time.
WiFi and 4G Calling also work together, meaning a call made over WiFi will continue over 4G seamlessly if your customer loses their wifi signal and they’re in a 4G Calling supported area. And however they make the call, a minute is a minute – there are no extra charges from O2. 4G calls won’t use a customer’s data allowance.
Customers can use WiFi Calling wherever there’s WiFi coverage. 4G Calling is currently available in Belfast, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield and Slough. More cities will be added in the coming months until O2 reach national coverage wherever they currently have 4G data service.
“The launch of Wifi Calling gives customers the option of making and receiving calls over Wi-Fi even if they can’t connect to the mobile network, whilst 4G Calling provides our customers with clearer calls and better indoor coverage over our fast 4G network. Both of these work together to provide a seamless, uninterrupted experience and less dropped calls when moving between the two. Customers can use Wifi Calling wherever there’s Wi-Fi coverage, while 4G Calling will initially be available in Belfast, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield and Slough. To find out more about O2’s Wifi and 4G Calling rollout, visit o2.co.uk/connectivity/wifi-and-4g-calling. What devices are compatible? Apple iPhone 7, 7plus, 6S, 6S plus & SE Samsung S7 & S7 Edge Sony Xperia XZ Premium”
It staggers me that IT and Telecommunications, which are now an integral part of how modern day business is run today, are the only services that are expected to get cheaper every year and the only services that businesses are happy to cut corners on to save an extra £10 per month.
The recent BA outage highlights the importance of working with the right company to provide the right solution even if it means spending more money.
When looking at your next IT and Telecommunications supplier ask yourself not ‘How much can I save here?’ but ‘Have I got the right solution for my business, how much would it cost me if I lost communications for 3 days and how much would I pay for the services to be fixed there and then?’
Then decide if that additional saving is really worth it…
“While it is too early to quantify the cost to BA of its IT outage, a similar problem at Delta led the US airline last September to cut its profitability guidance for the third quarter. At the time it said the knock-on effects of the IT outage would cut its pre-tax income by $150m.”
📷https://www.ft.com/content/36f5f2dc-43af-11e7-8d27-59b4dd6296b8
With the recent spate of hacks affecting businesses across the globe, most notably a number of NHS trusts, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre has offered advice on how to protect your business against this. Simple steps such as updating your operating system software and making sure your anti-virus is up to date are great places to start.
Other things to monitor are back-ups of all your data so if your data IS encrypted, you have another copy elsewhere which can be restored. These backups can be on-site, or cloud-based solutions and your IT company can offer advice on the best solution for your business.
Although the hackers quite often use email and ‘social engineering’ to access your networks, one area often overlooked is ensuring that the hackers can’t gain access to your network simply by dialling in through your broadband! Just as a burglar would have a tough time if you had a secure front door, there are solutions you can implement which will stop them gaining access to your network in the first place.
Our managed firewall solutions can help to protect against the hackers gaining access to your network be it in the office, at home, or on the road. As more and more businesses are moving to a BYOD (bring your own device) model, our firewall solutions come with mobile device management solutions that allow you to protect not only your internal network, but also the mobiles you hand out to staff members, wherever they go! The below image shows just some of the features which can be controlled and monitored.
So when you lock the door at the office or your home tonight, consider how secure the door is on your network, and should you double-check it.
“A cyber-security body has urged Scottish companies to update their IT systems in the wake of Friday’s ransomware attack”
Home entertainment may be the main stimulus for gigabit expansion, two broadband experts have said.
Lincoln Lavoie, senior engineer at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory, predicted that the internet of things will play a major role in the growth of ultrafast broadband.
Speaking to Cable.co.uk at the Broadband World Forum event in Amsterdam, Mr Lavoie told us: “We’re just now starting to see what’s in the home evolving even more.
“More advanced video services, smart televisions, home automation systems, home surveillance systems, video monitoring. All of these new technologies that are evolving in the home are driving this new (gigabit) ecosystem.”
Chief executive of the Broadband World Forum Robin Mersh agreed, noting that the UK in particular had reached a “landmark” in broadband demand.
He said: “You look at certain countries that have very high bandwidth usage, like the UK, it’s all been driven by iPlayer. The iPlayer usage has just gone through the roof.
“You look at that kind of market and you need to upgrade them. That’s where we’re at. People don’t just need basic service, they’re looking for that upgrade.”
However, Mr Mersh acknowledged, what’s equally important for consumers is how accessible and easy to use the technology is and how much it costs. He added: “I think for consumers the really important thing is as long as you a hitting the right price point, it’s easy to install, you’re not going to inconvenience them, and they’re getting the bandwidth they want.
“If you can do all those things you don’t need to explain anything to them. They just go ‘great’.
“Think about what are the operators trying to do. The operators are trying to reach as many of their subscribers at a high enough bandwidth to deliver the services that are expected.
So you’ve got most consumers looking for as high speeds as they think they need – and that’s a bit of a debatable point – they want multiple devices doing high speed internet, they want to stream probably on every single one of them, they want a couple of different TVs, probably being in high definition.
“And so from their point of view consumers don’t care what that access method is, and to be honest most of the operators only really care In the sense that they want to deliver the services that consumers want. But they want to do it as cost effectively as they can.”
Earlier this year BT announced their intention to switch off the PSTN and ISDN networks by 2025. Customers will be migrated to a single IP core network that ultimately will replace all legacy networks and platforms.
PSTN and ISDN: What’s the difference?
PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Network, also referred to as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). Analogue voice data flows over circuit-switched phone lines (copper wires) owned and operated by your phone provider.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) allows both voice and data services over digital lines, for example video conferencing, data transfer and direct-dial in. ISDN digital services provide multiple channels per line, enabling simultaneous phone calls.
The alternative – VoIP
Instead of using PSTN & ISDN lines (the expensive ‘line rental’ part of your telecom bill) ‘Voice over IP’ transmits voice traffic over your Internet connection. Already many businesses are using VoIP or voice services, not least because it’s a cost effective way to manage telephony within an organisation: this has contributed to the steady decline in take up for PSTN / ISDN services.
For many BT business customers this move by the company will force them to explore new telephony systems, with the added benefit of a more cost effective solution.
So, if your business currently relies on one of the 3.2 million ISDN channels in the UK*, what do you need to know about the ‘big’ switch off?
What to do now
If your current traditional telephony contract is up for renewal in the next few years, now is the time to start exploring the benefits and opportunities of VoIP technology. These include:
Cost savings – no line rental, cheaper calls including International calls, and free calls between your organisation’s offices
Mobility – remote workers can login to your VoIP from anywhere using an Internet connection, even on their mobiles
Multi-functional – as well as voice calls, VoIP can also be used for video-conferencing using a VoIP phone
Integration – because VoIP technology uses the Internet it is possible to integrate it with your other business systems, such as email clients or customer records
Scalability – VoIP technology scales easily to your business. New phone lines can simply be added, reassigned or removed depending on your business’ needs
You’ll also need to ensure that your office Internet can handle VoIP. You will need a baseline of 5Mbps down and 2Mbps up as the bare minimum for a small office of about five to seven users on VoIP.
Phone systems and handsets also need to support VoIP, having identified a provider you will be able to find out if they are compatible or not. If not, you can either upgrade to an IP-enabled on-premise PBX or replace your phone system with a hosted telephony offering.
When to migrate?
We would advise businesses to start thinking about migrating sooner rather than later. Now that ISDN is essentially viewed as a legacy platform, investment in it is likely to fall. This could mean that the standard of the existing network, and support infrastructure, could begin to suffer the effects of being retired well before the 2025 switch off date.
Dates for your diary
2020: Five years before PSTN and ISDN lines will be switched off; businesses will no longer be able to buy any systems that use these networks. Although 2025 may seem a long way off, 2020 is only four years away so if you plan to refresh or upgrade telephony systems within your organisation in the next few years, you should be looking at a VoIP solution instead of upgrading your traditional PSTN or ISDN system.
2025: BT plan to have migrated all existing customers to their IP network. This presents an excellent opportunity for businesses to explore VoIP technology prior to the switch off and find a competitive provider.
* BT own a significant proportion of UK ISDN channels.
Now, more than ever, businesses are recognizing the benefits of VoIP systems. A cloud-based phone system can do wonders for productivity and customer service levels for all businesses, from small startups to much bigger companies.
This article explores 6 reasons why your business should invest in a VoIP phone system and discusses how cloud-based solutions can contribute to your company’s continued success.
1. It’s a cost-effective alternative to your current system
Compared to a traditional on-site phone system, a VoIP business phone system is a cost-effective alternative. You’re responsible for a monthly cost per user and for the calling minutes you use on your system. VoIP business phone systems are hosted in the cloud, so there is no need to purchase expensive on-site equipment except for your handsets.
2. You aren’t responsible for the system’s maintenance
Because all the technology used in this type of system is hosted in the cloud and managed by your us, you won’t be responsible for any maintenance. This saves you time and money and also ensures your system is always running at optimal levels. We are also in charge of system upgrades, which means you’ll always have the most up-to-date technology available.
3. Easily scale your business up and down
One of the biggest benefits of VoIP business phone systems is the ability to easily scale up and down for an increased or decreased workforce. This allows you to hire the employees you need during a busy season and still easily manage your system when you have a smaller workforce.
4. Take advantage of must-have calling features
VoIP phone systems come with a variety of built-in features that can help you run your business more efficiently. Features like call recording and time of day routing can help you better manage both employees and customers. You can easily listen to calls taking place inside your business with live call monitoring, or ensure your customers are reaching an available staff member with advanced call routing features.
5. Access your phone system anywhere
Everyone enjoys flexibility, especially when it comes to business. A VoIP business phone system is accessible over the Internet, so the only thing you need to make a call or manage your system is a reliable Internet connection. This allows you to work on the road and keep an eye on your remote employees, no matter where you (or they) may be located.
6. Customize your phone system
With an on-site phone system, integrating your system with other programs or adding features requires on-site maintenance. With a VoIP phone system, this is all done on the Internet, making it easier than ever to expand your system and increase its functionality.
A VoIP business phone system is a smart choice for any business in this day and age. It’s a cost-effective and flexible solution that will continue to grow and change with as new technology emerges. The benefits you’ll experience from this kind of phone system will catapult your business to success with not only a lower price tag, but increased customer and employee satisfaction levels
