As one of the selected EE (Everything Everywhere) launch partners we attended an inspiring launch of the new EE 4G services and whilst it didn’t really add too much detail into the timing of the rollout to cities other than the named 16, it really lifted the lid on the changes businesses can now explore thanks to the power of this new superfast network.

To say it is just a faster browsing and downloading experience is to under sell what this revolution is all about. With the emergence of this leap forward in connectivity UK businesses of all sizes can now take a radical look at all of their IT, IP and telephony solutions. We expect to see many more SMB organisations switch from premises based server solutions to either hosted or cloud services, reducing on-site IT costs, removing the concerns over hardware maintenance or upgrade and changing the role of the office within the business. Software applications will be available at any location and on any device, backup and security management will be easier and more automated. In terms of staff productivity: Travel time, travel costs, sick leave, absence for child care reasons and weather disruption will all fall. Office telephony and mobile telephony will merge to be business telephony creating a better experience for all our customers and increasing the flexibility of our organisations.

This sounds like a lot and it is. We are advising our customers to proceed with care, to review their communications requirements in more detail this time round and not in isolation from their IT applications. Mobile service changes are being supported by new mobile devices and operating systems but there is a slight lag, so where airtime contract decisions need to be made today, hardware decisions may be better left to the new year so that the best tools are employed on the new connectivity services.

One of those hardware/operating systems which is delivering massive improvements in the New Year is Blackberry. Former darling of the business environment it has suffered at the hands of the cooler, more desirable iPhone and Galaxy S3 experience but they are fighting back with the release of a new and very flexible operating system and very modern handheld devices. Contrary to popular belief however, the new system and old system can work hand in hand so businesses still using Blackberry can have a managed transition to BES 10 rather than facing a single day leap from old to new. Direct Telecoms are delighted with the openness of the new services which support a business that wants to retain a core Blackberry service but also has users who are best served by the I-Phone or I-Pad devices.

We are prepared for a very interesting year which will require us to support our new and current customers in a much more detailed review of mobile, fixed line and IT services. We are excited about the potential for UK business but have a word of warning for all businesses approaching the end of their current service agreements. However busy you are don’t just re-sign your current contract, reviewing the services now, in detail, will save money, time and staff costs in a way we have not yet seen.

Now imagine how you would feel if you got to work on Monday morning only to find that ‘Dial through’ fraudsters had landed you with a £7k phone bill over the weekend. Sounds unlikely but the possibility is growing fast.

Like many people I have known about this practice, also known as Phreaking, for a few years but just felt that the target would be corporate businesses not the good old SME, unfortunately the reports tell a different story. Example http://www.phonehacked.org/category/phone-hacking-statistics-uk/

The tip for business owners is therefore, don’t delay, investigate the level of security on your phone system today, price a solution against the cost of being hacked and take it from there. Don’t leave this review for another day, as the report says, they may be grooming your system as we speak!

This revolution in mobile communications kicks off in London, Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham but by Christmas we can add Derby, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton to that list. EE have a good head start on the other networks who will have to wait until February to even acquire the license to operate a 4G network in the UK so loyalists to Vodafone and O2 will have to be patient well into 2013.

But why would you want or why do you need superfast mobile data services? Well good question.

If you are a fan of the I-Phone and want to get your hands on the I-Phone 5 as soon as possible then the EE 4G service may just supercharge that experience. The long awaited replacement to the I-Phone 4s is 4G (LTE) capable and will give you the power current 3G mobile users can only dream of. The I-Phone will be joined by the Samsung’s Galaxy S III LTE; HTC’s One XL and Huawei’s Ascend P1 LTE within the year.

But for business users the questions are more difficult:

• Not everyone is an intense data user.
• Battery life will be affected by the power drain of the 4G services and the switching between 3G and 4G as you travel.
• Moving networks is a risk as coverage performance on core 3G varies.
• Early adoption is not always the smartest business strategy, best to let others do the bug testing.
• To get value out this mobile revolution you may have to make changes to your office IT environment.

All that said this sort of change can be liberating so why not dip a toe in the water. Let the top mobile data users get the early advantage, let the top executives examine the potential of this broadband revolution, let your IT manager start to plan the future WAN structure for your 2014 business. With bundled tariffs delivering standard voice minutes at incredibly low prices, even across networks, you may only need to move key users to EE.

The message to IT managers and CEOs who are looking into their mobile contracts in the next six months; This time don’t just go for a better price, start to plan for real change in the way you use mobile data and build 4G into your three year plan.

For the member organisation:
• Best value mobile phone solutions on all networks
• Optimise – the leading ongoing care and cost reduction program in the industry
• Our virtual sales process delivering a professional consultation process without the need for a physical meeting
For the trade body:
• A share of the sales revenue
• Bespoke incentives for their members

Affinity marketing programs are nothing new but Direct Telecoms have developed two services which make our programs exceptional:

Our virtual sales process gives the buyers a chance to have their current mobile usage and costs fully examined by our in-house analysts who develop product options from all four major networks. An experienced sales person will then take the buyer through the options in a virtual meeting environment specifically designed for this purpose, sharing hardware information and allowing live manipulation of the services included. It is a unique experience which saves time, reduces the cost of the buying process and allows more value to be shared with the customer. (Trade associations are invited to experience this sales process to evaluate its clarity and simplicity.)

Optimise is our customer service package, provided free to all our customers. We simply review our customers’ accounts every month with a view to optimising the performance of the solution as their needs change. We build in a flexibility that most providers ignore in order to enhance their own revenue. We work on behalf of our customers, producing savings every month from the start of an agreement to the end and delivering exceptional day-to-day support. Please download our Optimise PDF from this web page to better understand our commitment to service.

To arrange an initial telephone discussion and for an introduction to the virtual sales environment please reply to this iainsinnott@directtelecoms.com or call Iain Sinnott on 01283 515140.

The best mobile services deals on day 1, Optimised every month thereafter!

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By simply getting your mobile phone users to dial back from their address book or the missed call record in their phone you will be reducing your costs, but I am sure your provider has already told you that!

That was 4 years ago, and Snapshot has since been rolled out to all our existing customers and received a rapturous reception. We have developed Snapshot Lite for our smaller customers but maintain our vigilance on all customer bills to ensure we help them maximise the service and minimise the cost.