Tag: Mobile

What is mobile broadband?

Posted on by Matt Jones

What is mobile broadband?

Millions of homes and businesses now have access to fast fibre optic internet via the BT Openreach network, Virgin Media network. If you can get fibre it’s a great choice, providing fast (sometimes gigabit) speeds at an affordable price.

But that’s if you can get it. There are still many properties where the only option for fixed-line broadband is ADSL, which can be very slow depending on the condition of the line and distance from the exchange. This is a particular problem for rural areas, but there are still urban locations that lack modern broadband infrastructure.

If you’re in a situation where internet access is very sluggish, you might be looking for alternatives, and one potential contender is 4G/5G mobile broadband.

Understanding how Mobile Broadband works and the benefits of it can make a big difference when considering what broadband is right for you. There are a few confusions around Mobile Broadband so lets start with the basics and go from there. Mobile Broadband has two variations to it:

  1. Portable MiFi – devices which allows you to put a SIM card into the device and allows you to take it wherever you go and use it as you see fit. Be that on the train, on a plane or even in cafe with no WiFi. As long as your device has a connection to the mobile network you have chosen (most networks offer this) you will have a connection to the internet.
  2. 4G/5G Broadband router – These are best used at a static location such as an office or at home. Using this method, you are almost having the same set up as traditional fibre broadband, just with a few extra components (discussed below).

How does mobile broadband work?

Mobile broadband works very much like traditional broadband, with a main router which produces internet connection. So, what is the difference? The main difference comes from how they produce an internet connection.

Fibre broadband gets it’s connection from a copper wire which comes from a cabinet in your local area and ran to your house, which then connects into your router and produces internet.

Mobile broadband generates internet via a mobile network SIM card. These are identical to mobile SIMs that you use in your mobile device but have slight differences in how they function. Mobile broadband SIM cards are designed to have multiple devices running on the SIM without crashing and causing issues. Instead of having a copper wire running to your house, mobile broadband generates its connection via antennas attached to the back of your router. In most cases though, it is more beneficial to purchase an exterior antenna, install it to a high point off the property and running an antenna extension wire which goest into the back of the router. Why? Because we are then putting the antenna (which is the component which receives the signal) at a higher vantage point to pick up a much stronger signal.

Ultimately the choice between standard fibre broadband or mobile broadband will come down to your needs, location and demands.

Who can benefit from it?

Most buildings could benefit from mobile broadband, whether they use it as a back up to their current fibre broadband so if that goes down the 4G/5G network kicks in, meaning no down time.

Over the last year or so with working from home being very common for most, they have found that their fibre broadband is not quick or reliable enough for their needs. So this has seen a huge demand for mobile broadband at homes so home works can cope with their work loads.

Those living in a rural area can also benefit from mobile broadband. We have recently installed mobile broadband who was only seeing 3mbps with fibre broadband and is now seeing 35mbps on average!

What are the main benefits?

If broadband options in your area are poor, but your mobile signal is strong, mobile broadband can be a real lifeline. 

In some areas, 4G speeds can be higher than those of the local fixed broadband. It’s a solution you’ll often see in very rural areas that fixed broadband lines struggle to reach.

Mobile broadband is also a great low-cost solution for a temporary problem, perhaps if you’ve just moved home and the broadband is taking time to get connected. Even a week without being connected could be frustrating for the whole family.

With people working from home at the moment, and possibly far more so in the future, mobile broadband could be a solution to having your own connection for work, keeping the fixed broadband for the rest of the family to use.

  • It’s a great way of getting broadband (or higher download speeds, or a more reliable connection) in areas where a fixed line is a bit iffy or difficult to reach.
  • There’s no need for line rental. All you need is a SIM and a compatible device.
  • Mobile broadband plans are usually a lot more flexible.
  • In some areas, 4G speeds can be higher than those of the local fixed broadband.
  • Perfect for businesses or homes in rural areas.

“Mobile broadband has massively increased our broadband speed, making it much easier to work from home.”

How can you get started with mobile broadband?

Getting started is easy, at ATS Connection we specialise in all aspects of broadband and are reinventing how mobile broadband works. Being specialists in mobile broadband we can advise on the best set up you need for your property, install the necessary hardware and supply mobile broadband SIM cards.

So if you are feeling positive that mobile broadband could be what you need, get in contact with us today and find out more by emailing us on info@atsconnection.co.uk or by calling 01903 357002.

How Much Better is 5G?

Posted on by Tobias Gillott

How much better is 5G?

You’ve probably heard the term 5G a lot more lately – it’s one of those phrases that has got the tech world buzzing, with many bold claims about the future being made by mobile networks, device manufacturers and tech journalists alike.

But what is 5G? And realistically, for the average small or medium business owner, what effect will it have?

To understand this, let’s remind ourselves of a little history. The 5 in 5G simply refers to this being the fifth generation of mobile networks. The first generation – remember playing Snake on those old Nokia phones? – let users make calls and not much else. The 1990s didn’t just bring us the Spice Girls and Britpop – they also gave us the second generation, complete with the ability to communicate by Short Message Service (SMS) – better known as texting.

At the turn of the 21st century, 3G enabled mobile data, bringing the internet, maps, and email to our phones for the first time. It was such an important technology that whole devices were named after it – Apple’s iPhone 3G among them. Finally – for now – 4G built on that use of data, giving us faster music streaming, video calls and more practical email and business applications on the go.

So what about 5G – that just means more speed, right? Well… yes and no. Speed is a factor but there is far more to it than that. The most exciting benefits are 5G’s portability, and its low latency – simply put, a shorter delay between a signal being sent and received.

The first of those benefits – portability – comes because 5G doesn’t need to be delivered through large mobile masts. It operates on much higher radio frequencies delivered by smaller access points, similar to WiFi networks. In urban areas we are likely to see these points on lampposts, billboards, and anywhere a network operator can cost-effectively install one. This means that current ‘blackspots’ and remote places – even those where even 4G isn’t available – could see much better connectivity on 5G.

The second benefit – low latency – will accelerate the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) – this is where smart devices talk to each other over the network. In the consumer world, this has been referred to in terms of driverless cars and fridges that order milk when it runs out, but the business applications are more exciting than that.

Imagine, for example, turning up to a meeting with colleagues and partners from around the world through augmented reality, with some of the attendees there as holograms. Or a fleet of mobile plumbers in smart cars which can predict traffic patterns and take the most efficient routes from job to job. Or buildings fitted with smart sensors that can analyse the movement patterns of staff throughout the day – not only adjusting heating and lighting depending on where people are, but also using artificial intelligence to predict which rooms and facilities will be needed in an a hour, or two hours, or tomorrow. Cupboards that automatically order stationery, coffee machines that have a cuppa ready for every member of staff before the morning meeting, lights that automatically adapt to reduce eye strain at different times of the day, real time tracking of lone employees out at night and a host of applications nobody will have even thought of yet will be possible to make working life easier, more efficient and more enjoyable.

In the short term, businesses will certainly be able to enjoy faster, higher quality video conferencing, which, as anyone who has ever sat through a Skype business meeting or a Google Hangout knows, currently isn’t always an enjoyable or seamless experience. 5G could also encourage more remote working, with better quality connectivity, improving the ‘virtual workplace’ and supporting the movement towards more flexible working patterns – and much, much more.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though – however exciting they seem, truly connected buildings and Star Trek-style hologram meetings are still a long way off. Some companies which are renewing device contracts in the immediate future may want to consider becoming early adopters of the first 5G devices so they are ready for the changes that will come during the lifetime of those devices. Others may want to wait for more 5G-enabled technology to become available – for example, while Samsung has already unveiled its first 5G handsets, Apple has yet to reveal its plans.

It’s also unlikely we will see all regions in the UK benefiting from 5G for some years – so the impact on business will be slower in some areas than others. Aside from some localised tests, the rollout in the UK isn’t expected to begin until 2020, with full UK coverage coming much later. There will be no fanfare, no overnight switch-on – this is an evolution rather than a revolution. The best description we have heard is that adoption of 5G will be a “trickle followed by a rush”.

What’s important, though, is that businesses recognise the potential of this new technology and start to think about a road map for the next five years or so. At Onecom we will be starting and maintaining conversations with our customers about their individual needs and potential – and watch this space for more thoughts on how the 5G future will unfold.

The journey to 5G

Posted on by Tobias Gillott

With the most recent release of 5G it’s easy to take this incredible technology for granted – do you remember the release of 1G?

We’re going to take you on a trip down memory lane and our journey to 5G…

1G – First Generation Mobile.

Analogue technology: the sound quality was okay but interference was common. Alongside some background noise or hissing sounds such as white noise. Handsets were extremely bulky – which device do you remember?

Reception was pretty poor, but it really did make a difference if you held your phone up to the sky and pointed it in different directions!

SMS and internet was yet to come…

Did you know? when we switched from 1G Analogue to 2G Digital, the networks added white noise to the connection on purpose because people thought the line had gone dead when no-one was speaking.­

2G – Second Generation Mobile.

Digital voice calls – a lot clearer than analogue, sounded like you were in the room next door!

SMS (short message service) was introduced, but our phones didn’t have keyboards then, so you had to tap the numbers multiple times to get the letter you wanted. Typing a 160-character text message was very time consuming until the introduction of predictive text in 1995!

Figure this one out – 44-33-555-555-666.

Mobile data was also introduced and was very slow at start, with speeds of just 9.6 kbps. Speeds were improved with the introduction of 2.5G GPRS data (171 kbps) and EDGE (384 kbps = 0.4 Mbps), less than half a meg per second = still slow!  The connection types were represented by a G and E on the phone screen next to the signal strength indicator.

Did you know? The first iPhone was launched in late 2007 after the commercial 3G rollout has started, however it was known as iPhone 2G because it was only 2G capable. There was no iPhone 1 or 1G.

3G – Third Generation Mobile.

Same text and voice services but with improved data speeds of 2 Mbps were introduced.

Data speeds improved with HSPA or 3.5G, giving speeds of 14.4Mbps, which is when we start to see the introduction of the Smartphones that can access full internet pages on larger mobile screens and apps!

‘Mobile broadband’ introduced as a data only mobile connection using a standard mobile SIM in a data device (i.e. dongle).

Messaging apps start to take over from traditional SMS – WhatsApp (2009) and iMessage (2011) use data to send messages.

4G – Fourth Generation Mobile.

The 4G network provides data connectivity only – voice and SMS is still available via 2G/3G connection.

Data speeds increase again to around 300Mbps (realistic speeds were a lot lower, but still fast enough for standard smartphone usage).

In 2014, Smartphone connections to the internet exceed PCs. Voice calls using a data connection, or Voice over IP (VoIP) is now common – think Facetime, WhatsApp audio, etc.

5G – Fifth Generation Mobile

For the Connected World!

This is not a smartphone technology.  It was designed to address the issues with current 3G/4G networks in order to advance mobile technology to another level.

Key to the new connected world is not just speed, but capacity, latency, and battery efficiency.

“Many think 5G is simply the next step up from 4G – but it’s much more than just an upgrade. 5G is set to change the way we work and will kick-start the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

Speeds now reach 1Gbps (realistic 300Mbps on smartphone).

With over one thousand times the data capacity of 4G, 5G will be able to:

  • Handle thousands of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, compared to just over one hundred on 4G
  • Provide ten times higher data speeds than 4G
  • Connect one million personal devices per square kilometre, compared to two hundred on 4G
  • Provide ultra-reliable low latency, five times better than 4G
  • And enable battery life of up to ten years on machine-type devices

Analysts believe that 5G will move cellular connectivity to a completely new level, where all devices can communicate and share information easily. Some go as far to say that 5G will achieve the landmark of being considered a General Purpose Technology, a designation given to technologies that change the world. Other GPTs include the printing press, electricity, automobiles, and the internet, putting this potential classification into proper context.

Looking for a 5G sim for your Business Mobile? Check out our Sim deals here!

After Brexit: EU mobile Roaming

Posted on by Jake Boase

The UK’s Brexit deal with the EU does not rule out the re-introduction of roaming charges for using your mobile phone in the EU. Although the UK’s mobile operators have indicated that they will not reintroduce charges, we recommend that you keep up-to-date with the latest roaming charges and advise your colleagues to check before they travel.

Can I use my mobile in the EU?

Since 2017, UK consumers have, within reason, been able to use their inclusive minutes, texts and data when travelling in the EU without incurring additional charges. The same is true for people from EU countries visiting the UK. Before the roaming rules changed, using a mobile phone in Europe could have been costly, with cases of people returning from trips to find bills for hundreds or even thousands of pounds waiting for them.

Will roaming charges return?

The UK’s trade deal with the EU, which has now come into force, does not prevent the re-introduction of additional roaming charges in Europe. It says that both sides will encourage operators to have “transparent and reasonable rates” for roaming. That means that mobile operators will be able to implement roaming charges if they want to. The government’s guidance says: “Check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges you might get from 1 January 2021.”

What are mobile companies planning?

Now that we have left the EU, the charges now depend on agreements between UK operators and their counterparts in EU countries. While they may have such deals in place to prevent charges increasing straight away at the start of 2021, there is no guarantee that they will be able to maintain them indefinitely. The four main operators in the UK declined to comment on the specifics of the commercial deals they have done with other operators, but said they did not plan to reintroduce roaming charges.

O2 said: “We’re committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the UK. We currently have no plans to change our roamingservices across Europe.”

Vodafone said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges.

EE said: “Our customers enjoy inclusive roaming in Europe and beyond, and we don’t have any plans to change this based on the Brexit outcome. So our customers going on holiday and travelling in the EU will continue to enjoy inclusive roaming.”

Three said it “already offers roaming at no extra cost for its customers in over 70 destinations including the US, Australia and New Zealand. We will retain this great customer benefit regardless of Brexit negotiations.”

Check out our business mobile data plans here

12 Benefits of a VOIP phone system

Posted on by Jake Boase

The benefits of a VOIP phone sytem over traditional phone systems are drastic. Near enough every business will greatly benefit from implementing this communication technology. We have compiled 12 benefits from using a VoIP set up below:

1. Lower costs

One of the main reasons businesses transfer over to a VoIP system is the savings in costs. There are only so many phone lines you can install before costs quickly add up with a traditional phone system, especially if you make long distance calls.

With VoIP systems, the communication data is modified into data packets and sent over the IP netowork, meaning the issue of a single phone line being able to be utilised by only two callers is eliminated. This allows you to have many different phones all running of the same number. 

Traditional phone lines tend to charge for each minute of call time, where as with VoIP phones you can pay a small monthly fee for unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles. There are great VoIP packages around for you to find. At ATS we offer a free Yealink T40P with all Essential packages on a 36 month contract.

2. Simplified conferencing

Without the need for dedicated phone lines, phone conferencing is simplified considerably. Traditional phone systems allow for conferencing, but you’ll end up paying for an additional service and hosting multiple callers each time you need to conference.

With VoIP systems, these features are typically native and the cost is built into the already lower price of the VoIP service that you’re already paying for.

An additional benefit from VoIP conferencing is that it makes video conferencing a lot simpler as well.

3. Worldwide access

More employers are finding out the benefits of having their staff work from home in exchange for smaller office spaces, decreased utilities costs, etc.

What they’re also discovering are the benefits of VoIP that allow their employees to telecommute so effectively. VoIP technology has become extremely portable, allowing users to connect from home offices and abroad. What’s more is that your employee’s number follows them to their new home office when

4. Better use of bandwidth

One of the smaller benefits of VoIP is that it makes more efficient use of your existing bandwitdh. Due ot roughly half of voice conversations being made up of silence, VoIP continues to fill those information gaps with other data from other bandwidth consumers to make better use of your resources. 

5. Extensive additional features

May businesses don’t realise the amount of features and benefits that are included in a VoIP system. Increasing productivity by connecting to a wide range of devices from VoIP handsets, mobiles, tablets and desktops.

Features typically include caller ID, virtual numbers, contact list, voicemail, call ques, auto attendants and much more. These features can be used in ways which boost productivity. For examle, voicemails and messages can be forwarded to multiple colleagues with a single click, and voicemail to text transcriptions so they can be sent directly to your inbox so they can be reviewed on the go.

6. Network flexibility

Your IT team will enjoy its underlying network needing not be a part of a specific technology layout. That means your existing ethernet, SONET, ATM, or even your WiFi can be used as the foundation for your network.

The complexity of PSTN (traditional) phone networks is virtually eliminated. This allows for a more standardised system to be implemented that 

supports a variety of communication types while being more tolerant of faults and requiring less management of equipment.

7. Fax over IP

Most VoIP providers will include fax over IP as part of their service. Fax over IP eliminates the high costs of long distnaced facsimile, as we as improving compatability between machines and reliability service.

Once again fax information is transmitted via data packets that dramatically improve efficiency. On top of that a VoIP system doesn’t even require a fax machine to send or recieve fax.

8. More effective communication

With the world working from various points within the office, their home or around the world, keeping them in reach is critical to the running of your business. 

VoIP allows you to set up a specific call forwarding feature which allows you to set it up so your office phone rings for two rings before ringing your mobile phone, tablet or laptop if the call goes unanswered. This way you can make sure the urgent calls are answered more often and less time spent checking voicemal or corresponding over other platforms.

9. Highly reliable

One of the most common questions we get is “what if the internet goes down?”. If the internet goes down it will mean your VoIP phone wont ring but the other devices you have set up will, such as your mobile phone.

This is the flexability that VoIP offers you in all situations. Even if you have power outages, your mobiles will stil ring and you can keep your business running as normal.

10. Ease of installation, configuration and maintance

One of our customers favourite benefits of our VoIP services is that that it is easy to install, even for those less tech savy. There is no need for technicians running wiring throughout your office. Instead, plug the phones in and away you go. 

This is also another factor in saving costs. Paying for an engineer for half a day to wire up an office doesn’t come cheap!

VoIP software makes it extremely easy to add new users, while web portals make moving, adding or changing a users configuration much simplier. All of this means maintenance is straightforward and rarely requires professional support. 

11. Scalability

Efficient business systems scale with the needs of the business, whether we are looking at IT Support, Cloud Storage or VoIP systems. Scalability is one of the benefits of VoIP that supports your efficiency and productivity while remaining highlu cost effective and saving you a lot of money in the future.

Hiring a new employee? VoIP allows you to add a line as and when you need them. You will only be paying for what you need.

12. Intergrations

Another luxury is how VoIP systems intergrates with systems and technoligies like CRMs (Hubspot) and other important third party systems. 

That means you’ll realise all of the benefits of VoIP without requiring modification of your existing applications or IT infrastructure. For example, outbound calls can be placed via Outlook or other email systems and customer records can even be viewed during the inbound call with said customer.

Next Steps

As you can see from the lists above, VoIP systems have plenty of benefits that can help your businesses communications and help cut down costs.

If you would like to know more about VoIP or how our bespoke VoIP system ‘eve‘ can help your business then contact us today on 01903 357002.