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The cost of maintaining a telephony system can get quite expensive regardless of what option a company takes.
Even the so-called free options like open source are limited in their capacity and will often cost a fortune to scale up if your clients want to grow their business.
While something that would be ideal for us, these same businesses will be less inclined to make the switch unless the cost is justified.
The main point then would be to show them how good of an ROI investing into a PBX system is and how they can save in the long term.
The first thing that one needs to realize is who their target audience is.
The average lifespan of a PBX solution tends to be somewhere around 5-8 years, after which the client usually scales it up, or replaces the deployment option.
Currently, a lot of companies that want to facilitate remote work aim to do so by replacing their existing on-site deployment to a cloud-based one.
However, if a company is in the early stages of their current PBX solution, chances are low that they would want to switch over to another one simply because it is a financially unsound decision despite the long term benefits.
After all, they need to get their money’s worth from their current solution before they would even consider an alternative.
Thus, your target clientele would be startups or companies that are in the closing stages of their PBX solution’s lifespan and are looking to upgrade.
“We are growing by leaps and bounds since starting with Bicom Systems.”
Ronald Rondeau, Manager of TelSynergy
Read TelSynergy’s full story with Bicom Systems HERE.
We have already gone about the topic of the different benefits of cloud vs on-premise deployments prior and how each of them can have beneficial monetary gains in their own way.
The gist of it mostly came down to personal preference being the deciding factor.
However, as far as the monetary aspects went, the cloud based deployment option offered more short term benefits due to there being no up-front material costs and low prices per additional user.
This allowed for infinite scalability at a fraction of the cost compared to an on-site deployment.
It fitted a growing company better since they would not be losing out on a lot of invested capital as opposed to a more seasoned company with plenty of money invested into an existing solution.
Plus, it allowed for the option of remote-work which is what adds some extra benefits on its own which we will cover a little bit later on.
That said, an on-premise solution should not be overlooked either in case you encounter a more well-established company that has a team of people dedicated to maintaining and customizing it.
It is a bigger initial investment, but it sees more returns in the long term.
That one is quite simple. Office space tends to cost a lot, and remote workers do not really need an office building to do their jobs.
They will either work from home or act as digital nomads and travel the globe.
Either way, the company will no longer be limited by the amount of employees that can fit in an office, but by the amount of PBX users that their network can manage.
And, if it is a UCaaS solution, that amounts to quite a large number where adding a new user takes a few clicks and barely costs anything whereas procuring extra physical space and an office no less can be a lot harder and pricier in comparison.
“NTS is able to save our customers money while providing a feature-rich phone system utilizing Bicom.”
Jim Strong, Network Technology Solutions
Read Network Technology Solutions’ full story with Bicom Systems HERE.
Now, while we have cleared the air on why a new UC solution is still cost effective you may wonder what is it that makes PBXware the right choice as your chosen brand to resell?
The answers to that are simple.
The first thing to note is the pricing. It is competitive compared to the rest of the market which will immediately be more appealing to your clients.
The second is professional support staff that is available around the clock to assist with any issue that the client may have.
However, that is not everything that it has going for it as it is also a flexible and easy to integrate UC solution into any existing company infrastructure, something a good number of competitors fail to offer.
PBXware’s ability to seamlessly integrate itself into most existing systems is what makes it so affordable in the first place, offering businesses of all sizes a more cost-efficient option without losing out on the many core aspects of a PBX system.
This can even be a pivotal point of contention that could win some of the more adamant clients over if it turns out that PBXware would end up generating a bigger ROI than their current plan.
“PBXware doesn’t break, doesn’t glitch, and is easy to maintain which helps make us Profitable!”
SCTC
Read STCH’s full story with Bicom Systems HERE.
We have had many satisfied partners over the years who were full of praise for our products and are still along for the ride.
That number still keeps on growing. If you would like to become one yourself, feel free to Contact Us.
Providing UC services over the cloud has been one of the greatest recent innovations in communication.
However, with new things come new challenges, the main ones revolving around making sure this new technology is secure for all users and that it complies to the specific standards of the industry.
After all, data privacy is one of the biggest priorities not just in communication, but every aspect of the world at large with how public access to information has been getting.
Which is why, as UCaaS providers, you need to make sure your service keeps up to date with every stride made in such a field.
Here are some of the most important aspects you need to look into.
Communication is not as simple as picking up a phone on one side and getting instantly connected to the other, nor is it done over voice alone anymore.
New methods of communication leave the system open to new vulnerabilities and exploits which is where the need for data encryption arose initially.
Sensitive documents and other files businesses want to prevent from leaking and to keep secret need such encryption in particular so someone cannot just hijack them during transfer.
That is why every high class UCaaS provider should utilize the best encryption they can manage, turning what would be an easily readable file into a mess of meaningless data without the right decryption tool to decode it.
This helps prevent potential theft and damage to the business in question.
Another good way of limiting access to sensitive information and increasing security is by having user-specific permissions, establishing a set of access controls that are managed within the company on a per-user basis.
Access should be given based on required data use and position within the company, with those who are more closely tied to handling sensitive data being allowed to actually access it.
A specifically established hierarchy will greatly limit access to sensitive information by unauthorized personnel, adding another layer to the data protection wall.
While the cloud is remotely accessible, it is still hosted on a physical location, one that is prone to breaches if said location is known.
That is why most UCaaS providers host their services in data centers in remote and unknown locations to minimize the risk of a potential data breach.
On top of all that, these data centers should utilize multi-factor authentication to severely reduce the risk of getting compromised and should have failover systems in case of malfunctions so the data isn’t lost to a natural disaster, a glitch, or a power outage.
Another inclusion to the layers of data protection most UCaaS providers offer is monitoring all activity that occurs on their provided service.
All activity is actively checked for any abnormalities or malicious entry, after which the appropriate measures are taken if detected.
The most common examples of this are phone or email phishing scams.
Seeing as remote work is becoming more popular worldwide, your clients need to be able to provide their remote workers with safe and secure access to company systems without compromising it.
This is usually done through specific VPNs, allowing certain IP address ranges to gain access to the system, often provided by the UCaaS provider.
Doing it this way helps prevent any unauthorized access to the company servers if a remote worker is accessing it from a public wi-fi location or something similarly unprotected.
Depending on where your target market is, it is of utmost importance that your UCaaS services comply with their designated regulations on data privacy and protection, be it the GDPR in Europe, the CCPA in the US or otherwise.
One of the more important recent additions were the STIR/SHAKEN sets of protocols which provided added protection from caller ID spoofing.
Of course, specific company regulations may also come into play, but that’s on a per-company basis.
However, some aspects are mandatory, and it is important that your services are kept up to date to help boost your reputation and maintain good partner relations.
Data security and compliance is of paramount importance for UCaaS providers as the service’s level of security can make or break it.
Bicom Systems’ own solution to that matter, PBXware, covers all the data encryption and security needs that your clients may have while complying with the rules of almost every country worldwide.
Our cloud-hosted servers are well protected and offer excellent failover systems with several backups depending on your client’s chosen edition together with top-of-the-line data encryption.
The system is actively monitored for any faults and will react in time to prevent any loss or theft of data.
On top of all that, the respective blacklists and whitelists are actively updated but are still customizable on the client’s end and can be exported or imported from one system to another for quick and easy setup.
If you are interested to see a glimpse of its full capabilities, feel free to Contact Us or to Request a Demo.
If your company is considering adding electric vehicles (EVs) to service fleets, whether to save some green or be more green, you can now do so confidently with the help of disruptive technology.
As large telco operators with thousands of service trucks and vans look to incorporate electric vehicles into their fleets in the coming years, how can they manage all the intricacies of keeping an EV charged and on schedule?
While the benefits of EVs are great, allowing telecom organizations to reduce fuel costs and fulfill sustainability missions, the challenge of managing EVs in time-sensitive, intricate, and SLA-driven daily schedules have prevented companies from making the shift. As any EV car owner knows, you must plan your driving routes to ensure that you have access to charging stations and account for the battery recharging time. Now, multiply those requirements by thousands or tens of thousands of service vans and trucks, and you see the challenge.
This is why software designed using artificial intelligence and machine learning that optimises the planning and scheduling of field technicians is being updated to include EV fleet optimisation. As they are known in the field service management (FSM) software market, these scheduling optimization engines are popular amongst telco operators with large field workforces and service vehicle fleets. The solutions enable operators to efficiently plan and manage daily field engineer and long-range project schedules, ensuring that all consumer appointments are handled on-time and service level agreements with business customers are met. In essence, they can ensure that the right field technician with the right parts and skills is always sent to the right place at the right time.
Because these software solutions are infused with AI and machine learning, they can use powerful algorithms to process complex mathematical equations in a matter of minutes. For example, some of the most powerful optimisation engines can intelligently schedule 500,000 field service activities in under an hour. In other words, far faster than any human dispatcher can and without any error.
The benefits include reduced technician travel time by as much as 50% and higher first-time fix rates, all of which translates into lower labor costs, lower fuel costs, lower carbon emissions, and improved customer experiences. So, why not extend the intelligence of these workforce optimisation solutions to include fleets of electric service vehicles? That’s exactly what software vendors like IFS are doing.
Now, in addition to data inputs like customer service level agreements, daily appointment schedules, required drive time between locations, and even field engineer work breaks and time off, this planning software can consider everything needed to keep an EV on the road, including location of charge points, type, capacity, speed of charge and range. The software automatically plans EV charging requirements along with daily technician schedules, and it is nuanced enough to only use EVs in urban areas with more charging stations or for certain journeys that are shorter distances. The next wave of innovation will be supporting IoT-connected EVs that will have real-time battery usage tracking.
If your company is considering switching service fleets over to include EVs, you now can do so confidently. You can even prepare for that future with IFS’ embedded predictive planning tool that allows you to test how your business could cope with a wide range of scenarios including adding EVs into your fleet. It lets you easily visualize your simulated impact on resources, KPIs, and work demand.
IFS is proud to be pioneering innovation in electric vehicle fleet optimization, helping telco operators reduce operational costs, meet corporate sustainability goals, simplify ESG compliance and reporting, and drive efficiencies towards net zero carbon emissions.
Want to learn more about EV fleet and workforce scheduling optimisation from IFS? Meet the team in the IFS Café outside the Keynote Theatre at Connected Britain 2023.
Also in the news:
Altafiber raises $600m in funding for fibre expansion
CityFibre’s network rollout passes 3 million UK premises
Vodafone to begin UK’s largest Open RAN rollout
Chinese firm ZTE has partnered with Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand’s leading mobile operator, to launch the world’s first dynamic RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface) trial in a mmWave network.
RIS is a multi-antenna technology that uses electromagnetic metamaterials to extend base station coverage by intelligently reflecting or transmitting wireless signals. This results in improved coverage with both low costs and low carbon emissions.
By incorporating dynamic functionality, ZTE’s dynamic RIS technology achieves beam sweeping and user tracking.
In the trial, ZTE used the RIS product in the AIS mmWave network with 400MHz of bandwidth.
According to ZTE, users in the trial were able to maintain a consistent downlink rate of over 1.6Gbps, and an uplink peak rate of over 260Mbps, in an office room larger than 400 square metres.
mmWave frequencies can provide 5G networks with high speeds and capacities, but they also present challenges, such as a shorter range and poorer signal propagation. Dynamic RIS technology could be a potential solution to these issues, allowing mmWave to be considerable expanded without the need for as many additional base stations.
“Our collaboration with ZTE has provided us with the opportunity to explore the application of RIS technology in mmWave communications, leading to groundbreaking achievements. We believe that this technology will accelerate the arrival of the 5G-A era and deliver unprecedented communication experiences to users,” said Wasit Wattanasap, Head of Nationwide Operations and Support at AIS.
ZTE claims that the trial represents an important milestone in the mmWave communication field, which has the potential to revolutionise the global communications industry for the future of areas such as smart cities and Internet of Things (IoT).
Want to keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news? Sign up for Total Telecom’s daily newsletter
Also in the news:
Ericsson and TDC NET launch Denmark’s first 5G Standalone network
Vodafone to begin UK’s largest Open RAN rollout
Vodacom and Eskom sign virtual power wheeling deal
As part of the deal, Infovista will utilise their existing solution, the Ativa™ Suite, to improve troubleshooting with intelligent pattern discovery, correlation, analysis, and alarm generation.
The new automated processes are designed to minimise fixed voice outages and service interruptions.
Infovista claims that their technology can reduce the resolution times for CSPs by more than 66%, which will streamline customer relations processes, reducing response times to network problems by quickly identifying the root causes of disruptions.
“CSPs are under pressure to constantly improve the quality of experience they provide, while simultaneously reducing operational costs… This use case shows how automating daily tasks can help CSPs such as BT both drive operational efficiency and improve customer experience and satisfaction,” said Franco Messori, Chief Product & Transformation Officer at Infovista.
“BT is committed to developing and delivering next-generation services that continue to put our customers at the core of what we do and to deliver better outcomes. This means digitally transforming our own operations and using the power of automation across our network, infrastructure, services and operations,” said Reza Rahnama, BT Group’s managing director for mobile networks.
Want to keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news? Sign up for Total Telecom’s daily newsletter
Also in the news:
Ericsson and TDC NET launch Denmark’s first 5G Standalone network
Vodafone to begin UK’s largest Open RAN rollout
Vodacom and Eskom sign virtual power wheeling deal
The Connected Britain Awards recognise the most significant and innovative organisations, solutions, and programmes that are shaping Britain’s digital future.
This year we’ve had a record number of entries across our 15 categories.
Join us at the end of Day One at Connected Britain when the winners will be revealed!
The full 2023 shortlist is as follows:
B2B Service Provider of the Year Award – Sponsored by Digital Infrastructure
Finalists:
Gigabit Networks
Giganet
ITS Technology Group
Pangea
Truespeed
Vodafone Business UK
Broadband Provider of the Year Award – Sponsored by VETRO
Finalists:
Brsk Ltd
Fibrus
Giganet
Lightning Fibre
Truespeed
Wessex Internet
Wildanet
Digital Skills Award
Finalists:
Dorset Council – Embedded digital champions
Innovation Nottinghamshire – 5G Careers Programme
Kent County Council (Digital Kent)
Lloyds Banking Group and We Are Digital
Vodafone Business & Enterprise Nation – business.connected
Enterprise Solution of the Year
Finalists:
Eseye Infinity IoT Platform
IFS Planning & Scheduling Optimization (PSO)
Jetty
Qualcomm Technologies, Wi-Fi 7 Networking Pro Series platforms
VETRO
Vitruvi Software
Project Rollout Award
Finalists:
CityFibre
County Broadband Ltd
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and LCR Connect
Lothian Broadband Networks (LBN)
Openreach
Truespeed
The Access Innovation Award
Finalists:
Avanti Communications
DexGreen Ltd
Lothian Broadband Networks (LBN)
Norfolk County Council
Scottish Water and Atos using Starlink
The Barrier Removal Award
Finalists:
CityFibre
Intelligens Consulting with with Renfrewshire Council
Kent County Council – Kent Wayleave Toolkit
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA)
Lothian Broadband Networks (LBN)
Trenches Law
The Community Improvement Award
Finalists:
Coventry City Council #CovConnects
FullFibre – Fibre Heroes’ Community Investment Fund
Get Online London
Greater Manchester Combined Authority – Get Online Greater Manchester: for care leavers
Ogi, ‘Cefnogi’ Community Fund
Sunderland City Council’s local connectivity shapes communities fit for the future
Three Discovery
Wildanet
The Full Fibre ISP Innovation Award – Sponsored by Calix
Finalists:
Brsk Ltd
Gigabit Networks
Giganet
Hey! Broadband
Hyperoptic
TalkTalk Wholesale Services
The Industrial Innovation Award
Finalists:
Dexgreen Ltd – Virtual Buddy Training App
Neutral Wireless – Private 5G Network Deployed for King Charles III’s Coronation
Prodapt OpenFibreXchange
Vodafone – 5G SA Slicing
Zeti Limited
The Smart Places Award – Sponsored by ITS
Finalists:
Connected for Success: Welcome to Sunderland, City of Smart
FarrPoint Western Isles IoT Project
Living Map Ltd
NYnet Ltd / North Yorkshire Council
Virgin Media O2 Business and partners. Greater Manchester Local Full Fibre Network programme
The Wireless Innovation Award
Finalists:
EdgeQ
Freshwave and the City of London Corporation
Jangala
Neutral Wireless – Private 5G Network Deployed for King Charles III’s Coronation
Quickline Communications
Scottish Water, Blackspot Networks and Atos
The Rising Star Award
Finalists:
Chris Founds, CJ Founds Associates
Franck Courbon, Ethicronics
Haseeb Ahmed, NETS International Ltd
James Harris, Cable Giants Ltd
Liam Ceaplen, Jetty
Phil Bairsto, Freedom Fibre
The Sustainability Award – Sponsored by euNetworks
Finalists:
FarrPoint Western Isles IoT Project
iLOQ Oy – iLOQ 5 Series Battery Free Locking Solution
KCOM
Openreach
Wildanet
Zayo: Zeus
Startup of the Year Award
Finalists:
Artifeel
AssetHUB
Emu Analytics
Groundhawk io
Inteliports
Jetty
Lumilinks
SecHard
Stacuity
Weaver Labs
Who will win? Find out at the end of Day 1 of Connected Britain 2022!
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
ZTE has partnered with Thailand’s AIS (Advanced Info Service) on the world’s first dynamic RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface) trial in an mmWave network at the AZ centre in Bangkok.
This collaboration explores new possibilities in the field of millimetre-wave communication, offering a low-cost, low-carbon solution for deploying millimetre-wave networks at scale.
RIS is an innovative multi-antenna technology that utilises electromagnetic metamaterials. RIS enables the extension of base station coverage by intelligently reflecting or transmitting base station signals, resulting in improved coverage at a low cost and with low carbon emissions. By incorporating dynamic functionality, ZTE’s RIS technology achieves beam sweeping and user tracking, effectively enhancing the coverage range of base stations and ensuring an optimal user experience even when the user is on the move.
During the trial, ZTE adopted the dynamic RIS product in the AIS millimetre-wave network with a 400MHz bandwidth. This implementation led to a substantial enhancement in millimetre-wave signal coverage. Users were able to consistently maintain a peak downlink rate of over 1.6Gbps and an uplink peak rate of over 260Mbps while moving within an office room larger than 400 square metres. This performance was more than three times that achieved without RIS under obstructed circumstances.
Millimetre-wave, as a crucial frequency range in 5G networks, offers the advantages of large bandwidth and capacity. However, due to its transmission characteristics it encounters significant challenges in terms of long-distance transmission and penetration through obstacles. Through the collaboration between ZTE and AIS, dynamic RIS technology has been successfully implemented in millimetre-wave networks. This technology effectively overcomes propagation obstacles and enhances coverage range and transmission speed.
This collaboration represents an important milestone in the field of millimetre-wave communication, signifying a significant stride in the commercialisation of dynamic RIS technology. The implementation of this groundbreaking technology will usher in revolutionary changes to the global communication industry, establishing a stronger network foundation for the development of future smart cities, industrial IoT, and other domains.
Wasit Wattanasap, Head of Nationwide Operations and Support Business Unit of AIS, stated, “As Thailand’s leading mobile network operator, we are committed to advancing communication technology and popularising 5G networks. Our collaboration with ZTE has provided us with the opportunity to explore the application of RIS technology in mmWave communications. We believe that this technology will accelerate the arrival of the 5G-A era and deliver unprecedented communication experiences to users.”
