Mobile communications are important to your business so put their management in safe hands.

Here are 10 reasons to use Business Mobile World:

1. Saving you money – for just a few minutes of your time you can get a quotation from us that will beat your existing deal in most cases.

2. Saving you time – one call to us is all it takes to get your problems sorted. No waiting in queues for the network call centres.

3. Expert advice – with 15 years’ experience in the mobile industry we have the knowledge to answer your questions and give you the best advice.

4. Integrated solutions – it’s not just mobiles with us. We offer the latest mobile and fixed telecoms technology to give your business the competitive edge.

5. Customer service – we have grown steadily through getting new business, but, more importantly, keeping all of our existing customers happy. We have many who have been with us from the start.

6. Regular account reviews – periodically we review your account to make sure everything is running smoothly and your requirements are being met.

7. Dedicated Account Manager – your business will have a dedicated Account Manager who will look after you, giving you the highest level of service.

8. Full range of handsets – we can supply any UK handsets free of charge on a range of tariffs.

9. Independent – we are not tied to one network so you receive impartial advice.

10. Not just mobiles – we can give your business a total telecoms solution spanning all of your phone and data needs.

Best of all our services are free of charge to you, we are paid by the networks to look after your business.

Still not convinced? Put us to the test.

Get in touch with us armed with your latest bill and see what we can offer you. It could be a very profitable decision!

 

For small businesses, particularly SOHOs (small office/home office), a lot of time can be spent away from the office doing your job, meaning that your mobile phone is your most important means of communication. Advertising your mobile number to your customers does not present a professional façade and for credibility a landline number is needed.

However a landline, or fixed line, ties someone to the office, is answered by an answerphone message or, in the worst case scenario, rings unanswered. Could a landline number that rings on your mobile phone be the answer?

There are now many different solutions that give you a virtual landline number that rings on your mobile. The main difference is pricing and which one is best for you will depend largely upon your usage.

Vodafone One Net Express

Probably the most well known solution is Vodafone’s One Net Express. Originally a standalone product it is now possible to include it with a standard Vodafone tariff making it much more attractive and affordable to the average small business user.

Your virtual landline number is held by Vodafone and rings on your mobile without being diverted. This means that there are no call charges for transferring calls between landline and mobile. You also get a number of phone system features such as call waiting, music on hold, hunt groups etc. which are included within your package.

Basic tariffs start at £35 plus VAT which includes 300 mobile minutes, 3,000 landline minutes, 250 texts and 500MB of data. Higher tariffs are available for larger users.

Other networks offer similar products which work slightly differently but produce broadly the same end result.

Call management solutions

Other products exist which give you a virtual landline and then divert the calls to your mobile. This makes them non-network specific and means you can have your mobile contract with any provider and still receive calls. There is usually a charge for the diversion though so they only really work out cost effective for light users.

They do have the flexibility to be diverted to any number, so you can divert them to another landline at reduced costs, or change the diverted number at any time.

Compare available solutions

At Business Mobile World we offer a range of solutions for having a landline number on your mobile. We can provide you with a comparison between products and guide you to the best option for your usage.

It is not only SOHOs who take advantage of this new technology, many larger businesses look at similar arrangements to make their method of communication more flexible, ensuring more calls get answered by the right person first time. This increases productivity and customer satisfaction.

The latest Top 10 list of business mobile phones has been compiled based on December’s dispatch figures.

Continuing its good run of success is Nokia’s C2-01. It’s been a while since Nokia claimed top spot (May 2011 in fact) but their C series of phones are very popular with the C1-01 also making an appearance at number 5.

Nokia have 4 entries this month. After the C2-01 and the C1-01 which have already been mentioned they also have the E6 in fourth place and the perennial favourite, the 6303i, bringing up the rear in 10^th.

A new entry at 2 is the HTC Wildfire S. This Android-powered phone packs a lot in for its very modest price tag making it a winner with savvy businesses.

Down from top spot last month is the Apple iPhone 4S, although sales figures were still very good. December is a bumper month for phone sales as mobiles remain high on many people’s Christmas lists.

No Top 10 list would be complete without a tradesman’s phone, and this month at number 6 comes the Samsung B2100. In a similar vein is the Motorola ES400 at 8, this rugged phone also has a barcode scanner and is very much in favour with our transport sector clients.

Remaining at 7 is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro. It looks like this is bucking the usual trend for Sony handsets and is continuing to be popular!

The last place in the list, at number 9, is for the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Not a good month for RIM, the manufacturers behind the BlackBerry brand, with a single entry only at a lowly position.

The Top 10 business mobiles for December 2011:

1. (2) Nokia C2-01
2. (-) HTC Wildfire S
3. (1) Apple iPhone 4S
4. (-) Nokia E6
5. (-) Nokia C1-01
6. (-) Samsung B2100
7. (7) Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
8. (6) Motorola ES400
9. (3) BlackBerry 8520 Curve
10. (4) Nokia 6303i

Don’t forget, as an independent business mobile dealer we can supply you with any UK handset on your network of choice. Contact us for pricing and a free quotation.

The figures are in for last month’s mobile phone sales and we’ve compiled them into a Top 10 as usual.

The new number 1 is no surprise, the much vaunted iPhone 4S is on the wish list for a lot of business users as well as consumers! After this there is a real mixture of handsets covering the whole spectrum of business mobiles from simple talk and text phones through to high-end SmartPhones.

At 2 is the Nokia C2-01. Whilst this looks like a basic phone at first glance it is a 3G handset and does handle email and web browsing. As an inexpensive business phone it fits the bill and, being a Nokia, it is likely to be durable and trouble free to operate.

Third in the list is the first of four BlackBerry phones, the 8520 Curve. Again this is a well-priced phone rather than being feature-packed, but for many business users this is the entry-level BlackBerry.

At 4 is Nokia’s second phone, the 6303i. Very similar in many respects to the C2-01 and an old favourite in our Top 10 lists. It’s not a phone that is going to be fashionable any time soon but as a business tool it does the job.

BlackBerry’s 2^nd entry is at 5, the 9780 Bold. A better handset than the 8520 it is also more expensive which makes it slightly less popular amongst savvy business users.

At 6 is the Motorola ES400. This is very much a specialist handset and is used by a lot of transport and logistics companies for its barcode reading and signature capture software.

Seventh position is occupied by the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro. It’s not too often we see Sony Ericsson in the list, but this handset has a good spec at a reasonable price, hence its appearance.

No Top 10 list is complete without a “tough” phone. This month’s is no exception with the JCB Tradesman phone making it in at number 8.

Finally to round out the list are the BlackBerry 9300 Curve and the 9800 Bold. BlackBerry remains popular amongst business users, primarily for its email capabilities.

The full Top 10 business mobiles for November 2011:

1. Apple iPhone 4S
2. Nokia C2-01
3. BlackBerry 8520 Curve
4. Nokia 6303i
5. BlackBerry 9780 Bold
6. Motorola ES400
7. Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
8. JCB Tradesman
9. BlackBerry 9300 Curve
10. BlackBerry 9800

 

As we approach the end of 2011 it is time to look forward to what 2012 is going to bring for your business. Outside of the retail sector many businesses will have time to attend to some housekeeping as business slows down approaching Christmas and the New Year.

This time could be used to look at all of your business outgoings and formulate a plan to reduce them or at least review them to ensure you have the best tariffs available for each of your different services.

One area in which businesses can save a lot of money is mobile communications. Telecoms technology is moving at such a pace that it is possible your current handsets are obsolete and newer mobile devices could help improve the way you work and drive the productivity of your employees.

Business mobile tariffs are also changing constantly offering you the opportunity to better match a tariff to your actual usage. By doing this you can eliminate either unused allowances that you are paying for or overspend on usage outside of bundled allowances.

Including business changes

During 2011 your business may have changed – more or fewer employees, different ways of working, new IT systems – all of these need to be factored in to a business mobile review. At the same time you need to consider likely changes in 2012 to ensure the chosen tariff will meet your requirements going forward.

New unified communications products such as Vodafone One Net can also be considered, particularly if your landline systems are also approaching end of life. A review encompassing all of your telecoms is available to ensure you optimise the different communication strands to achieve the best cost/benefit balance to maximise productivity and profit.

Implementing new devices into your organisation need not be disruptive and we are available for technical help and support in getting your new mobile devices up and running smoothly.

We have considerable expertise with the most popular business phones. This includes BlackBerry (and their data solutions – BIS, BES, BES Express), iPhone, and the latest SmartPhones. You will also benefit from your own account manager and a customer service team that are available when you need them.

 

Mobile technology is moving at such a pace that it's hard to keep up. Each manufacturer is trying to outdo the others with a new development, and every new development is then adopted, refined and extended by others.

Here are our idea of the Top 5 mobile phone developments (in no particular order), some of which have arrived (albeit in a limited way) and others which are coming in the future:

Mobile 3D

It's all the rage at the cinema and is now moving into the home market too. Developments in 3D without having to wear glasses means that 3D is now available on a handful of mobile handsets such as the HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D. More 3D content for mobiles is being developed which will further spur manufacturers to include it in future SmartPhone specs.

NFC

Near Field Communications. This is the technology found in contactless payment systems such as the Oyster Card. It will allow you to pay for small items such as newspapers, chocolate bars etc. with a swipe of your mobile. Handsets are already including it within their specs, although there are not many retailers where it can be used currently. Alliances between manufacturers, banks and mobile networks will ensure this system gains ground in the very near future.

4G

Whilst the current 3G mobile data network can only deliver a maximum of 14.4Mbps, 4G promises speeds up to 300Mbps. Unfortunately this is very much one for the future. Even though 4G is already available in some countries the likelihood is that it will not see the light of day in the UK until 2013.

Cloud Technology

As more businesses move their infrastructure into the cloud the need for mobile devices which can interact with this information on the move will increase. Whilst existing SmartPhones offer the connectivity, the user experience is not always good on a restricted size screen. Tablets can give a better experience but are harder to carry around. Devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note, with its 5.3 inch screen, may become more popular as devices which offer the best of both worlds.

Voice Recognition

Could Siri, the personal assistant on Apple's new iPhone 4S based on voice recognition and limited AI, be a game changer? The signs are good. Early reports of its usefulness are very positive and it is almost certain that other manufacturers/OSs will be including more advanced voice recognition technology in the future.

Whilst we are able to provide business mobiles to companies of all sizes throughout the UK, being based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, means that we can offer a real local service to businesses in the region large and small.

There are many advantages to using a local mobile supplier. We are able to provide faster assistance when things go wrong, such as broken or faulty handsets, and can quickly be with you with replacements without any postal delays.

You will get to know the people dealing with your account, by phone, email and face-to-face, and have continuity of service throughout your account. You do not have to ring a call centre and speak to a random operator when you need help.

Often using local suppliers is seen as more costly than going via a larger company. This is not the case with us. Our partnership with 21C Telecom, a Vodafone Platinum Partner, gives us access to the best deals for your mobile phones and for a full range of telecoms products and services.

We will also reciprocate trading with businesses in Derbyshire. Wherever possible we like to use local companies for all of our own consumables and infrastructure.

Derbyshire and surrounding counties

Our Ilkeston base enables us to quickly visit your business in both Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire too. We have the majority of our clients in the East Midlands meaning that we are regularly in your area to offer advice and assistance as necessary.

Are you coming to the end of your current business mobile contract? Before renewing at least give us the opportunity to take a look at your bills to see whether savings could be made. Your business could be saving a lot of money by ensuring you are on the correct tariff for your usage.

As a local supplier we can sit down with you to go through all of the different options and show you the different devices on offer. You can try them out, see what new mobile technology could do for your business.

If you still have a while to run on your current contract you can still contact us. Often savings can be enough to cover buy-out costs and still deliver lower monthly payments. Or put us in your diary to call a couple of months before expiry.

The new iPhone handset (it could be called the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S) is thought by many to be officially announced on the 4th October. What we know for certain is that Apple have announced a "media event" for that day and this has sparked a lot of speculation that the iPhone 5 will be unveiled.

In fact Apple could unveil more than one new iPhone with a "5" version for developed markets and a simpler (and cheaper) iPhone for countries such as China where there is huge scope for more sales and to increase Apple's market share.

Whilst the iPhone 4 is the bestselling SmartPhone since launching mid 2010, Apple face increased competition from Google's Android operating system which now powers dozens of handsets with specifications to match the i4. Android now has 40% market share within the smartPhone marketplace.

There are many rumours circulating about what the iPhone 5 will contain in terms of features. They will have to be pretty good to convince iPhone 4 owners to upgrade, particularly if the i5 is as expensive at launch as many think it will be. The one solid rumour is an NFC chip which will enable contactless payment.

Apple may also have news on iCloud and iOS5 at the October event, we will detail all of the news as soon as it is available.

More businesses are seeing the benefits that can be had by having landlines and mobiles work together in a unified communication strategy. Having a single number for each member of staff which rings on multiple devices simultaneously means fewer missed calls.

This means that your existing customers can get hold of the right person straight away increasing first contact resolution. Less time transferring calls and taking messages. More time spent on productive calls, particularly with new business opportunities.

Serving your customers better means increased business retention and fewer complaints. Employees are happier too because this type of solution allows them to work more flexibly, they are empowered by having the right tools for the job.

As more providers offer this type of solution the cost is coming down. There are, however, a number of different ways of achieving a combined mobile and landline system. You should get some expert advice and compare a number of different systems for features and price before jumping in.

Consult an independent telecoms solution provider

We offer a number of solutions which could benefit your business in terms of reduced costs and improved productivity. We are not tied to one provider and will offer the best product for your particular needs. You tell us what the system needs to do and we'll show you the best way to do it.

Our knowledge of the telecoms market over the 15 years since we started trading spans the complete range of products and services a business is likely to need. From traditional analogue telephony through to hosted VoIP solutions and unified communications.

From a single business mobile phone through to a national corporate multi-site connectivity solution we are confident we can help your business save money and work smarter.

The latest mobile technology and developments in cloud-based services can be used together to give you the competitive edge. We specialise in providing the seamless integration of mobile and landline phones to deliver a more streamlined communication channel which will deliver benefits to your business and your customers. Contact us for a free no obligation telecoms review.

We still have Vodafone tariffs with reduced line rental. For shared minute tariffs of 3,000 minutes or more there is a 25% discount on the line rental for the lead handset. This could lead to savings of over £300 per month on the largest discount tariff.

Vodafone's data promotion is still running too, meaning that you can get half price on their 1GB package. Add these two together and you could save some serious money on your current contract by switching to Vodafone.

On top of this we are maximising the amount of subsidy for new handsets. This means you will be able to get better handsets free of charge on your chosen tariff. In some circumstances we will be giving away ALL of our up-front commission to you in the form of new phones or kit allowance.

Getting a better business mobile deal

When you contact a number of business mobile dealers you will find the same, or similar, tariffs on offer. Where the difference lies is in a number of areas:

• The value of kit they will supply to you
• The advice and help they can give you to pinpoint the best offers and deals
• Help with new technology and how it could improve productivity
  
• The level of customer service and care you receive

At Business Mobile World our aim is to both reduce costs and improve communications. In the long term this is far better for your business than simply cutting costs and going for the lowest quote regardless.

In fact be very wary when comparing quotes and ensure they are made on identical terms. If you take out the cheapest contract but it does not have sufficient inclusive allowances you could find that your first bill is much higher than you expected due to out-of-bundle charges.

It is only at this stage that you realise your mistake, but by this time you are tied in to a 24 month contract!

We are very open about our charges and how our deals and offers work. We put everything in writing and make sure you are happy with your deal before contracts are drawn up. The last thing we want is unhappy customers and complaints.

Who is eligible?

Any type and size of business is welcome to apply. From a single handset to several hundred. We will conduct a review of your current usage and bills to see where savings can be made. We also look at how you use your mobiles away from the office and whether you are getting maximum value from the features on offer.

The best mobile devices empower your workforce and drive productivity. Giving your employees the right tools to do the job will not only make them more efficient but happier too. No more struggling with out-of-date technology!

For larger business users and corporate mobile phone accounts the savings can run into tens of thousands over the course of a standard contract. This type of saving cannot be ignored and regular review of large accounts is a must.

Small and medium sized businesses will not see such large savings but a few hundred or thousand pounds saved, whilst simultaneously improving mobile communication, can only be a positive step for any business.

It's free to obtain a review which will be conducted at your convenience. Let us show you how our 15 year experience in the mobile phone sector can obtain the best business mobile deal for your company.
We can also talk to you about the future of telecoms and how data solutions, hosted services and unified communications could further improve productivity and give you a competitive edge.

Our job, as business mobile intermediaries, is to search the market to provide you with a tariff and contract that reflects your usage and fits your requirements. We can do this across the major networks allowing you to compare the different deals on offer.

Contract length is something that you need to factor in to your business mobile review. The standard length of a contract is usually 24 months. Shorter and longer contracts are available but are not usually recommended unless there is a specific need for them.

A shorter contract than 24 months, such as 18 months, is going to be more expensive. A longer contract, such as 36 months, could work out cheaper but is going to tie you in to a deal that may be obsolete very quickly, particularly in terms of phone hardware which is advancing technologically at a fast pace.

Getting the best business mobile deal

If you already have a business mobile phone contract all we need from you is a copy of your last bill or couple of bills in order to base a quotation on your actual usage. We perform a full analysis to see where your current tariff is working for you and where it is failing.

Having a tariff that gives you either too many or too few allowances is potentially equally expensive. We compare the market to give you tariffs that strike a balance and yield cost savings month after month.

Our business mobile review also looks at handsets, what you have currently, how you use them and if new phones with better technology could help increase productivity. We are able to supply any handset available in the UK as part of your package.

Already in contract?

Even if you are already in contract and have a few months to run we can look at helping you. It can work out cost effective for you to buy out the last few months of your current contract in order to get a better deal. We can often fund this process for you.

Utilising the services of an independent mobile phone dealer, such as ourselves, is going to save you time and money. You do not have to search through the many deals on offer from the major networks to find the one that best matches your usage, we do that for you.

Money can be saved by reducing your tariff where circumstances allow, or even INCREASING you tariff to avoid swingeing "out-of-bundle" charges. We can also source the right mobile handsets for your needs at the right price.

Looking at your existing bills we will analyze where you are currently paying too much - this could be in premium rate calls, data usage or roaming charges, for instance. Then we can tailor a package that properly reflects your usage.

Reducing your costs now and in the future

We keep an eye on the future, so if you are expanding and are going to need more users, minutes, data etc. we can factor this in as well as looking at how the very latest mobile technology could help improve productivity and make your working life easier.

At the end of our review you will have a report which compares the business mobile deals on offer from the major networks. This will be fully costed and give you a range of options to choose from, such as different handsets, where applicable.

If you decide to become a customer with us we are always looking at ways to reduce your costs and keep you on the optimum tariff. We are pro-active at solving any problems that do arise and make sure you are always kept informed of new developments which could help your business.

As well as mobile phones we can also review a full range of telecoms where necessary to put together a complete telecoms solution. Taking multiple products enables the maximum cost savings, ensures the different telecom components work together and offers smoother administration and problem resolution via a single point of contact.

The Business Mobile World website was launched exclusively for business mobile phones but we are also able to offer a full range of telecom products and services, many of which are complimentary and should be considered when reviewing your mobile contract.

For instance, we have an employee management solution which uses software on your mobiles in order to track employees in real-time. Because it utilises GPS on the mobile device it can record movements in vehicles, on foot and allow you to follow staff to within 5 metre accuracy wherever they may be.

This allows you to maximise efficiency, sending the right people to the closest jobs, and also acts as a compliance tool for lone worker protection. Mobile phone tracking is also ideal for grey fleet management as it does not rely upon a device fixed in vehicle.

When reviewing your business mobiles could this type of system be of benefit to you? If so it can be factored into your pricing and the right handsets, which are compatible with the tracking software, supplied as part of the deal.

Unified Communications

We can also assist you with unifying your communications. You will probably have heard of Vodafone One Net, the system which allows your landline calls to ring on your mobiles too (this is a very simple explanation of the One Net product - it does a lot more and offers a range of features not normally available to small businesses).

A review of your mobiles should not be made without thinking about your landlines too and how they could work together to make you more productive and also to save you money. We offer a range of products, as well as One Net, which could merge landline and mobiles and give you the best of both for the future.

It may be that your current phone system is coming to the end of its natural life. Do you want to replace it, with all of the associated costs involved, or think about a hosted solution which doesn't involve up-front expense or ongoing maintenance?

We can help you with these decisions, giving you a full telecoms review which is costed and clearly demonstrates the benefits to your business of new technology. You could find that a complete overhaul of your current systems and replacement with the latest telecoms products and services still leaves you better off than you were before.

Save money AND improve your communications - increase productivity AND reduce costs - it's an offer you should find hard to resist. Best of all it's free to contact us and receive a review and all UK businesses are eligible.

Mobile technology has advanced incredibly fast in the past couple of years. SmartPhones now offer a range of features which could help you be more productive whilst out and about, but which mobile phone is going to be best for your business?

Some businesses, particularly those involved in manual work, will have specific requirements such as phones that are rugged, designed to take some punishment, and will not need many of the SmartPhone's more advanced features, although there are now SmartPhones that offer tough casings and are resistant to dust, water and shocks to cater for all occasions.

Office based staff will likely need email and data connections as a priority and could also need the use of specific operating systems or applications. The phones may have to be specific to connect to your existing server infrastructure.

With new mobiles being released daily, finding which mobile phone is going to be best for your particular needs can be a daunting prospect. Let us take control and match the right mobile to your specific business needs. We can also advise regarding other mobile technology, such as tablet devices, which can further improve your communications.

Which mobile phones are best?

There is not a single "best" mobile phone that can do everything and be all things to all men. The best mobile for you depends upon your needs and preferences. For instance some people will insist on having touchscreen phones whilst others will only be able to get on with a full QWERTY keyboard.

We supply all manufacturers and models of mobile phones available in the UK. We are talking to customers about their requirements all of the time and from this experience can quickly narrow down which handset would be best for you and provide you with a variety of options to suit not only your needs but also your budget.

When taking out a business mobile contract you are not limited to one type of handset, you can select different ones for employees based upon their job roles, needs and preferences. These may vary in price but we will always try to supply them for you on the right tariff free of charge where possible.

As part of a free review we will look at which mobile handsets would be best for your business as well as tailoring a tariff and package which will reduce costs. From a single mobile handset to a corporate mobile phone solution we will work hard on your behalf to get the best deal in the market and keep your costs down on an ongoing basis.

Even if you are currently in contract we can undertake a review to see if we can better your current deal. It is often possible to buy out an existing mobile contract and change networks and save money in the process.

There are many benefits of getting your business mobile phones (and other telecom products) from a local company, rather than going direct to one of the major networks. The level of personal care and customer service is always going to be higher and issues can be sorted out quicker, meaning that any loss of connectivity (due to broken handsets, for instance) is minimised.

Based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire we are ideally placed to serve business customers throughout Derbyshire as well as the neighbouring counties of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. We already have a large customer base in the East Midlands and our Account Managers are regularly "in your area" to pop in and help you with your handsets and tariff, and give advice and guidance on new technology and how it could help you.

If you are currently in contract but not receiving the level of service you require please contact us to discuss your options and whether it is possible to buy out your existing business mobile contract. It is also possible, depending upon network, to transfer to another dealer and retain your current contract.

Not just business mobiles

As part of 21c Telecom we can provide your business with a full range of telecom products and services as well as business mobile phones. This is another very good reason to utilise our services as we can take care of all of your telecom requirements as part of a package, saving you money and streamlining your administration.

One bill, one point of contact and the best rates across all of your telecom products and services. This includes business mobiles, landlines, broadband and data solutions, tracking, websites and lots more.

We offer a free review service for any or all of your telecom services. This is available to small and large companies across all sectors of business. It can be done by visiting you at your convenience or by phone/fax/email if you prefer.

As well as cost reductions we also look at ways in which your current communications can be improved. You might have offices in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire all operating their own phone systems - could a hosted VoIP solution which does away with the need for individual systems, offers a full range of features including call management, and allows free communication between offices save you money and make your life easier?

Have you thought about unified communications? The ability to merge your landline and mobiles into a seamless solution meaning that you never miss a call and improve your response to customers and new enquiries. We can give you advice regarding Vodafone One Net and alternative offerings which could improve your connectivity.

With 15 years industry experience we have the technical knowledge to put together a package which resolves your current issues and offers an enhanced communication platform both internally and externally. This applies equally to small local Derbyshire businesses as well as multi-site national companies.

Do you have any business contacts who are looking to save money? Are you in an industry where you deal with businesses on a day-to-day basis and could offer them a money saving service? Would you like to start your own mobile phone business or are you already in the industry looking for new revenues?

Perhaps you deal with people looking to set up new businesses? Because we offer a full range of telecom services we can provide them with a package deal which will give them an ideal balance of features and pricing, including their landlines, broadband and mobiles.

All you have to do is ask people if they would like to save money on their mobiles, landlines or other telecom services. Or it might even crop in conversation that they are experiencing problems with their current suppliers - we can help them!

We are always looking for introducers who can promote our products and services in return for a commission on successful deals. You don't have to be a salesperson, we will deal with everything from the point of first introduction.

From initial point of contact we provide them with a review for any services they are interested in. We will analyze their bills free of charge to show them where savings can be made and can provide them with advice on new technology which could improve the way they work.

If they are happy with our quotation we deal with all of the paperwork directly and sort out all of the necessary hardware. As soon as we are paid we pay the introducer.

The more business you introduce the better the commission we can pay, but don't let that put you off if you only have an occasional lead to put to us. Even a single business mobile contract could generate significant commission if it is for several handsets, and you will receive a good share of the profit.

Multiply this across several of our products and then introduce a few more leads and the scope for generating a decent income can clearly be seen. The list of products we offer includes:

• Business mobiles
• Landlines (rental and call charges)
• Call management & call recording
  
• Phone systems
• VoIP and hosted technology
• Tracking (vehicle and employee)
• Websites (hosting, design and SEO)

We have many customers who take a number of services from us - this gives them the best cost savings and ensures smooth integration.

We have a dedicated telecoms affiliate site, 21c Affiliates, where you can sign up and request more information. Here you will find the different opportunities available to introducers and partners.

We regularly have offers and deals running across our range of business mobile products and contracts. Some of the latest deals can be seen below.

iPad 2 only £266

The iPad 2 is thinner, lighter and faster than its predecessor. More and more businesses are seeing real advantages to using tablets within their daily working life, and this is the best tablet about currently.

We are offering it for only £266 when taken with a new data connection. If you sign up before the end of July the data connection will only cost you £18 for a large 5GB of data per month, plus you also receive 2GB of BT Openzone wi-fi.

This contract is with Vodafone who offer excellent coverage around the UK. The price of £266 applies to the 16GB version. Other versions are available and we also offer a range of different data plans.

Quotations subject to VAT and a 24 month contract.

25% of leader line rental

With a shared minute tariff you have a leader, with the bulk of the contract costs, and sharers which are added at a flat rate. We currently have 25% discount on leader line rental on selected tariffs. For instance, a 3,000 minute tariff normally charged at £155 is now only £116.

Should you sign up for a new contract today this discount will apply for the full 24 months of your contract saving you a considerable amount. The maximum saving on the largest tariff works out at more than £7,000 over the course of the contract!

£5 off mobile email

On certain tariffs which do not include data as standard, it is charged extra on a per handset basis. Providing the underlying line rental is £25 or more you will receive a £5 discount on your data bolt-on which applies throughout your contract.

New mobile broadband tariffs

We have new mobile broadband prices which are more flexible. Starting at just £3 per month for occasional users. New roaming rates also apply which make it cheaper for you to access mobile broadband overseas. Contact us for all of the different options and pricing.

We provide mobile phones and devices to businesses of all sizes throughout the UK. As the technology becomes more complicated the need for expert advice and guidance becomes greater. Larger companies are looking at mobile technology as a way of improving working practices and empowering their employees with more flexible ways of working.

Our corporate mobile phone service involves matching the right hardware devices to the needs of the company and providing them on a tariff that closely matches current usage yet is flexible for future requirements. It is available for any company looking for 10 mobile devices or more.

Whether your requirements are very specific or you are looking for a general review and a number of alternative quotations we would like to talk to you and demonstrate our solutions which will help you reduce costs and improve your communications.

Unified Communication Solutions

Mobile phones are no longer a simple standalone product. There are multiple devices into which sim cards can be put and integration with landline systems is becoming more of an issue for many corporate clients.

Because we are converged telecoms providers, offering a full range of services both mobile and fixed, we are ideally placed to advise you regarding the latest unified communication products and solutions and offer you a number of different options both in terms of cost and performance.

Ensuring good coverage

As independent brokers we can offer you a choice of networks for your corporate mobiles. Although coverage is not an issue for many in the centre of the city, those a little bit outside or in rural areas sometimes have to rely upon a single network. Where coverage is poor we can offer the best network for you as well as a range of signal boosting options.

We have clients throughout the UK and know from real-world experience which networks work best in any given area.

Corporate mobile phone review

Wherever you are in your current contract, whether nearing the end or with a few months to go, if you would like to talk to us about an alternative solution or specific problems or issues we would like to help. We can fit in with your schedule to arrange an initial fact-finding meeting from which we can base our report.

Confidentiality is guaranteed and reports are provided free of charge and without obligation. Our aim is always to strike the right balance between cost reductions and enhanced services and communications which we believe is the right way to take your business forward in the 21st century.

It's holiday time! Over the next few months many of us will be venturing overseas and will be taking our mobile phones with us. For some it will be for "emergencies" only, for others they will want to work in exactly the same way as they do in the UK.

Although roaming rates have started to come down, they remain incredibly expensive when compared to UK rates, even in developed countries like the US where local rates are lower than here.

Modern SmartPhones rely upon data for their services. Many apps are downloading data when you don't even realise it. Therefore it's essential to think about adding a roaming package before you set off to cover your likely usage.

Data packages for overseas use are considerably smaller than you would expect. It could be that you are only offered 50MB of data in your package. What can you do with 50MB?

It might be enough for collecting your emails (headers only, no attachments) and a little bit of website browsing (but not much). It's an incredibly small amount and once used up you are going to be charged standard data roaming rates at ££ per MB. Be careful!

If you are able to view your current monthly data usage, either on your handset or your online billing platform with the network, or if your network can tell you how much you use in an average month then you can find a suitable package that allows you to use your phone normally.

If no packages exist that are large enough (or affordable enough!) the only options are either to curb your usage (switching off data networks and updates and trying to find wi-fi wherever possible) or opt for a local sim card (providing your handset is unlocked).

You will then be paying a similar rate for data as you are charged here and can use your phone more often, although you will have a new number for talk and text purposes.

If data is not required and you are only looking for roaming voice bundles these are much more suitable. You can find bundles offering cheap rates or even offering to take overseas minutes out of your standard bundle.

Don't leave it too late to get your overseas bundles added. Trying to sort it out at the airport is too late! Call your network/dealer a week ahead to make sure you can get the right bundles activated in time for your trip.

For business mobile users overseas calls and usage can make up a large part of the bill, particularly if you deal with companies abroad and have employees taking regular business trips. In this instance it is wise to get the best underlying tariff to meet your requirements rather than rely upon bolt-ons which can be forgotten and lead to very large bills!

We are intermediaries, or brokers, between your business and the mobile network. Any problems or issues and you contact ourselves in the first instance. The benefits of this are that you have a single point of contact who is easy to get hold of, will respond to you and is accountable.

The first time you contact us will be when you are looking to get a quote for your business mobiles. This could be because your current contract is approaching its end point, has expired or because you are having problems with your current deal that you need sorting out.

At this point our aim is to work hard on your behalf to get you the best business mobile deal available that matches your communication requirements and budget. When you first contact us we will look at your current situation and usage to ascertain the minutes/texts/data you are going to need every month. Then we factor in the extras you may need and incorporate them into our review.

Usage patterns change over the course of a 2 year contract and it is possible that the tariff you now need is very different to the one you are currently on. We aim to fit the best tariff to your current usage but also keep an eye on your future plans to ensure they can be incorporated when necessary.

The best business mobile deal for you will not just focus on price but also on the hardware you receive which could improve your productivity. The latest SmartPhones will allow you to work in different ways and to do more when away from your premises. Similarly other mobile devices, such as tablets, can be used to give real benefits to your staff in the field.

We can offer a full range of devices and provide advice and guidance where necessary. If you already know what you want, or have very specific requirements to integrate with your current systems, we can supply the hardware as part of your contract.

If you don't require handsets at this stage, because your current ones are working fine, we can supply a kit allowance for future replacement. Or you can have some new phones and the balance in allowance. It's a flexible system that you won't get dealing direct with the networks.

We also offer added extras such as insurance and accessories (eg. hands-free kits). In fact whatever your requirements with regards to your business mobiles our job is to help you meet them.

All companies are eligible for a free review. From single handset users through to large businesses and corporate enterprises looking for hundreds of phones. It won't take long to get a quotation and to see what we can offer you. Getting the best business mobile contract could save your business a lot of money month after month.

The Business Mobile World website is changing regularly as technology in the mobile sector changes too. Whilst the focus is still very much mobile phones, many businesses are looking at SmartPhones and tablets to drive their business forward through the use of new technology, enabling flexible working.

We will shortly be adding new pages/sections for:

• BlackBerry phones and Playbook

• iPhone and iPad

SmartPhones and Tablets

For businesses looking to integrate their mobile devices with their office systems smart devices are the order of the day. The two big players here are Apple and RIM.

Apple's iPhone was a revolution, and, whilst most manufacturers now have devices of a similar capability, Apple's smartphone remains sought after. Up against it RIM's BlackBerry remains strong, with a loyal following amongst business users.

For tablets the big name is iPad. Although the new BlackBerry Playbook has only just been released there are already plenty of people looking to get hold of it and blanket advertising coverage is going to drive sales further.

Other manufacturers have very good devices - particularly Samsung with their Galaxy range. Which one is going to be best for your business?

At Business Mobile World we can supply a mixture of devices to give you the best options for your business. We ensure they will work together and offer you the most cost effective data tariffs based on your actual usage. We also have a dedicated IT team for set up and ongoing problem resolution.

Whether you want a single device or a hundred or more we can advise you regarding the best way forward. Get in touch for a free business mobile review.

Mobiles are no longer just a means of keeping in touch whilst out and about, they are powerful business tools allowing you to keep your office in your pocket. When looking to renew your current business mobile contract you should ensure that you get the maximum return from your investment.

Too many companies look at their mobile contract renewal as a cost reduction exercise. Certainly cost reductions are good, and we always aim to deliver them where possible, but improved communications and ways of mobile working will deliver much greater benefits over the course of the contract in terms of increased productivity.

Our aim is to supply the perfect handsets for your business, matching the mobile features with the ones you are going to need. There's no point in paying for features you don't use. By keeping handset costs down, whilst not compromising on their usability and quality, we keep your costs down too. We can supply a mixture of new handsets in addition to a kit allowance for future replacement, upgrade and new requirements.

When looking at your new tariff we analyse your current mobile bills to see the actual usage. Tailoring a tariff to your usage is going to give you the optimum ROI. We also look forward to the likely requirements of the business moving forward and ensure flexibility is built in to cope with future developments.

Flexible working solutions

Because we are not just a business mobile dealer, but a converged telecoms supplier, we can also look at ways in which your business can become more flexible by implementing a communications strategy that spans all of your devices, both mobile and fixed, that ensures their best integration.

More employees want and expect to be able to do at least some of their work from home or away from the office. Providing your staff with more flexible ways of working will not only improve productivity but also staff retention.

The telecoms industry is fast paced and new technology is emerging all of the time. If you haven't reviewed your telecom services in a while it is likely you could benefit from us taking a look at your current infrastructure and advising where improvements could be made. It's a free, no obligation service.

We offer our services to companies of all sizes from local one-man bands in Derbyshire through to national corporate multi-site enterprises. We can provide standalone single products or fully converged end-to-end solutions. If it's telecoms related, we want to hear from you, and we want to help you.

BlackBerry mobile phones have always been thought of as primarily business devices, but have been gaining popularity amongst mainstream consumers, particularly 18-25 year olds. Is a BlackBerry mobile still the best for business?

Whilst BlackBerry very much dominated the business mobile market for many years, in recent times just about every manufacturer has brought out SmartPhones with at least comparable specs and features, and many of them have left the average BlackBerry behind.

RIM's attempts at touchscreens (the Storm and the Torch) have received very mixed reviews, to say the least, and their high end phones struggle to compete against the best from Apple, HTC and others.

Where BlackBerry have done well is in the middle market with affordable models such as the Curve 8520 and Curve 9300 3G (pictured above). These are very affordable handsets which still provide the best of BlackBerry's email and messaging service, which is the main reason to buy one. Unlike more expensive phones, these two can be obtained on lower tariffs free of charge making them ideal for small business users seeking to keep costs down.

Whilst they may not be feature packed, a lot of the "missing" features are not needed by the average business user so why pay for them?

For larger business users the attraction of BlackBerry is the control they have over their company mobile phones. By using a BES server their IT department can enforce strict security policies which protect business data. Should a BlackBerry be lost or stolen the device can be wiped remotely.

Whilst a BES server has a host of corporate features ideal for large companies it can be expensive due to licensing per user. Smaller businesses can still access BlackBerry email via BIS or BES Express, both of which are free of licensing costs.

BlackBerry's data compression remains the best on the market meaning that the amount of data you are consuming is reduced considerably. This makes them ideal for travellers overseas who can keep on top of emails with minimum extra costs.

For a comparison between BlackBerry and other manufacturers handsets get in touch to see the tariffs we can offer you, whether you want a single BlackBerry mobile or a hundred plus.

Vodafone continue to push their One Net integrated telecoms solution heavily in the media. This merging of devices, having a single number which rings wherever you are, enables more flexible working and is ideal for users who are away from their office/home a substantial part of the time.

Whilst the Vodafone One Net solution offers a lot features, it is not always the best option for businesses looking for a call management package. There are alternatives, one of which is Inbound Call Management.

Vodafone One Net Express

The most popular One Net product is the Express variant, which is squarely aimed at SMEs with up to 10 users. Larger companies can use it but their needs are usually better served by the One Net package.

One Net Express offers a quick set up, no need for any type of installation or fancy hardware, making it ideal for small business users. It also features inclusive calls, texts and data making budgeting much easier and reducing the chance of "bill shock".

The landline number (or numbers) you choose are contained within the Vodafone network, meaning that there are no diversions when people call the number. This is the main distinction between One Net and its competitors.

Because most people carry their mobiles wherever they are these days, you can be taking important business calls out of hours, on holiday, or wherever you are, leading to the Vodafone One Net slogan "never miss a business call again".

The advantages of Vodafone One Net Express are the features it offers which are not usually available to small businesses, such as music on hold and hunt groups, and the flexibility of configuration. Whilst a price of £55 per user might not seem cheap at first glance, this is the cost for a combination of landline and mobile bills and unlimited calls. Add into this the improvements in customer service and the opportunity to win more business by answering more calls and it becomes more appealing.

Inbound Call Management

With the call management option you can have a virtual landline number which can be diverted to any other numbers, landline or mobile. It can also be diverted to multiple numbers which ring at the same time or call a single number with multiple failover options. For instance it could ring a landline number first and if not answered failover to a mobile or group of mobiles.

With this option you are charged for the diverted calls, however the monthly charge is only £9.95 per month. Diverts to landlines cost 1.25ppm and to mobiles 9.95ppm, charged by the second subject to a minimum 1p call charge. It is highly configurable and you can change your options at any time via the intuitive web interface.

Which option suits your business best depends upon the number of users and how many calls are being received. We can run through the different options with you calculate the most cost effective for you.

What is a "high usage alert"? It is a notice from your mobile network that there is abnormal or excessive usage on a particular number. This can be triggered by using more minutes or texts than usual, using data without a bolt-on and particularly for overseas usage.

This can be for normal usage but it can also be due to the handset being lost/stolen and used by the "new owner". These high usage alerts do not get sent straight away and can often be sent after several hundred pounds of charges have been run up.

Once you enter into a business mobile contract it is your responsibility to monitor your own usage to ensure that you do not receive a nasty shock when your bill arrives. Online billing has a number of options for you to keep track of all of your employees usage and ensure you remain within your chosen tariff wherever possible. You can set lower limits for notification ensuring excessive charges are not run up without your knowledge.

The problem with data roaming

One area where high usage alerts are commonplace is with roaming. Using your phone overseas is still extortionately expensive. In fact the charge per minute for you to use your UK phone overseas can be 100 times more expensive than using a local sim card!

Many phones are set by default to collect their emails and many applications use data in the background without you even knowing. Some applications are requesting data every few minutes. No problem in the UK if you have a data package but once you go abroad all of this data is costing you a small fortune.

Even if you add a roaming data bolt on the limits are incredibly small and a standard SmartPhone can run through this quickly. You can however disable application data and even data roaming completely on most modern handsets. Make sure you do this BEFORE you leave the country. It's easy to forget when you arrive at your destination.

If your phone is not locked to a particular network you can use a local sim card. For wi-fi enabled phones you can get your emails and data via local access points free of charge or perhaps for a small fee in your hotel. At least you know the charges in advance this way and won't come home to a large unexpected bill.

Tethering is also an absolute no-no when overseas. Tethering involves using your phone as a data modem for your laptop or netbook. Whereas a SmartPhone is optimised for data usage, only downloading email headers and avoiding large attachments, your laptop will not be and you will be downloading much larger amounts of data, all coming out of your mobile data allowance.

Bills of several hundred, or even several thousands, of pounds can be run up. So use your phone sparingly if possible, and if you have to use it make sure you get the necessary data bolt on before you go and switch off unnecessary application background data if possible.

Your current business mobile provider could be a network or an intermediary dealer. Are they giving you a good service? Are they working in YOUR best interests? Whilst changing your mobile provider can lead to some temporary problems these are outweighed by the benefits.

For some companies the change is enforced upon them. Take those dealing with Geko Direct, a mobile phone dealer in the West Midlands. Geko have recently gone into administration leaving many businesses without a dealer and stuck with dealing direct with the network, not always an easy position to be in.

The reasons for changing your business mobile provider include:

Cost savings

The main reason companies move between providers is to save money. It is always advisable to check your current deal when it falls due for renewal to ensure you are receiving the optimum tariff for your usage. As well as cost savings you may also benefit from a better package of handsets which offer added features to improve your mobile connectivity.

Better service

Your current dealer may not be giving you the service you need. Mobile dealers can help with your tariff, adding and removing bundles (eg. roaming), handset repairs, and technical help and advice. For larger customers contact with your dealer can be very much daily, so finding a friendly, helpful company with a dedicated point of contact can be a real asset. Steer away from dealing direct with the networks with their call centres and (often) unhelpful staff.

Single supplier solutions

Having each of your telecoms products with different providers could mean you are paying too much overall. It could also hamper device integration and will certainly be a challenge when problems arise where faults are disputed between providers. A single supplier solution solves this and makes your life easier with a single point of contact.

Enforced provider changes

As in the Geko example above, sometimes dealers go into administration or cease trading. The networks also have the power to remove dealers when they consider it appropriate. They may point you in the direction of another dealer but the choice is yours - you can choose the dealer you consider will best represent your interests.

We make it easy to change

Our aim when transferring your business mobiles to us is always to ensure minimum disruption. If you are transferring between networks we make sure there is no downtime and attend to any problems quickly. Your dedicated account manager is available to help with any advice you need regarding the move.

Once the transfer is completed our Customer Service Team are only a phone call or email away. Your account is subject to regular review to ensure the optimum tariff at all times.

For any companies out there looking to change their business mobile dealer or needing help and advice relating to their contract please get in touch for a no obligation chat regarding your requirements.

The mobile networks used to offer unlimited data tariffs for SmartPhone users. However this did have the effect of encouraging people to use more and more data and as the number of people buying data enabled phones increased, the networks started to struggle with capacity.

In response to this data plans are now generally capped, with 500MB or 1GB being the norm. This also allows the networks to charge extra for excessive usage.

Many users are now used to consuming large amounts of data but are having to cut back under the terms of their new contracts as they come to the end of their contracts or upgrade. Is there an easy way to reduce your mobile phone data?

An application for the iPhone (3GS and 4) called Onavo can compress data usage from all other apps. It can double or even treble your data allowance. The app is free of charge and will shortly be coming to Android handsets too.

Where this app is particularly useful is when roaming. The cost of roaming data is still so high that being able to effectively halve your usage is going to save you money. It could be the difference between staying within your roaming allowance and exceeding it and incurring lots of nasty charges.

At the moment it works with standard data but not streaming or VoIP applications. It provides a detailed monthly data usage report so you can see where your allowance is being used and change your behaviour as necessary in order to avoid excessive data charges.

Most modern SmartPhones will be set up as standard to optimise data usage. Downloading only email headers, not the full emails, and ignoring large attachments will keep your data usage down. If you override these settings make sure you change them back before you go overseas.

Double check your app settings to see how often they update - they could be attempting to collect data every few minutes. Multiply this by a number of apps and you are connecting frequently without knowing just by having them run in the background.

Also look for wi-fi points whenever available. You can usually switch network data off and rely upon wi-fi only. As more wi-fi points come online it becomes easier to get around without the need for your mobile network and still keep connected.

If you absolutely have to use network data, particularly when overseas, make sure your contract is updated to reflect this. Whilst many roaming data bundles do not represent great value, they are still better than standard rates and if you minimise your data usage by changing your settings as above you can still stay in touch without breaking the bank.

 

Nokia, still the largest mobile phone manufacturer by volume, is moving away from its own Symbian Operating System which will be transferred to Accenture to maintain it. This will enable it to concentrate on its partnership with Microsoft and the Windows Phone 7 OS which will be included with its new SmartPhones at some point in the future.

Symbian is not considered by many as a competitor for Android, iOS and BlackBerry OS which has led Nokia to ally itself with Microsoft in a bid to regain some of its lost market share. Whether these two giants combined might can make a dent in their competitors is yet to be seen and doubts about their ability to compete has led to Nokia's market valuation sliding in recent months.

Whilst the mobile news is generally dominated by Android and iOS and their seemingly unstoppable rise, Symbian remains the largest OS worldwide and is used by other manufacturers as well as Nokia. We haven't seen the end of it quite yet.

Lower-end phones will still be running it for some time to come and, for many users, it will serve them well, providing the functions they need. For more advanced users there is a wide choice of SmartPhone handsets, available free of charge on a range of tariffs running a number of different operating systems.

Whilst consumers may shun Windows Phone 7 in favour of Android there will be many business users who will find the full integration with their current Microsoft-powered IT infrastructure attractive. Ally this to Nokia's solid and reliable handsets and it COULD be a winning combination for some businesses.

At Business Mobile World we can advise you regarding the latest SmartPhones and operating systems and how they could help your business perform better.  

Recent research, conducted on behalf of Vodafone across a range of businesses, has shown that one fifth of British workers believe the way their own business runs its communications is preventing them from carrying out their job properly.

For workers out in the field this is particularly important as the ability to work wherever they need to could improve their productivity enabling them to communicate in the way that best suits them and the job that they do.

However, it also applies to workers who do have a desk in an office, with 23% saying they do not spend most of their time sat at it.

SmartPhones are the most desirable communication tools, with 31% of those surveyed saying it would enable them to carry out their job more effectively. 37% said they currently have no access to flexible communication tools.

The conclusion of the survey was very much that businesses should take an individual approach to their employees communications, tailoring the tools available directly to the job they do. Whilst a flexible communications policy does throw up security issues, these can usually be addressed without too much trouble.

The research is clear evidence that increased productivity can be gained by strengthening employee collaboration and customer interaction. Better communications technology will also help organisations attract the best employees and improve staff retention.

For many businesses, particularly small businesses, the costs of implementing better communications could be perceived to be high. However, in reality SmartPhones are now available cheaply on a range of small business tariffs.

Even small changes to the type of handsets available to staff, offering enhanced communication features, will make a difference to their ability to get the job done whilst away from the office.

There are also SmartPhone based employee management solutions which allow you to keep track of where your staff are at any given time allowing you to make better decisions based on real-time data and therefore reduce costs and improve productivity.

For total communication solutions, integrated with your existing telecoms, contact us on 0115 944 8977.

Research has suggested that nearly three-quarters of all mobile phone users are paying more than they have to on their mobile contracts. The average saving of getting the correct tariff amounts to around £200.

There are two distinct categories of user who are paying over the odds. The first group are the over estimators. They take out contracts with far more minutes than they actually use. In fact the average usage is only a quarter of their inclusive minutes, leaving three quarters wasted.

The reason for this is thought to be the fear of "bill shock" where a large unexpected bill arrives for going over your allocated allowances. There is also the possibility that people are taking out larger tariffs than they need in order to get the latest expensive SmartPhones free of charge.

The second group of over-spenders are the under estimators. They take out contracts with low inclusive limits and then regularly exceed them leading to charges every month.

With minutes and texts it is quite easy to keep track of your usage, although many users choose not to and are surprised by their monthly bill, but with data it is harder to quantify exact usage. That is because viewing different web pages, even on the same site, can lead to different download amounts and these are not always obvious to the end user.

With business mobiles the potential for savings by being on the correct tariff is magnified. That is where we come in. If you already have business mobile phones we can look at your current bills to provide the optimum tariff for your actual usage.

Staggeringly the research suggests there are currently a total of 8,134,979 different contract permutations on offer to mobile phone customers in the UK. This is where expert help comes in handy.

For many business users savings can amount to several thousand pounds by getting the right tariff combination. We can also advise regarding the best handsets for your usage and getting the best VALUE phones, not simply trying to obtain the most expensive without the need for many of their features.

It is not just mobiles where businesses are over paying. Landlines, broadband and across the full range of telecom products and services there are savings to be made without any loss of service quality.

BlackBerry mobiles have always been thought of as "business phones". In SmartPhone terms they are the only phones thought of specifically for business users first as their rivals are very much consumer models used by businesses. The only other phones made specifically for business are the rugged phones designed for workmen and tradesmen.

Newer BlackBerry phones have very much been aimed at broadening their appeal into the consumer market and there is evidence that this has succeeded with a large proportion of younger users carrying their devices. So are they still good for business?

Our customers certainly think so, with BlackBerry phones having 2 or 3 (or more) entries in our top sellers list every month. This is largely driven by their email service which is still highly thought of by many users.

They are also fairly reliable, with few visits to our repairs department in comparison with other SmartPhone handsets. Reliability is an overlooked feature by many businesses but think about it - you don't want to miss an important call, or even any call, because your handset is "playing up".

There are now enough different styles of BlackBerry handset so that you can choose one that fits with your usage, whether that be a touchscreen or QWERTY keyboard (or both with the BlackBerry Torch!) Are there any disadvantages to using BlackBerry?

The main disadvantage is the cost of certain tariffs. BlackBerry data is still charged at a higher rate than "standard" data even though it is the same thing! The iPhone also suffers the same fate on certain business mobile tariffs. So you can get a similar handset that will do most of the functions of a BlackBerry on a slightly reduced tariff in some circumstances.

However if you choose the right combination of tariff and handset the BlackBerry solution will serve your business well.

Another perceived disadvantage is the number of apps available for BlackBerry phones. This is certainly dwarfed by those for the iPhone. However BlackBerry apps tend to be business-centric so you are likely to find a good selection of serious business apps at BlackBerry World.

With the BlackBerry Playbook tablet they are looking at ways of increasing the number of apps you can run from a BlackBerry device with potential for running Android apps via special software. This type of innovation is likely to come to their phones in the future if it proves successful on the Playbook and it is practicable.

So if you are thinking about BlackBerry for your business take a closer look at the latest models and how they compare to other SmartPhones in terms of features and usability. As well as their handsets offering a range of different features there are also a variety of price tags so they are affordable for single users and small businesses.

Contact us for a quote for 1 BlackBerry or 100+. We can also advise regarding BlackBerry email solutions for your business including BIS, BES and BES Express. If we feel your business would be better suited to an alternative device we can help you there too having access to all UK handsets.

 

You may have seen in the news that mobile termination rates are set to be slashed following action from Ofcom. This is the amount charged by the network for connecting a call which currently stands at over 4p.

By 2015 this fee will be reduced below 1p (to 0.69p) meaning that calls to mobiles from landlines will be getting a lot cheaper. In the meantime the fee will gradually be reduced year by year.

Whilst the initial reaction from many commentators was to believe this would benefit consumers, it is likely that the networks will find other ways to recoup their losses from this rate reduction.

The real winners will be those that use their landline phones to call mobiles. At the moment businesses pay anything between 7p - 15p per minute to do this. A large proportion of this is the termination fee. As this fee drops so should the cost of calling a mobile from your landline.

Competition within the telecoms sector is fierce so packages reflecting the reductions should be available shortly. We are currently working on a new range of business landline tariffs including some all-inclusive deals which will give customers a better choice.

This may include an amount of free calls to mobiles alongside a bundle of minutes for local and national calls and even broadband. Full details will be unveiled shortly.

In the meantime if your business is looking for ways in which to reduce expenditure you should consider a telecoms review. By simply sending us a copy of your bills (by email or fax) and we will analyze them and provide you with a report detailing cost savings.

Alternatively, if you have other problems, such as your current telecoms systems creaking under the weight of your business expansion or existing suppliers not giving you the service you need please contact us to discuss your requirements. We can tailor a bespoke solution for your business regardless of size or complexity.

Would you like a free mobile phone for your business? We have a range of mobiles available free of charge on a variety of tariffs. Our basic business tariff starts at £25 and includes the following:

• 500 mobile minutes
• 3,000 landline minutes
• 250 texts
• 500MB of data

This includes a free mobile handset. You could choose from the following:

• BlackBerry Curve 8520
• HTC Wildfire
• Nokia X6
• Sony Ericsson Elm

For business users looking for more mobile minutes the tariffs rise as follows:

• 750 mobile minutes - £30
• 1,000 mobile minutes - £35 (data increased to 750MB)
• 1,250 mobile minutes - £40 (data increased to 750MB)
• 2,000 mobile minutes - £45 (data increased to 1GB)

All of these tariffs include texts, data and landline minutes as above. They are on the Vodafone network and subject to 24 months contract.

With higher tariffs the choice of free business mobile available becomes greater. This brings in the likes of the BlackBerry 9800 Torch, Apple iPhone, HTC Desire HD and a host of other SmartPhones.

Large business mobile tariffs

For business users looking for more than one handset contact us to get the best deals. We can supply multiple free handsets, either the same or a range of different ones to suit different tastes and jobs.

We can cater for SMEs with 5 or more mobiles and corporate mobile users with several hundred handsets. The greater the number of handsets the more value we can bring to your business in terms of cost reductions and communication improvements.

As well as Vodafone business mobile tariffs we also offer Orange and O2 contracts. We can help you with upgrades and with solving problems with your existing mobile dealer.

For a free no obligation discussion on your business mobile needs call 0115 944 8977 or complete our online enquiry form.

Business Mobiles - it always used to be about getting a lower price when your contract was due for renewal. This was because phones did not do much more than talk and text and there was little difference between handsets.

Whilst cost reductions should never be ignored, now it is also about considering value for money. You may have to pay more to get the right handsets for your business but they could pay for themselves quickly with an increase in productivity as a result of their features.

"Work smarter, not harder" - an advertising slogan from a few years ago that is very apt when considering mobile phones today. The SmartPhone is dominating the market currently and as their popularity grows so are the functions they can perform via new apps.

It is not just larger businesses where these features are being integrated into their communication policies, small businesses can gain from a number of features offered by SmartPhones.

Getting value for money on your business mobiles is about striking the right balance between the handsets you receive and the tariff you need. For instance, taking out a higher tariff with allowances beyond your needs in order to get a handset free of charge makes little sense in the long run when you add in all of the cost factors.

Also taking out the very latest mobiles on your tariff when you don't need the features offered is folly. The high end handsets tend to have more problems by virtue of the incredible hardware and software that's packed into them. If you only want to use your phone to talk, get a sensible talk and text phone. If you work in a hard industry, get a "tough" phone to withstand the damage that could be inflicted during your work.

When analyzing your current contract look at the extra charges being incurred. If you are regularly paying extra for calls, texts and data it is likely you are on the wrong tariff. Similarly if you never exceed your allowances and have a lot left each month you might be better off on a reduced tariff.

It might be that your usage varies wildly between months, perhaps your business is seasonal, and the best value tariff needs to be calculated as a whole across the full length of the contract rather than on a monthly basis.

There are a range of variables which means that the best value business mobile contract offered by different suppliers will vary. Always get at least a couple of opinions before committing to a new contract. Perhaps we can suggest better ways to use your phones in order to improve productivity and profitability.

 

As well as providing mobile phone solutions to businesses we can also assist with landlines. These can be provided as separate products at different times or as part of a package. Our landline service provides your business with a range of savings in the following areas:

• Line rental
• Call charges
• Cheap calls to mobiles
• Phone systems
• Telephone numbers
• Call management
• Call recording

To compare our line rental and call prices with your current landline supplier all you need to do is fax or email a copy of your latest bill and we will analyze it and prepare a report showing you exactly how much you could save by transferring your services to us.

This is a free, no obligation service. Should you be happy with our report and want to transfer, the process is straightforward and does not involve you in any loss of service.

Bespoke Landline Solutions

For phone systems, larger companies and more complex solutions such as multi-site MPLS networks, we can undertake a full review of all of your services and put together a package that provides your business with cost savings and offers real improvements in your communication infrastructure including greater reliability and failover options.

We also offer unified communication solutions. This is your mobiles and landlines working together as one. There are a range of products and new technologies which can be utilised to achieve seamless integration of landline and mobile and we can offer advice and put together a package to address your own company's requirements.

One such solution, particularly aimed at small business users, is Vodafone One Net. This gives you a virtual landline number (or multiple numbers) which rings your mobile when dialled. This allows you to take calls when out and about as if you were in the office. There are no diversion charges and an easy to understand tariff with unlimited calls.

Depending upon your usage other unified communications solutions might suit you better. Call us for a quotation embracing all of the different options.

 

 

In the telecoms industry you will hear the abbreviation ARPU on a regular basis. It stands for Average Revenue Per User and is a measurement made by the networks to better understand the value of their business mobile contracts. The higher the ARPU the more valuable the customer.

It is calculated by taking the total revenue (both from customer spend and incoming call connection fees) and dividing it by the number of users. So a business with 10 mobile phones earning £500 per month for the network would have an ARPU of £50.

Higher ARPU generally comes from high usage, extra services and out-of-bundle spend. So companies with data bolt-ons and regular roaming will generally have a higher ARPU than those on similar tariffs who never use more than their allowances.

Why is ARPU important?

When your contract is due for upgrade the network will look at the ARPU and decide on how much they can put towards the deal. Your business mobile dealer will then use this figure to calculate which phones are available for you or how much can be given to you in kit allowance.

You will usually see reference to ARPU and other key business metrics when networks disclose their profit figures. The value of these metrics can be used as a comparison between companies and between operating years. 

With decreasing voice revenues mobile companies are focusing on data to drive ARPU higher. Generating extra revenue (higher ARPU) from existing customers is seen as more cost effective than increasing revenue through new customer acquisition.

 

We provide a full range of telecoms products and services, from mobile phones to VoIP phone systems, across a wide range of sectors throughout the UK. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from a free telecoms review and the larger your business is the more money we will likely be able to save you.

Transport companies are particularly reliant upon their communications supplier as they have employees constantly on the road needing to keep in touch. Most transport companies will also have some form of tracking, either vehicle or device based.

Whether your fleet is large or small, its management is likely to rely upon your telecoms and good fleet management will save your business money and improve productivity.

Our current portfolio of clients includes many in the transport sector giving us an insight into the challenges faced and the solutions available to make your transport business more efficient than your competitors.

With fuel prices rocketing currently, managing your fleet with the latest technology could reduce your fuel bills. Device tracking software has come on in leaps and bounds and many organisations already have suitable phones for the software download.

As well as reducing fuel bills, modern tracking systems can assist in job despatch and streamlining and automating your administration processes. The savings can be large, even for small and medium-sized transport fleets.

A telecoms review with us will focus on:

• Mobile phones
• Landline phones (lines/systems/calls)
• Vehicle tracking and employee management
• Broadband and IT

Ensuring these work together well will give you the optimum performance. Sourcing all of your telecoms from one source gives you the greatest cost savings and also ensures there are no grey areas should problems arise.

 

Good communication is essential in all businesses. Communication between employees, between departments, between offices, even between countries. That is just internal communications - the real difference between companies in many sectors, particularly where price differential is marginal, is how they communicate with their customers, and potential customers.

Businesses that place a real focus on their communication, utilising new technology to make their customer experience better, are going to gain market share over those that are stuck in the dark ages (in telecoms technology terms at least!)

The average business has a range of telecommunications which can be optimised to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity. This includes mobile phones, landlines and broadband. Then there are added services which your business might not have yet but which could deliver real benefits, such as call management and employee management (device tracking).

As and when your telecoms products and services become due for renewal you should take the opportunity for a full communications review to see how existing products can be improved and new products can be added to improve efficiency and productivity.

It is tempting, particularly amongst small businesses, to focus entirely on the contract that is due at that moment in isolation and to look only at cost reductions. This can be a mistake. These days telecoms need to integrate with each other and with your IT infrastructure and to neglect this synergy could leave you struggling with obsolete technology for a 2 year contract whilst your competitors improve their communications and gain customers that could have been yours.

Effective business communication cannot be achieved without technology, and the pace of change in the telecoms sector could leave your business floundering if you don't seek expert help and guidance to ensure you achieve the optimum balance between improving your telecoms and reducing your tariffs.

If you are a business decision maker reading this article now and you recognise that your company could benefit from a telecoms review please contact us. It doesn't matter if your contracts are not yet due, we can look at moving them at renewal date or even buying them out if this would benefit your business in the long run.

Don't struggle along with obsolete technology holding you back. Your business can grow with improved communications and the cost of investment is often less than you think or even free for new mobile handsets.

With 15 years experience in the mobile technology sector we can offer your business the opportunity to power ahead of your competitors with the latest communications hardware and a range of tariffs to suit all sizes of company. Contact us for more information.

Lincolnshire - it's a big old county and many people think it is pretty barren in terms of business. However, we know differently. We now have a dedicated sales team for the county of Lincolnshire able to visit you at your convenience and take you through a free telecoms review.

We cover all of the major towns in Lincolnshire including:

• Boston
• Cleethorpes
• Gainsborough
• Grantham
• Grimsby
• Hykeham
• Lincoln
• Louth
• Market Deeping
• North Hykeham
• Scunthorpe
• Shapcott
• Skegness
• Spalding
• Stamford

The products we can offer are:

• Mobile phones
• Landline telephony
• Broadband
• VoIP
• Mobile broadband
• Vehicle tracking
• Employee management
• IT services

These can be offered singularly or part of a package and are available to any business in the Lincolnshire region.

Our free telecoms review looks at your current telecoms structure and spend and ways in which it can be optimized to reduce costs whilst improving productivity through the use of new technology.

It won't take much time out of your day and it can be done over the phone or by email if you prefer. We just need a copy of your current bills so that we can prepare a report based on accurate usage figures.

If you are currently in contract it is still worth getting in touch. We can look into the buy out of your current contract and, in many circumstances, we can fund this whilst still saving you money on your telecoms spend.

We focus on maximising your return from your telecoms spend. Whilst cost savings are always a part of this, we also look at ways in which new mobile technology can help improve your productivity. Ultimately this improvement may yield more profits and be the better option long term for your business.

However, the final decision is always yours to make. We will put forward options and suggestions with full costings and you decide which one offers your business the best way forward.

So if you are a Lincolnshire-based business get in touch with us on 0115 944 8977 to arrange for one of our business telecoms consultants to provide a free review and report.

 

The figures are in for February and the Top 10 business mobile phone list has been calculated and compiled. Seven phones from the Top 10 in January make the list, plus three new entries. BlackBerry have three phones in the list, just behind Nokia with four. The full Top 10 is below (placings from January in brackets)...

1. (6) BlackBerry Curve 8520
2. (7) Nokia 2700
3. (1) Samsung M110
4. (2) Nokia 6303i
5. (4) Nokia 2730
6. (5) Apple iPhone 4
7. (-) BlackBerry Bold 9780
8. (-) Motorola Defy
9. (-) Nokia 2220 Slide
10. (3) BlackBerry 9800 Torch

The most interesting phone in the list is the Motorola Defy. This is the first time in memory that Motorola have featured in our Top 10 list, with their new Defy SmartPhone being very highly thought of. Expect to see this in forthcoming Top 10s as more people discover this gem.

Most of the other mobiles feature regularly in our best selling business mobile list with the BlackBerry Curve 8520 remaining extremely popular amongst business users looking for a SmartPhone with a reasonable price tag. It is a reliable mobile phone which does not come back for repair too often.

Some SmartPhones which are packed full of features do make regular visits to our repair department and those users who look for the most expensive mobiles are often disappointed by their performance. In business the most important feature is reliability - you need to be able to make and take calls at any time. For many business users the extra features provided by the high-end mobiles go largely unused so why pay for them?

We offer businesses of all types and size the opportunity of a free review of their business mobiles. Wherever you are in your current contract please contact us to find out if you could save some money. We can even buy you out of your current contract in certain circumstances and still supply you with new handsets and better tariffs.

A free telecoms review can be solely for mobiles or for all of your telecoms services - it's up to you and there is no obligation so why not see what sort of package we can offer you for multiple services? Cost reductions and improved productivity come as standard!

Business Mobile World are based near Nottingham giving us easy access to customers throughout the East Midlands counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. We are mobile phone dealers primarily involved with business contracts but we do also offer upgrades for several networks and new consumer connections via our partner sites.

Business Mobiles in Nottinghamshire

Having your business mobile phones handled by a local company means that you will benefit from a more personal service. If handsets break and need replacing this can be done quickly and any problems can be resolved face-to-face with a real person not over the phone to a call centre.

Mobile phone upgrades

When your contract is nearing its end you will be able to upgrade your phone in return for re-signing with the network. We can help you with Orange upgrades and O2 upgrades for individuals. Get in touch with us to see what deal we can put together for you.

New mobile connections

The best deals are available on new connections. If you are changing network you will benefit from a better handset and possible free gifts in order to entice you to sign. Some of the latest SmartPhones available include:

• Nokia N8
• HTC Desire HD
• BlackBerry Torch 9800
• Google Nexus S
• Samsung Galaxy S
• HTC Wildfire
• BlackBerry Bold 9780

These can all be found at UK Mobile Phone Deals, many with free gifts and cashback offers.

If it's a single mobile phone, or several if you are a business user, that you are after we offer a range of different options and tariffs to suit. Just contact us for a free no obligation quotation.

 

As devices converge and their inter-relationship becomes more complex the advantages of a single supplier for all of your telecoms increase. As well as cost reductions the main area where you will see benefits is in problem resolution.

Take for example the following scenario, which is all too common:

• Line rental with Company A
• Broadband service with Company B
• IT contract with Company C

What happens when your business loses its broadband connection? Whose fault is it and how do you get it sorted?

You would probably start with IT support. Once they have exhausted their options and told you it's not their fault you move onto the broadband provider. Again, they run their tests and tell you its not their fault. Finally you contact the line provider, only to be told the line is fine and there's no problem at their end. Now what do you do?

You don't have any broadband and all three suppliers deny any knowledge of a fault. Without broadband your business is suffering - where do you turn next and how do you get it sorted?

Now imagine all three services are provided by a single company. You report the loss of broadband and the company concerned, who provide you with your entire broadband infrastructure, are certainly responsible for the outage. They chase around and get it sorted. You're back in business with a single phone call.

At this stage you're probably thinking that the above example is a bit far fetched but we have seen it happen. You might also be thinking about the dangers of putting all of your eggs in one basket - that is certainly an issue and you should always do a bit of research about any company with whom you are trusting your livelihood.

As part of 21c Telecom Ltd we can offer your business all of the above services and more. We already offer multiple services to many of our customers and are specialists in tailoring converged telecoms solutions to your particular business circumstances.

We are also able to provide services such as Vodafone One Net, a unified communications solution which merges landline and mobile enabling you to take incoming calls on either device at any time. You need never miss a business call again.

Contact us for a free telecoms healthcheck where we look at your communications in its entirety to identify cost savings and ways of improving productivity and maximising ROI from your telecoms spend.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the brand new logo appearing at the top of every page. This is the first stage of a website overhaul aimed at getting our message across in a simpler, more eye-catching manner.

We will be breaking down the site into three distinct categories of business user:

• 1-5 handsets (small business)
• 6-20 mobiles (medium-sized business)
• 21+ phones (large business)

Small business users, particularly those with a single handset, will usually be focused very much on price. Having only one handset means that they are eligible for consumer tariffs, which are usually cheaper than business tariffs. That is why we have launched a Consumer Mobile Deals section of the website.

For small business users with 2-5 handsets a shared minute tariff might be more beneficial, giving free calls between all of the handsets as well as a pool of minutes for the phones to use, although for 2 or 3 phones it sometimes works out better taking individual tariffs in terms of pricing.

Once you get above 5 handsets the business tariffs come into their own and offer real value and cost savings. For medium and large businesses we offer a free review service to analyze current bills and ensure the optimum tariff is utilised.

Larger businesses are often focused on problem resolution in addition to cost reduction and issues such as flexible and home working arise which require specific handsets integrated into their current systems.

We can also offer a total telecoms solution incorporating landlines, broadband and IT to ensure devices work together and provide real benefits to their communications policies and strategies.

Our current client list is spread across many sectors, both locally in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and further afield throughout the UK. Our dedicated account managers are regularly travelling throughout the UK so will likely be in your area in the near future. Contact us if you would like them to pop in and show you what we can offer.

In the meantime keep your eye on the Business Mobile World website for changes and developments that could offer real opportunities for your business to grow via the use of new telecoms technology.

In an ideal world you would never miss a business call. Missed calls mean that new business will be going directly to your competition or existing customers will be left feeling unwanted. Up until now the barrier between fixed line (landline) and mobile has meant that solutions were clunky or costly. But these barriers are coming down.

Many small businesses, particularly one-man bands, rely upon diverting landlines to mobiles, even though the cost can be 15p per minute or more. In SMEs with a few staff time is wasted daily trying to find people and get calls through to them on the right number. The solution is at hand.

Vodafone One Net Express, designed specifically for small businesses with up to 10 employees, is revolutionising the telecoms market by offering what are effectively mobile landlines. Single numbers can ring on multiple devices allowing the intended recipient to pick up the call wherever they are straight away.

You can choose the numbers you want, and can have multiple local numbers for increased presence or even several national numbers to give your business a bigger feel.

This number will ring simultaneously on your landline phone, mobile phone, computer and any other compatible devices and you can choose to answer on any of them. You can also transfer calls between devices when necessary.

The benefits of Vodafone One Net Express include:

No installation

Works with existing mobile and landline phones

Keep existing numbers or choose new ones

Add local landline numbers across the UK

Never miss a business call again

Reduce administration with a single supplier

No call forwarding costs

No on-site system to maintain

Perfect for small teams, remote or home workers

This solution is hosted and supported by Vodafone and they are bringing new features and enhancements on board regularly to keep their system at the forefront of unified communications.

Vodafone One Net Express is available quickly and without any expensive hardware or software. Vodafone do everything for you. For small businesses with a few users you benefit from a virtual phone system which offers features normally only found in corporate systems.

For more information get in touch with us.

Contract lengths for mobile phones have been getting longer with 24 months becoming the norm. 12 month contracts have all but disappeared. This is due to the cost of handsets which the networks are supplying free of charge and subsidising from their contract revenue.

In order to recoup the handset costs, which often run into several hundreds of pounds for the latest SmartPhones, the contracts had to be longer to keep down the monthly cost to a reasonable level.

Now the EU is introducing new telecoms legislation which needs to come into UK law by the end of May. Included within this is a stipulation that contracts should be no longer than 24 months and that consumers should be offered 12 month contracts.

So 12 month mobile contracts should be making a return to the UK in May across all of the networks but don't hold your breath for lots of bargains. Only on the cheapest of phones are there going to be cheap deals and top-end SmartPhones are going to be incredibly expensive.

For ordinary consumers the chance to change phones every 12 months or even to change network could be quite appealing. For business customers 12 month contracts are not so exciting.

Business mobile contracts can usually be upgraded mid-term, which means that after a year of a 2 year contract new phones can be had subject to extending the contract for a further year. There is also the option of an allowance for new phones when signing initially which gives you a pot of money to dip into when phones need replacing.

Also included in the EU laws is a move towards transferring mobile numbers within a single day, rather than the 2 days (or longer) it currently takes. Making it easier to move between networks when your contract has ended.

The problem for your business going direct to the networks and obtaining individual quotations is that there are so many different plans around that it is going to be difficult to compare, as each will have different combinations of minutes, texts and data and likely provide different handsets.

The ideal solution would be to submit your details to a single company and let them compare business mobile phone plans for you and prepare a report showing you where cost savings can be made and where communication improvements can be implemented.

At Business Mobile World we offer this service. All you have to do is send us a copy of your latest business mobile bill, or several if usage patterns vary greatly from month to month, and we will analyze exactly where your money is being spent.

Our comparison service is free of charge, without obligation and will only take a few minutes of your time initially in terms of submitting your bills and briefing us about your business and any communication problems it faces. After our review is completed your report will show you cost reductions based on actual usage and suggestions for future improvements.

During our review we break down all calls made into distinct categories: calls to other mobiles, landline calls, international calls, non-geo (0844/0870) and from this can see exactly how many minutes are being used and which tariff is going to provide enough to cover your usage without incurring extra charges.

Data usage is continually rising amongst business users and this needs to be factored in with companies using email and internet on their phones and mobile devices. Mobile broadband is another consideration as are the type and functionality of the mobile handsets supplied.

We compare business mobile plans from all of the major networks to ensure that you are not spending more than you have to. We have been dealing with business mobiles for over 15 years and keep ourselves at the cutting edge of technology and developments to ensure none of our clients are left behind.

The latest mobile phones will give you enhanced functionality and a range of business applications to make your life easier and more productive when out and about. We can offer your business iPhones, iPads and other comparable mobile devices. No business is too large or small for our business mobile comparison service - get in touch whether you have 1 phone or 500 to see what we can offer you.

All businesses should be looking to reduce costs. If you are able to make cost savings whilst at the same time deliver real improvements in your communications and working practices this is the ideal outcome.

For large businesses and corporates there is a tender process to be followed and procurement teams need to demonstrate that they have achieved real value for money. The larger the contracts involved the greater scope for cost reductions.

Business Mobile World, through our partner 21c Telecom Ltd, have experience in the field of corporate mobile phones and in providing integrated telecoms solutions to large businesses. This includes multi-site corporate organisations with locations throughout the UK.

Our extensive knowledge of the latest telecommunications technology enables us to deliver time-and-money-saving improvements to telecoms infrastructure. At the same time we work in close partnership with the major mobile networks to reduce your monthly bills, resulting in savings amounting to many thousands of pounds in most cases.

Corporate enterprises require innovative solutions helping to maximize the use of company assets. Important data needs to be sent swiftly and, most importantly, securely. This needs to be across a range of devices from computers and laptops to mobile phones and tablets.

Device integration and mobility options are forefront in our mind enabling more flexible working which in turn delivers tangible benefits to both company and employee.

Our confidential service will be delivered to you within your given timescale and will include a range of options, where appropriate, providing flexible solutions to any given connectivity need.

To find out more or to take the first steps in obtaining your own tailored solution call 0115 944 8977 or use our online enquiry form. We look forward to hearing from you.

There can be many reasons why a business would want to buy out of a mobile contract early. For instance:

• Dissatisfied with your current business mobile broker
• Unhappy with customer service direct from the network
• Moved premises to an area with poor signal on current network
• To take advantage of better deals
• Needing new hardware which cannot be supplied on current contract
• Other changes in circumstances

Depending on how long your current business mobile contract has to run this can be an expensive business. For instance if your monthly line rental is £150 (this is the base tariff only excluding any overspend) and you have 12 months left on the contract your buy out is going to be £1,800.

This might be money you cannot afford to pay. However this can often be included as part of your new package with a new network meaning that you get the services you require without having to pay a penny.

Every case is different and we look at each individual deal on its merits. Depending upon your new tariff there may be enough money available for both a buyout and new handsets.

To find out if you could qualify to end your current business mobile contract early and take out a new one without having to pay please contact us and we will look at the details of the deal to see if it can be done.

We are always working hard on behalf of our customers to get them the best business mobile deals. We deal with all of the major business mobile networks and know how to switch your account between them with the minimum of fuss.

For the first post of 2011 it seems like a good time to refresh the underlying message of this website - how to find the best business mobile deal.

With 2011 promising to be a pretty miserable year for many businesses thanks to the Government cuts it is essential to look at all of your expenditure and see where savings can be made. Telecoms is one area where lower costs are available for many.

You already have enough on your plate running your own business so we want to make it as easy as possible for you to save money. Just submit a copy of your latest mobile phone bill for us to analyze and show you how much you could save.

By submitting an actual bill you are also ensuring that we are basing our quotation on your actual usage rather than an assumed figure based on your tariff. We can also advise on new handsets and technology which could help improve your working practices and result in increased productivity and profitability.

At the same time we can also help with your other telecoms. This includes business landline call charges, where we are particularly competitive at the moment, broadband, tracking and more.

By taking multiple services from one provider you will benefit from the lowest rates available together with simpler administration and problem resolution. No grey areas between suppliers, no call centres - our aim is to save you money and make your life easier!

For your free quotation for business mobiles or any of our other telecoms services get in touch by email - tony@businessmobileworld.co.uk - or give us a call on 0115 944 8977.

Question: when is a freephone number not a freephone number?
Answer: when you call it from your mobile phone

Most people are aware that calling an 0800 or 0808 freephone number from their mobile phone is not a free call. In fact it can cost up to 40p per minute. Ofcom have now issued proposals that freephone numbers should be free of charge from mobile phones.

They are also looking to simplify how non-geographic numbers (0844/0845) and premium rate numbers are charged due to confusion and uncertainty about how much it costs to make a phone call to them from a mobile.

The price structure of these calls would change so that the phone company's charge and the charge made by the business would be presented separately, enabling customers to compare the different rates charged by phone companies and even shame some of them into reductions. Similar rules would apply to 118 services.

Transparent pricing of these calls should improve competition between operators and bring down the call costs.

When we analyze business mobile packages we often see these type of calls bumping up bills considerably. These "out of bundle" calls can be a real problem but there are now business tariffs which offer some inclusivity.

For instance Vodafone offer an "Extra" on their business essentials tariff which allows 0800, 0870 and 0845 numbers to be decremented from your inclusive bundle of minutes. This can represent a real saving for businesses who call these numbers regularly.

Any business looking to reduce its mobile call spend can submit their bills to us for analysis. This service is free of charge and gives you the opportunity to see where savings could be made.

 

Snow is on its way again. Around here it's due Thursday afternoon continuing on Friday and possibly the weekend. At the moment the forecasters seem a bit vague about how much there might be but what if it's as bad as the last snowfall?

Many businesses suffered significantly in the last bad weather with employees stranded at home and offices barely manned. However, after a few days the panic is over and things go back to normal. Ways of avoiding business disruption are forgotten.....until it happens again!

Preparing your business for disruption does not have to be costly or difficult to implement. Facilitating employees working from home as if they were in the office not only helps when they are stranded but can also be a positive factor in attracting and retaining good staff.

There are several products which could help your business.

• With MyInbound you can redirect calls to your employees' homes or mobiles or other branches at the touch of a button. You can set up pre-planned disaster recovery plans, or create a new plan to instantly come into effect. Read more about call management solutions.
• Conferencing. If you can’t travel to that important meeting, don’t cancel it. You can show presentations, work on documents together, video conference, or just talk.
• Hosted IP Telephony. Work from anywhere there's an internet connection and have all the same telephone functionality as if in the office.

We can help your business prepare for disruption and keep it up and running in difficult circumstances. Get in touch with us for a quotation or a total business telecoms healthcheck and solution.

 

As a partner with 21c Business Phones we are able to offer a number of associated telecoms products and services in addition to business mobiles. One of these is landline telephone billing.

Whilst we do have a number of tariffs available for all size of business, we are also able to offer bespoke landline tariffs. We have our own billing engine which allows us to provide different rates to customers based on call spend.

This allows us to beat most competitors by some margin. Savings of 40% are not uncommon.

We offer a free business landline review for all of our website visitors. Send us a copy of your latest bill (just the front page and breakdown page) by email or fax and we'll undertake a full analysis and provide you with a report detailing where savings can be made and exactly how much they amount to.

We can also save you money on line rental and offer a full business landline service including new lines and systems, telephone numbers, VoIP and specialist products such as call recording and call monitoring.

One of the areas in which we receive a lot of enquiries is making cheap landline calls to mobiles. If you are currently paying 10ppm or more you need to be contacting us because we can save you a sizeable chunk off your mobile calls.

Do beware of lengthy landline contracts though. You may think you are no longer in contract or nearing the end of your contract but do check with your current provider. Some companies are less than transparent in their business contract dealings.

With us we like to make things easy for you. Every rate is set out clearly and billed monthly with easy to understand bills. We can even add extra services to your landline bill so that you just receive a single bill for multiple services, streamlining your administration.

So don't delay, the sooner you contact us the quicker we can start saving you money on your landline bills.

Business iPhone? Is the iPhone a business phone? The jury has been out for a while on this one but finally the verdict is in - the Apple iPhone is a business phone. Here's the evidence....

As every month we have compiled our list of Top 10 business mobile phones for November. This month we have a new number 1, for the first time ever, the Apple iPhone.

The iPhone has been hanging around the Top 10 for a while now, since the release of the iPhone 4. It has definitely gained in popularity with business users, culminating in its number one position last month.

We are seeing an increasing number of businesses requesting the iPhone and, with prices not as high as they once were, we can supply them free of charge on a range of business mobile tariffs.

Some of the features offered by the iPhone to business users include:

• Microsoft Exchange, IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV integration
• Hardware encryption and enhanced Data Protection
• VPN and Wi-Fi protocols including SSL VPN
• Secure access to corporate intranets
• Visual Voicemail
• GPS-powered Maps
• Range of business apps available
• Ability to build own apps

With so many people using the iPhone in their personal lives it makes it easy for them to utilise all of the phone's features in a business context.

So it really is the "business iPhone" - could your business benefit from changing handsets and upgrading to the iPhone 4? For a free no obligation evaluation and quotation just get in touch.

To see the full Top 10 business mobile phones for November, in which the iPhone came out number 1, follow this link...Top 10 business mobile phones.

If you took out a long contract a year or 18 months ago for your business mobiles it is almost certain that your handsets are pretty much obsolete. If you only use them for talk and text this is not likely to be a big problem. However, could better mobiles with enhanced functionality improve your communications?

If your business mobile contracts are due within the next six months now is the time to think about getting a free review to see how new mobile technology could help your business. This might be the latest mobile handsets or even tablet computers such as the iPad.

Prices for SmartPhones are dropping all the time due to increased competition between manufacturers. This means that small business users with relatively low tariffs can obtain them free of charge. Large business users with 10+ mobiles will be able to choose the more expensive phones such as the iPhone 4 within their tariff.

Data usage is now a big part of business mobile contracts with many companies issuing all of their employees with phones equipped for email and internet usage. Large business users often have their own company specific apps for their use.

The cost of data can make up a fair chunk of a business mobile bill so getting the right data package is essential. Going over your allotted MB usage can incur seriously high charges. If several employees are doing this every month you are going to see much larger bills than necessary.

We can review your mobile phone bills for your business using specialist analysis software which will pinpoint excessive usage and show you exactly how much you could be saving. If your business mobile tariff hasn't been reviewed recently it will cost you nothing to get in touch and receive a free report.

Whilst helping you with business mobile savings we can also advise on related telecoms products and services including broadband, landline calls, systems, VoIP and more. As more and more devices are IT powered their integration with each other can make serious improvements to your communications leading to increased flexibility and profitability.

 

As the snow continues to fall, some areas are experiencing considerable business disruption. We know because some of the companies we deal with are based in the frozen north and are struggling to cope with skeleton staff and even office closures.

Do you have contingencies in place for business disruption like this?

VoIP technology makes remote working solutions easier. No matter whether you’re working around planned holidays, or unexpected weather related disruption, remote working functionality allows users to operate as though in the office.

• Make and receive calls
• Access voicemail and fax
• Communicate with others via private instant messaging server
• Monitor the availability of colleagues
• Twin the users’ mobile phones with their desk phones to ensure they can receive every call
• Control the behaviour of incoming calls to full effect during extended periods where employees are unavailable

When implemented properly a VoIP remote working solution will make your customers believe you are trading as normal no matter how much disruption.

VoIP technology and software can also help you with business metrics. Monitoring and measuring your business performance with one-click reporting allowing you to see where you are performing well and where improvements can be made.

For more information regarding remote and flexible working solutions or for a VoIP evaluation and quotation please contact us.

What could your business achieve by mobile and flexible working? Communications technology can improve the performance of organisations by enhancing workplace conditions, improving employee satisfaction and increasing productivity. These are just a few of the benefits.

Others include cost reductions, reducing carbon footprint, an increase in efficiency, improvements to customer service and better staff retention. The quality of a company’s customer service can be the difference between success and failure.

Businesses are more concerned than ever with the customer service they provide. According to a Global Consumer Survey by Genesys, 75 per cent of consumers say they would do business with a company based on a great customer experience, while 50 per cent say the  last time they stopped doing business with a company was partly or wholly due to poor customer service.

Another factor to consider when thinking about flexible working is business continuity. In the event of a major problem such as severe weather where the majority of your employees are unable to make it into work could your business continue to function? With a flexible working solution your employees have the tools to do their work wherever they are.

Flexible working gives you and your employees a platform to effectively communicate, share and interact together from anywhere and at any time using a range of different mobile devices. This includes mobile phones, laptops, netbooks, tablets etc. integrated with your fixed line system and IT.

A flexible working approach does not have to mean increasing costs and will deliver real tangible benefits to your business or organisation in the long run. Contact us for a free evaluation and to discuss the benefits of a unified communications solution.

 

For businesses with employees out in the field mobile broadband can be a real asset. The ability to connect your laptop or netbook to email and internet wherever you are at fast speeds can help your business productivity.

Business mobile broadband is provided over the same network as consumer mobile broadband. The same speeds of delivery and reliability of signal. However, not all networks are operating at the same speed.

We recommend Vodafone mobile broadband. This is the fastest network at 7.2mbps and also provides one of the most reliable signals as well as the best UK coverage. The USB stick we supply is plug and play with in-built software and works in any computer with a USB port.

Our mobile broadband devices are supplied free of charge when contracts are taken out. We can supply a single USB stick or multiples for business mobile broadband users. There are a number of different packages which are differentiated by the amount of data you can download each month.

For instance the basic package of 3GB would give most business users more than enough data each month for only £12.77. For higher users there are 5GB limits, and also tariffs that include usage within Europe and throughout the World.

Business mobile broadband can be included as part of your current business mobile phone bill. We can also supply a range of other business telecoms services including landline phones, VoIP, tracking etc. Get in touch for a free quotation.

How do you find the best business mobile deal? You could go direct to all of the mobile phone networks and ask them all for a quotation. This would however involve a lot of work on your part giving out the same information and answering their subsequent questions as all networks require different things.

Then when you get the quotes back you need to compare them. At this stage you will realise that because of the different tariffs used by each network a simple direct comparison is incredibly difficult.

By using Business Mobile World you make your life simpler. You submit your details once and can get on with running your business whilst we find you the best deal. We have all of the current tariff details for the networks and can quickly fit your requirements to the one that will give you the optimum value.

We can also offer any handset available in the UK. If you have specific phone requirements we can meet them. If you prefer to tell us what you need your phone to do and let us find you the best handset we can quickly pinpoint the device that will deliver exactly as required.

We offer a bespoke tariff analysis service. No two businesses are alike and usage can vary greatly even with businesses of similar size in the same sector. We can look at your existing bills to check your exact usage and ensure our quotation offers you everything you need in terms of minutes, texts and data as well as additional services such as roaming and international calls.

At the same time we can offer new technologies and innovations which improve your communications and make your working life easier.

Our best business mobile deal service is free of charge and entirely without obligation. As well as business mobiles we also offer a range of other business telecoms services which can be incorporated into a converged communications solution. Get intouch for a free quote.

Phone technology marches onwards inexorably and more and more businesses are waking up to the possibilities offered by a VoIP phone system. Increased competition in the VoIP sector means prices are coming down and features being added all of the time.

Faster broadband speeds with greater reliability mean that VoIP offers better quality calls than previously, and is within the reach of most small businesses. With a hosted VoIP solution there is no need for an IT department to look after your hardware, you just need to plug your IP phones in and it works.

VoIP usually forms the main part of an integrated telecoms solution. It enables your fixed line calls to be integrated with your mobiles and IT. It also offers more features and services such as...

• Least cost routing
• Call management
• Portability
• Extra features - call recording, music on hold
• Home worker support
• System pre-programmed to enable "Plug and Play"

By routing your calls over the internet you are going to be taking advantage of the lowest call charges, saving your business money month after month.

The only requirement for a VoIP system is a solid broadband connection for both upload and download. We can supply a business broadband solution which offers guaranteed bandwidth and is specifically optimized for voice data traffic.

For a free VoIP quotation get in touch with us.

We offer a number of other services in addition to our core business mobile phones. We have now expanded our site to take into account two new pages:

• Business Landline and Fixed Line Telephony
• VoIP Phone Systems and services

Business Landlines

Has your business reviewed its fixed line telephony recently? Did you know you could be making savings of 40% on your call charges?

We offer all business users a free review of their business landline costs. All we need is a copy of your latest bill which ensures we are basing our savings on your actual usage.

We analyze all of your call spend broken down between local calls, national calls, international, calls to mobiles, premium rate etc. We apply our best rates to each call and show you what your bill could have been had you been with us.

As well as savings on call charges we can also provide line rental cheaper than many other suppliers as well as call management, phone numbers and telephone systems.

VoIP Phone Systems

Has your business looked into the benefits of an internet based telephony solution? IP phone systems offer flexibility and features way beyond the average analogue phone system.

With VoIP phone systems becoming more popular and prevalent the prices are also coming down. Now many small businesses can take advantage of the latest technology without breaking the bank.

Hosted solutions are available too, meaning that you don't need servers and expensive hardware on site. Nor do you have the maintenance and update issues when you run a cloud based system.

There are also VoIP systems with integrated sim card readers for free calls to mobiles - a great source of cost reductions these days with so many mobile calls being made by most businesses.

These are just a couple of the extra business telecoms services we offer. We can also help with employee management (vehicle and device tracking), broadband and mobile broadband, plus a range of website services.

 

The Business Mobile World website is powered by 21c Telecom Ltd Business Phones. This means that we are able to offer a wide variety of telecoms services backed up by a multi-million pound turnover company.

21c Telecom Ltd have recently been awarded Vodafone Platinum Partner status, one of only 23 companies in the UK to have been granted this honour. This is the highest tier of Vodafone's partner programme.

What does this mean for your business? When you become a customer of Vodafone via 21c you are benefitting from the very best deals on offer and receiving the highest level of customer service available. Your business receives the same expertise you would receive from Vodafone direct plus our own expertise in mobile communication technology.

You do not pay any more for this service, in fact this partnership is likely to deliver cost savings for you from the moment you become a customer throughout your contract term.

With a dedicated account manager looking after you, backed up by a friendly and helpful customer service team, you will be well looked after and any problems or issues quickly resolved.

To find out more about Vodafone's partner programme visit the 21c Vodafone Platinum Partner page where you can download a free pdf with more information.

Being a Vodafone Platinum Partner does not mean that we exclusively offer Vodafone's products and if you are looking for business mobiles on other major networks, such as Orange or O2, then we can help you with that too.

 

As always there is plenty going on in the world of business mobiles. We will shortly be seeing the first handsets with the Windows Phone 7 operating system. This OS would seem to be a radical departure from past Windows Phone efforts but Microsoft are very much playing catch-up at the moment.

Windows Phone 7 includes plenty of features that Smartphone users now take for granted such as touch technology, social networking and cloud based services. Is there any innovation built in? The views so far seem to indicate it will be good to look at, fast and user friendly - will that be enough to compete with Android and iPhone?

Many new mobile handsets will also have the capability to make and receive calls in HD. Orange are the first network supporting this. HD should ensure a better quality call.

Birmingham City Council are trialling 4G technology. Much quicker than 3G and more stable this is expected to become widely available throughout the UK in 2012. The UK sits 24th in the latest global survey of mobile broadband.

4G mobile broadband could be up to 50mbps or greater, compared with the current 7.2mbps. The EU is making noises with regards to closing the gap between browsing in your home country and overseas, the difference between the two being up to 30 times in terms of cost. The EU would like to see this figure much closer to zero, reflecting Europe as a true single market.

The Apple iPad is gaining popularity amongst business users and is replacing laptops for many employees. It does have a number of business features built-in as well as numerous business and enterprise apps available to download.

As part of the 21c Telecom Ltd group of websites we are now Vodafone Platinum partners. This puts us in an elite group of around 25 telecoms consultants and enables us to provide you with excellent service on the Vodafone network.

 

 

We offer business mobiles to businesses of all sizes. From 1 handset to 500+. We welcome enquiries from any business regardless of size and type but we have been finding recently that it is the larger businesses, the corporate mobile sector, where we can add better value and where real savings can be made.

For the small business, particularly those with only 1 or 2 handsets, it is difficult to compete with the networks and some of the consumer offers which undercut our business tariffs considerably. This is particularly true for users with low usage.

Once the number of business mobiles in the organisation exceeds 10 this is where we come into our own. This is where our expertise and knowledge can be best utilised to both reduce costs and improve corporate communications.

We work hand-in-hand with your preferred network to provide the best combination of handsets and tariff based on your current usage. We will meet with you to discuss any issues or problems and ways in which a corporate mobile solution could drive your business forward.

In these financial times no organisation can afford to be paying over the odds for their communications. The savings that can be made for companies with 50, 100 or 200 mobiles can run into the tens of thousands of pounds each year.

Your dedicated account manager will ensure that your costs are monitored on a regular basis so that you are always on the correct tariff to maximise your spend. Our  customer service team will look after you should there be any problems, such as broken handsets, ensuring business continuity.

Our experience within the corporate sector is growing rapidly as we add larger clients to our portfolio. Your business mobiles will be safe in our hands as would your other services such as landline provision and reduced call charges.

We can provide a total corporate telecoms solution with seamless integration between devices and enhanced services such as call management and recording.

For more information get in touch with us via our online enquiry form.

 

Business VoIP usage is set to double by 2015. More businesses are taking advantage of the flexibility and range of extra options made available with this new technology. Integrating landline and mobile phones so that you can receive calls how you want wherever you are from a single number.

As technology advances, and more and more devices talk to each other, a total communications solution will become the norm amongst medium and large sized businesses. Small businesses need not be left behind.

Computer technology allows VoIP phone systems to be hosted remotely (in the cloud) which means that SMEs do not need costly hardware nor do they need a team of in-house IT experts in order to run it.

Costs are not as expensive as you might think and are coming down all the time. Simultaneously the reliability of VoIP systems is improving all of the time. Providing you have a reasonable broadband connection you will receive excellent call quality.

Broadband costs are coming down and even a dedicated broadband line is now within reach of many more businesses than was once the case.

Mobile phones can also be integrated within your system. The latest handsets have incredible power, more akin to computers than phones, and can make a lot of routine business tasks easier. You are now able to carry your office in your pocket effectively.

We are specialists at providing integrated business telecoms solutions. We can analyse your current systems and suggest improvements and cost savings where appropriate. You could end up paying less whilst obtaining a better system and improved lines of communication throughout your business.

A free quotation is available for all of our website visitors, just contact us for more information.

Security of business data is paramount. However the increasing use of remote working by employees using their own devices poses a very real threat to business users. With an increase in the use of cloud computing too the lack of control a business has over this data transfer could leave it vulnerable.

By providing business mobiles to your employees you gain control of their usage and can implement security on each handset to ensure that your company data is secure should the handset be lost or stolen.

With proper policies being applied you can ensure your bills are not too high and that there is minimal personal usage outside of working hours. We can assist you with a tariff that provides you with the necessary minutes, texts and data to improve your communications.

Business mobiles can also be used for other purposes - for instance to keep track of your employees. An employee management system via mobile phone can improve your services and save you money. Read our mobile phone tracking page for more information. 

Whilst providing business mobile phones might seem like an additional expense a small business can do without there are many good reasons for a business to utilise them to their maximum extent. Read our Top 10 reasons for business mobile phones article for more information.

 

The latest operating system from Microsoft, Windows Phone 7, is due to be released on UK handsets this month. It is said to be the most tested and, therefore, bug-free operating system for mobile smartphones released from MS.

The length of time in the making does mean that it is significantly behind the Apple and Android OSs and it is yet to be seen whether their features such as Xbox  integration will have enough appeal to gain them significant market share.

Their new devices will feature social networking heavily as well as device integration. Is this enough to reverse their declining smartphone market share? (from 20% to around 5%).

Key partners include the mobile phone manufacturers LG, Samsung, HTC and Dell, and they have all five of the network operators (Orange, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and 3) on board too.

From a business perspective the new handsets should integrate with existing Microsoft IT in a seamless manner. Many businesses prefer to use a Windows based operating system for their smartphones as it makes their life easier using a familiar platform.

Initial handset releases will focus on the consumer market with business mobile phones to follow in due course. Once handsets have been officially announced we will carry more information about Windows Phone 7 mobiles here.

 

 

 

As with the iPhone the iPad seems to be leading a revolution. All of the major phone and computer manufacturers appear to be interested in bringing out their own tablets with some available now and some announced as "coming soon".

Bridging the gap between a mobile phone and a laptop the tablet would appear to have little appeal to business users, outside of a few niche markets. That might be about to change now as RIM, the company behind BlackBerry, announce their PlayBook will be available in 2011, squarely aimed at business users.

As with BlackBerry mobile phones the new PlayBook will run on its own operating system specifically developed for tablet computing, BlackBerry Tablet OS. This is especially web friendly and supports both Adobe’s newest Flash standard, as well as HTML5. This is in contrast to the iPads lack of Flash support, which is one of its main drawbacks.

Where Apple lead the way by a considerable margin is in the apps department. There are so many already available that it will be near impossible for others to ever catch up. However RIM are making it as easy as possible for developers to create new apps for their new OS and to port across existing apps.

Business focussed apps would be a differential for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, particularly if there are large enough numbers produced.

Whilst only a prototype model has yet been seen by anyone outside of RIM they already have a full spec for the finished product, some of which includes:

• 7 inch 1024 x 600 multi-touch screen
• 1GHz dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM
• Two cameras (front and back) with HD video and video calling
• Ability to connect to BlackBerry smartphone

Expected release date for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is thought to be Q1 2011 for the US market with the UK getting them in Q2.

A radio report heard this morning detailed how the police force are making use of BlackBerry mobiles to save officers time whilst out and about and enable them to do more "beat" work and less desk-based administration.

The BlackBerry phones can access police databases and also enable officers to fill in paperwork and transmit it back to the station. This is helping them save money and increase police presence on the streets.

This example of taking advantage of the advanced functionality of BlackBerry business mobiles shows that improvements in employee communications can deliver real benefits in terms of time-saving and cost reduction.

Communication improvement is a core feature of a free review from Business Mobile World. As well as looking at reducing your business mobile tariff where possible we also look to the latest handsets and what they can offer your business.

New features, and particularly new apps, are appearing all of the time. Many are aimed at business users and helping employees whilst out and about in the course of their work. BlackBerry apps are particularly focused towards business users as this remains their core user-base.

BlackBerry phones do not have to be expensive either, there are reasonably priced options for small businesses and light users. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 provides most of the features of the more expensive models (particularly the excellent BlackBerry email service) and is available free of charge on most business tariffs.

For a free BlackBerry business mobile quotation get in touch with us via phone or email.

With the ever increasing sales of smartphones, offering all of the gadgets and apps you could ever need, it seems to be forgotten that the main function of a phone is for voice calls. However, has the quality of voice calls increased markedly in the last few years? Not really.

That is all set to change with the introduction of High Definition (HD) voice calls. This will give a measurable improvement in the sound quality of traditional mobile voice calls. They should sound as though you are face-to-face with the other person with a reduction in background noise, hisses and crackles.

Orange are the first network to offer this service via Orange HD Voice. This is available on a limited number of handsets but expect it to be adopted by all phone manufacturers if it delivers better call quality. Other networks will no doubt follow with their own offerings.

The technology, Adaptive Multi Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) has been adopted as an international standard for 3G mobile networks. It is already available in other countries, such as Germany.

It works by compressing the voice signal to maximise the amount of bandwidth on a network. For the network operators no more capacity is needed whilst delivering better quality calls.

Currently it will only work with calls between 3G HD handsets. If calling a landline or non-optimised phone you will not experience the HD call quality.

The first four handsets used by Orange at launch are HD variants of the Nokia 5230, Nokia X6, Nokia E5 and Samsung Omnia Pro. Rumours abound of other HD handsets being in development.

 

Only 21 days to go until our special September offer ends. This is 6 months free line rental on our mobile broadband product. Take a look at what you get:

• FREE USB modem stick (pictured right - plugs into any USB port - laptop, netbook or desktop)
• Up to 7.2mbps download speed - the UK's fastest mobile broadband network
• 3GB of data each month - enough for nearly all business users (higher limits available if needed)
• 6 months free line rental (rebated in month 7)
• Only £12.77 plus VAT per month

Buy one stick or multiple sticks for all of your team. Offer applies to all orders made and connected during September.

This offer can also be used for personal (non-business) customers. Get in touch with us for further details and to make an application by calling 0115 944 8977.

For more information about mobile broadband visit the 21c mobile broadband page.

 

The first real tangible benefits of the Orange T-Mobile UK merger will soon be felt by their customers. Starting from October users of either network will be able to utilise the other network signal when their own is struggling. Effectively they will have a sort of UK roaming.

When the service rolls out in October it will not be automatic, as there are handset issues which need to be addressed, however you will be able to opt-in to the service if you use either network.

New handsets issued by the companies will no doubt come pre-configured to switch between networks automatically and over time the whole service will therefore become totally automated.

This could be a huge selling point for the merged companies and it will be interesting to see if O2 and Vodafone consider a similar type of arrangement in the face of such strong competition.

For users of Orange business mobiles this is great news as a better signal in more areas can only be a good thing for businesses with their team spread throughout the UK.

 

 

The best selling business mobiles across our range of websites has been compiled for August 2010. As usual a strong showing from Nokia with half of the entries. They also have the best seller for August in the shape of the Nokia 1208.

In second place is another Nokia, the 2700. Both of these Nokia phones are sturdy workhorses for business users, offering talk and text without the frills.

The first SmartPhone in the list is the BlackBerry 8520. This has the excellent BlackBerry email service plus a range of other features and packs them all in at a price which business users like. One of the best value for money phones we offer.

Samsung have two entries in the list with both of their heavy duty phones. The Samsung M110 is at 4 and the B2100 at 6. These rubberised phones are shockproof, splashproof and dustproof, making them ideal for all sort of tradesmen including builders, plumbers etc.

Sandwiched in between them is the Nokia 6303, a regular in our Top 10 list offering excellent services in a neat handset, ideal for your average business users.

At 7 is the iPhone. We have lumped together all of the different variants in compiling our figures. Unfortunately the iPhone handsets are still too expensive for mass usage amongst business mobile users. It is also questionable what extra value they add for the average business user over a standard, and less expensive, SmartPhone.

Two more entries for Nokia at 8 and 10 - the Nokia 2730 and 2323. In between at 9 is the BlackBerry 9700.

You can see a full list of Top 10's for the past 15 months in one page - Top 10 Business Mobiles.

 

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 looks like it is due to come to the UK in October. When you take a look at all of the features on offer it looks like they have tried to cram in just about everything into a single handset.

It has a touchscreen AND a slide out QWERTY keyboard, enhanced browsing with multi-touch and pinch to zoom, enhanced multimedia functions - it looks like it is trying to appeal to just about everyone. But is it good value for your business?

The simple answer is likely to be NO. With all of these features it is going to be a seriously expensive phone which means an extremely large contract to obtain it free of charge. How many of the features do you actually need? How many are going to genuinely useful to your business?

You also have the age old problem of the more things that are included the more that can go wrong! This particularly applies to the slider mechanism which often fails with heavy usage.

Having said all of that we still expect plenty of people to want one. We have a lot of BlackBerry users amongst our customer base and they will want to try BlackBerry's newest phone for themselves.

Getting the best business mobile deal is achieved by focusing on the features you actually need and obtaining handsets that do what you want without any frills. This means that you can choose the best tariff for your actual usage without worrying about having to pay for expensive phones.

At Business Mobile World we are not restricted in handset choice as we have a number of suppliers who offer unlocked mobiles which can be used on any network. You can mix and match handsets, choosing mobiles depending upon people's different roles in the business.

If you want a contract for 5 mobile phones, each of them different, that is no problem. We also cater for businesses looking for dozens of the same phone, keeping plenty of standard handsets in stock for next day delivery.

A simple review can show you the best business mobile deal for your usage, just contact us to find out more.

 

The latest Ofcom survey into people's media habits is out and there are no surprises. Britons are consuming more media than ever before, particularly by mobile phone and laptop. The young are leading the charge, with 16 to 24 year olds abandoning the traditional TV and radio in favour of new media.

Whilst TV and radio are still the most popular media for the over 55s, they are increasingly more tech-savvy with an increase in broadband connectivity for this age group and a sizeable proportion utilising email every day.

As the general public embrace the advancing technology in larger and larger numbers ask yourself a quick question - is your business making the most of it to get the best out of your internal comunications and to promote your business to the world?

The likely answer for many small businesses is NO. Either due to a lack of knowledge, or the perception of the costs involved, many businesses are sticking with what they've got currently until it finally breaks down.

There are still businesses out there who don't have any online presence. A business website may not be absolutely essential for some sectors but for the vast majority of businesses a website is very important and likely to become more so as people of all ages become more reliant upon the internet.

Christmas is coming soon and there is no doubt that online spending will show another increase over this period. Is your business in a position to get a slice of it?

As a total communications provider we can advise on all manner of connectivity. We can provide everything your business needs to get its message across to an online audience, via computer or smartphone.

We can also help with your own communication needs, advising on the latest mobile handsets ideal for business users, the fastest broadband connections, utilising the latest VoIP phone technology - we offer a myriad of ways to increase your profits.

That's right - increase your profits. Whilst there will usually be an upfront cost with new technology, this cost may be smaller than you think and can be recouped quickly. After that it's all added to your bottom line.

Take your business to the next level with a complete communications review and a total telecoms solution. It's free of charge to see how your business could benefit, just contact us.

Research in Motion (RIM) are the Canadian company best known for their BlackBerry range of smartphone handsets. They were founded in 1994 and launched the first BlackBerry mobile in 1999. Since then the BlackBerry has gone from strength to strength.

Very much a corporate device, BlackBerries are best known for their push email, giving you instant access to emails anywhere in the world on your phone. Whilst many other handset manufacturers have made phones with similar capabilities they have been unable to topple the BlackBerry as the ultimate business phone.

Where BlackBerries come into their own is when multiple phones are used by a company. All of these phones can be synched with the business server using the BlackBerry software that has been fine tuned over the years to deliver maximum business benefit.

A BlackBerry smartphone offers a range of other features as well as the standard phone features. The latest BlackBerry handsets are mini-computers in your hand giving you access to the internet, documents and a range of business related applications.

This range of features does mean that there are circumstances where a BlackBerry user, particularly new users, will need help with setting up their phone and ongoing support to get the most from their new smartphone. This is an inclusive service for all business users taking out BlackBerry contracts with us.

For larger companies we also offer a BlackBerry server installation service. We travel the UK installing BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Servers) and ensuring BlackBerry handsets are set up correctly to provide all of the features required by your business.

We offer a full range of BlackBerry mobile handsets. Currently we are despatching a large number of BlackBerry Curve 8520 mobiles to business users. This particular handset offers all of the BlackBerry email features but is very reasonably priced meaning that companies looking for a volume of handsets can get them without tying themselves to a long or expensive contract.

All other BlackBerry handsets available in the UK can be ordered and we offer a range of tariffs that allow you to have the handset free of charge. Many tariffs also have inclusive data bundles - very important if you are going to be a heavy email user.

With regards to BlackBerry email usage, it is possible to change your settings so that you do not download a full copy of each email, just the headers. This allows you to see who sent the email and what it's about without downloading large amounts of data. If the email's of interest you can download the full version to your phone at the touch of a button.

For a free no obligation quotation for BlackBerry business mobiles just get in touch with us.

 

The figures are in for the Top 10 business mobiles for July 2010 based upon despatch figures across our telecoms group.

BlackBerry handset's dominance from June, with three of the top six, has been broken and Nokia return to their usual prominent position with six of the top 10 business mobiles. This includes the number one phone, the Nokia 2730.

This is a fairly standard talk and text phone ideal for business users. Reliable and easy to use it remains popular appearing in each of the last three months Top 10 list.

Second in the list is the ultra tough Samsung B2100. This rubberised phone is ideal for those that need their handsets to work in difficult environments. Shockproof, dustproof and splashproof it can take a few knocks and come back in full working order.

In third place is the ever reliable Nokia 6303, in the list for the eighth successive month, with the Nokia E52 coming in at 4.

BlackBerry's only entry this month is the BlackBerry Curve 8520 which appears at number five. This handset remains popular with businesses thanks to its price relative to its features. It packs a lot in for little money.

Other notable entries are the Apple iPhone at seven. The iPhone has been missing the last couple of months but bounces back with the release of the iPhone 4. And the Acer Tempo F900 at eight. This one has never appeared before, in fact Acer have never appeared before, and its ranking may be due to a specific customer request which this phone fulfills.

The three remaining business mobile handsets are the Nokia 2700 at number six, the Nokia 3720 at nine, and the Nokia X6 at number 10.

For a full list going back to June 2009 visit the 21c business phones Top 10 business mobiles page.

At Business Mobile World one of our key aims when talking to businesses is to reduce their bills. Saving money on your tariff, and therefore your monthly spend, is obvious and quantifiable. We have some examples of savings we have made for business mobile customers already on our website.

You can see from these examples that savings of hundreds of pounds a month, or several thousand pounds over the course of a year are often achievable. This makes for very happy customers.

Not so obvious are the savings your business could make by improving its communications. Getting new handsets which function in exactly the way you need them to and offer additional services which could be useful will save every one of your employees time. Time is money, so the saying goes.

We find that heavy email users tend to want BlackBerry phones and we can help with both the handsets and the setting up of BlackBerry email, BIS, BES and other email solutions.

These benefits are long term and in addition to savings which can be made on your contract terms. When it comes to taking out a new contract or renewing your current one we will be looking at a balance of both options to deliver the maximum savings to your business.

The business telecoms market is ever changing, particularly with the merger of Orange and T-Mobile in the UK. This means that new tariffs are becoming available and inclusive terms can differ wildly between networks.

That's why utilising the services of a broker to find your business the best deal and save you the most money makes sense. Our knowledge of the latest mobile phone technology can point you in the direction of the best handsets for the way your business uses them.

At the same time we can help with mobile data usage, via a dongle or laptop with integrated sim card, and also advise on the full range of telecoms products we offer including landlines, fixed broadband, tracking and more.

The Business Mobile World website is now listed at Free Index - http://www.businessmobileworld.freeindex.co.uk/

Free Index is an online business directory offering free listings to businesses with a range of features, all free of charge. We have added 2 services to our listings as follows:

• Business Mobile Tariffs
• Free calls to mobiles

These reflect our best current offerings to businesses of all types and size. The opportunity to reduce costs on your own business mobiles and to reduce your landline bills by making free calls to other people's mobiles.

We are always looking at ways of saving your business money, both at our initial review and on an ongoing basis. We also keep you up-to-date with the latest technology which could save your business time and money.

 

Whilst cost savings are always aimed for when renewing a business mobile contract there are other areas which should be looked at where improvements to your communications can be made.

The pace of technology means that new mobile phone handsets, particularly in the SmartPhone sector, now offer a range of features not available even a couple of years ago. If you are coming to the end of an 18 or 24 month business mobile contract it is likely you will need new handsets.

Could a new SmartPhone benefit your business? With so many apps around it is conceivable that there is one out there that could make your business life away from the office easier. There may even be several which, used in conjunction with each other, could save your business time and money.

Whilst the Apple iPhone is the market leader in terms of available apps other operating systems are catching up. The most notable of these is Google's Android OS which is rapidly increasing its market share. With it being open source Android is going to continue to grow both in popularity and available apps.

It is also worth considering a total business phones solution including landlines and broadband which has the advantage of reducing overheads, streamlining administration and ensuring seamless integration between business telecom products.

Whilst your other services might be bound by contract for the time being, we can transfer them quickly and easily once they fall due for renewal. We can also look at improving your technology for landlines with a VoIP solution, routing your calls via the internet, and free calls to mobiles via an integrated sim card.

Once we have set up your contracts we work with you at all stages to ensure that you always have the latest technology where needed and to continually deliver cost reductions whilst improving communications. Regular reviews ensure that you always benefit from the best business phone deal.

 

Changing your business mobiles from one provider to another can be a pain. It's a hassle, and one you can avoid by simply renewing your current contract regardless of cost. However, how much could your business save by getting a cheaper deal?

Sometimes the transfer is worth the effort when the cost reductions are significant. We have a page on our website with a few examples of how much you could save on your business mobiles.

All three examples show savings over a year in the £000s of pounds range. Hundreds of pounds each month! No business can say no to that level of savings. These examples are typical of the deals we can put together for medium sized businesses.

At the same time we aim to improve communications by providing improved handsets with extra features and capabilities. We can also help with BlackBerry set up and ongoing customer assistance where required.

We can offer similar savings on landline phones, broadband and other telecoms products. Get in touch with us to see what we can offer your business.

No two businesses are alike so your quote will be tailored exactly to your usage. We look at your past spend history by analyzing your bills and look to the future to see if there are likely to be changes to your business pattern over the course of your contract. We can also make suggestions regarding new technology and how it could improve your communications, both internally and with your customers.

All quotes for any of our products or services are free of charge and without obligation. You have nothing to lose by contacting us, the process of quotation is straightforward and will not entail any more work than passsing us a copy of your bills.

 

Although originally set up as a specialist supplier of business mobiles, over the years we have expanded our range of products and services to include a variety of business telecoms. It can make sense for businesses to place more than one of their telecoms products with us for a number of reasons:

• Cost savings - by taking out more than one product savings can be passed onto the customer
• Reduced administration - everything on one bill
• Better problem resolution - no more grey areas between suppliers or buck passing when problems occur
• Enhanced customer service - no call centres to ring or expensive numbers to dial
• Dedicated account manager - your account is pro-actively managed

We already have many clients taking multiple services from us. Some signed up initially for mobile phones and, impressed by our service, have subsequently taken advantage of our great landline and broadband packages. Just some of the services we offer......

• Business mobile phones - including BlackBerry
• Landline telephony - lines, calls and hardware
• Broadband
• VoIP - phone systems and call cost reduction
• Device and vehicle tracking
• Mobile Broadband - via dongle

We are currently promoting an innovative phone system which incorporates a sim card allowing calls to mobiles to be routed via the mobile network and thus coming out of your inclusive minutes. Making free calls to mobiles can seriously reduce your landline bills, allowing the system to pay for itself quickly. At the same time you improve your communications with the enhanced features a VoIP phone system can offer your business.

The main problem in consolidating your business telecom services is usually contract renewal dates. This makes transferring all of your services in one go difficult. Instead you can transfer the next due service, test out our customer service and our cost savings, and, if you are happy with our services, transfer more services as they become due.

We have a new product in our range which will enable business users to make cheap calls to mobile phones. It is a new kind of phone system which includes a built-in sim card to route mobile calls via a mobile phone network.

The system is a VoIP unit, carrying calls over the internet. It is also compatible with analogue lines. It can support up to 16 extensions so is ideal for small and medium sized businesses.

The size of a standard business phone handset (see picture), everything is included within the one main unit, including the pbx and sim card reader. Being a VoIP unit it has a number of advanced features which are not available on standard analogue systems.

Best of all this unit allows you to make cheap (even free) calls to mobile phones via the built in sim reader. Intelligent least cost routing identifies all calls to mobiles (starting 07) and routes them via the mobile phone network. These minutes come out of your agreed mobile phone package so they can be included within your inclusive minutes.

All other calls can then be routed via the internet. So all you require is a decent broadband connection, which we can supply if necessary. It is best to pay a little bit more for business grade broadband with a low contention ratio, giving a guaranteed service and call quality.

So impressed are we with this system that we are producing a dedicated website - 21c VoIP Phone Systems - to provide further information and to make it easy to purchase. This is a plug and play device - we program it to your requirements before despatch so that it can be used straight out of the box.

Get in touch with us for more information and pricing.

 

We have previously commented about the exorbitant costs of using mobile data overseas. Unfortunately the mobile networks have failed to act, or at least failed to go far enough for the EU, who have now imposed a cap on data roaming within the EU.

The cap stands at €50 (just over £40 at today's exchange rate) which should stop the stories of mobile data bills in the thousands of pounds (see our post - businesses counting the cost of volcanic ash for instance). 

In addition mobile networks are obliged to inform their customers when they are approaching the limit and must stop their connection once the limit has been reached. This should stop people running up large bills inadvertently but there are a couple of problems.

Firstly, these rules only apply within the EU, so if you are travelling to a non-EU country or outside of Europe it is likely you will not have a limit. Secondly, your cap can be lifted at your command. So if you do decide you want to remove it make sure you don't go crazy with your downloading abroad!

The cap will also be helpful should your phone be lost or stolen in the EU. Anyone using it will not be able to run up large data bills although they will still be able to make as many calls as they wish. The cost of these calls is now limited to a maximum of 32p per minute following the EU decision.

This price does highlight the need to think in advance if you intend using your mobile phone overseas as there are many packages and bolt-ons that can reduce the amount you pay considerably.

 

Mobile phone talk and text bundles have been around for a long time now and the competition within the marketplace has driven down prices. At the same time the cost of handsets has been increasing as more and more people abandon basic phones in favour of smartphones.

This leaves the mobile networks profits squeezed, and their answer is to get some of this profit back via their mobile data charges. With smartphones now being the order of the day, and with predictions that mobile phones will at some point in the none too distant future overtake computers in terms of internet volume, charges for mobile data need to be factored in when choosing your mobile phone contract.

This is particularly so as the variance in pricing between networks for mobile data is considerable. The networks even have different pricing structures for different devices - per MB charges for mobile data accessed from a laptop via a dongle are usually considerably cheaper than for access via a mobile phone. Why?

The difference is so great that it does make you wonder about the actual cost price to the networks of providing the service and the margins they are making on mobile phone data charges - they are considerable!

While unlimited data bundles are available for consumer mobile contracts (beware fair usage policies if you take the word "unlimited" too literally!) within the business mobile world limits are more likely to be 500MB, 750MB or 1GB per month. This would usually be sufficient for a business user looking to check their emails and browse the internet, without streaming media or downloading lots of online content.

How much mobile data do you need?

For 500MB of data you could send and receive each day:

• 250 emails
• 35 Word documents
• 25 PowerPoint, Excel or Acrobat attachments

These are approximate figures as individual file sizes can vary considerably, but you can see the average business user is unlikely to exceed this limit. However there are things you can do to reduce your download amount if you are a heavy user. For instance you can just download email headers, rather than the full content of the email, and then access any emails in full if they require your immediate attention whilst you are away from the office.

For help and advice on mobile data charges and the best business mobile contracts get in touch with us by phone or online.

Mobile phone offers come and go quickly in the fast paced world of consumer mobiles. Within a couple of weeks the latest mobile phone is old news and another handset is taking it's place as the must-have, with plenty more ready to be released on the horizon, with better specs and improved features.

With business mobile deals there is a lot less variety of contracts, although ultimately more choices! The networks don't change their tariffs so often but because they pay brokers such as ourselves a commission for selling their deals, out of which customers can choose any handsets, this means that the number of different configurations is almost endless.

When looking for the best business mobile deals the first consideration is the type of handset. Think about the ways you will be using your mobile and choose a handset which offers you the features you need without the features you don't. Choosing less expensive handsets will allow you to enter into a cheaper and/or shorter contract without having to pay for the phones.

Then you will have to consider the number of minutes, texts and data you need. You need to have enough to cover your usage but not so many that you are wasting your tariff. Two important points to remember:

• Out of bundle services are always expensive - going over your allotted minutes/texts/data can incur serious charges.
• Minutes are not free - buying a 3,000 minute bundle is more expensive than a 2,000 minute bundle and the difference in monthly cost needs to be factored in to your calculations.

If you already have a business mobile contract you will have established a usage pattern which hopefully stays relatively steady from month-to-month. From this you will see how much of each component you need.

Finally you need to consider coverage. For most business users in UK cities coverage across all of the networks is good. In this case you can choose the network that offers you the best deal. If coverage is an issue in your area and you are more limited in your choice of networks shop around between business mobile brokers who will offer different handset choices and possible cashback in some circumstances.

For a free business mobile quotation give us a call or complete our online enquiry form.

Despatch figures for May are now in and the Top 10 business mobile handsets have been compiled. Only three manufacturers have made it into the list and there are no surprises they are Nokia, RIM (BlackBerry) and Samsung.

The number one business mobile for May 2010 is the Samsung M110. This tough phone is ideal for hard workers being shock, water and dust proof. It returns to the top spot after a three month absence, although it never seems to leave the Top 10.

BlackBerry have three mobiles in the Top 10. The first is the BlackBerry Curve 8520 at number 2. Always popular due to the cost effective nature of the handset this one appeals to savvy business users.

Nokia occupy the next three places with solid talk and text phones being the 6303, 2330 and the 6300. Reliable business phones these have mass appeal for businesses of all types looking for no nonsense mobile phones.

At six is the BlackBerry 9700 (the new BlackBerry Bold), and seven is the Nokia E52, a business mobile smartphone. At eight is the Nokia 2700 and nine is the final BlackBerry in the list, the BlackBerry 8900 (the new BlackBerry curve). Rounding out the Top 10 is the Nokia 2730.

No surprises this month with many of the usual suspects making the list. Expect to see many of them return when next month's figures are announced.

Businesses looking at their landline phone bills will know that a large proportion of their monthly spend is likely to be outbound calls to mobile phones. As more consumers rely upon mobile phones and don't even have a landline the cost of calling mobiles is going to rise further still.

Obtaining free calls to mobiles would considerably reduce the average bill of most business users and there are options available. A GSM Gateway, also known as a Premicell, is a hardware device which contains one or more SIM cards and allows a landline based call to be routed through a mobile phone in the most cost effective way.

It allows your telephone system to differentiate between numbers beginning with 07 (mobile calls) and others, routing calls to mobiles via the sim card and other calls over your landline. The sim card can belong to your standard business mobile contract, meaning that calls to your own company mobiles should be free and to other mobiles come from within your inclusive minutes.

Whilst this solution would save companies money, it will not be the solution for everyone. For many SMEs the answer is to obtain the best landline call rates for mobile phones. Check your latest bill and see how much per minute you are paying to ring a mobile number. Expensive?

We offer a free service to all businesses. You show us your bills and we will show you where savings can be made. In many cases savings of 40% can be achieved and this is not to be ignored even with a low call spend.

Obtaining the best business landline contract, reducing your line charges and call charges, will save your business money each and every month. These savings really add up. At the same time we can advise you about telephone systems, call management and other measures which could improve your customer service and deliver increased profits.

Even if you are in contract currently give us a chance to show you what your savings could be and we can then contact you nearer the contract expiry date and give you a firm quote based on the latest call details.

Savings are not limited to mobile phone calls, we can also save you money on local, national and international phone calls. We have our own bespoke tariffs and billing engine to ensure you get the best business landline deal.

The cost of business mobile contracts could be set to come down soon as a number of networks launch new business tariffs.

Vodafone have launched Business Choice which is aimed at SMEs with 2 to 50 mobile phone handsets. This is a flexible tariff with a number of paid add-ons allowing companies to mix and match their requirements and build a tariff that reflects their usage.

Businesses can choose the number of minutes to be shared, data allowances and technical support, and the basic plan includes free calls to UK landlines, free UK calls to company mobiles on the same plan, 150 standard UK text messages and free voicemail retrieval as standard.

As an incentive a £5 monthly discount for all businesses signing up to certain options before August 15th is available. Contact us for more information.

At the same time the parent company of Orange and T-Mobile, Everything Everywhere, have announced their intention to launch an assault on the UK business market. The combined power of these two networks should produce better tariffs for business mobiles than are currently available.

With a merged network, coverage, which is essential for business users, should no longer be an issue meaning that both networks will be able to increase their business customer base.

Full details of any new business tariffs from Orange and T-Mobile will be printed here as they become available. In the meantime to take advantage of the enhanced coverage and low cost business tariffs currently available from these networks get in touch with us.

 

With the latest closure of UK airspace and no sign of the Icelandic volcano abating (last time it erupted for 15 months!) many businesses are suffering inconvenience, not to mention loss of revenue. With the announcement of higher thresholds for flying through the ash hopefully any future problems will be minimised and airspace kept open.

However, further costs of the volcanic ash problem are now coming to light in the form of mobile phone bills. With April's bills for call charges dropping on people's doormats come some nasty surprises for many.

For many of those that were stranded abroad for several days and unable to return to the UK as scheduled have run up sizeable bills. Several of these bills have been £1,000 plus, with the highest we have heard of being over £7,000!

This was due to a traveller stranded in Italy using his dongle to stream live radio on his laptop so he could keep in touch with what was happening. Mobile data roaming overseas is still extortionately expensive, but this traveller was either unaware of just how expensive or was relying upon his mobile network's cap.

This cap had been lifted by the network to help stranded travellers who needed to keep in touch. The sms message informing the traveller of this removal appears not to have been received. The network have reduced the bill to around £2,000 but this is still in dispute.

This story does show the need to be aware of all of the costs when entering into a mobile phone contract. If you are thinking of using data overseas via your mobile, or even calling and texting, you should pre-arrange it with your network and add a bolt-on if available to make it considerably less expensive.

Most of the networks offer packages for those going on holiday which offer reasonable value and can even include utilising your inclusive minutes overseas. Terms and conditions vary according to networks so make sure you read them carefully before using your mobile phone abroad.

As SmartPhones continue to sell by the bucketload and increase their market share month on month it brings another factor into the equation when buying your business mobiles - the operating system.

There are currently several different Operating Systems for mobile phones on the market including:

• Windows Mobile
• Android
• Symbian
• BlackBerry OS
• iPhone OS
• Maemo
• Bada

The OS making the headlines at the moment is Android, an open source operating system developed by Google. This features on a number of phones from a range of different manufacturers including HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG.

Being open source means that anyone is free to develop applications for the Android operating system meaning that the number of apps available is increasing daily. These can be obtained from the Android market which contains many free (and paid for) applications making your business life easier.

One factor in the choice of business SmartPhone is the need to sync it with your existing server for email usage. Many IT workers find it easier to get the Windows Mobile OS up and running with a Windows server leading them to recommend this OS. However all operating systems should be capable of delivering push email for business users.

The range of applications available could be another factor, particularly if you rely upon particular applications which make your life easier when out and about. Also familiarity will play a role - once you get used to a particular OS it can be a pain to transfer to another. Even if they largely work the same and provide the same features their GUIs (Graphical User Interface) can be radically different leading to confusion and a steep learning curve.

For SmartPhone advice get in touch with us and we will guide you through the various options, getting you both the best handset for your usage in combination with the best business mobile tariff.

 

Whilst Nokia always show up well in our Top 10 business mobile phone lists, April proved to be an even more successful month than usual for them with 6 entries, including all of the top 5!

At number 1 was the Nokia 1209. A no frills handset this one has not been seen before in any of our lists so it's a bit of a shock to see it go straight into the top spot. However fulfilling an order for a single large company can skew the figures a bit so don't expect it to retain its crown next month!

The Nokia 6303 shows up at number 2. Rarely out of the top 5 and the deposed number 1 business mobile handset from February and March. At 3 is the Nokia 2323 retaining its top 10 slot from March.

New entries at 4 and 5 for the Nokia E52 and Nokia 2600. And another Nokia E-series phone, the E55, rounds off the top 10.

In between are the usual suspects. Two BlackBerry phones in the form of the 8520 (6) and 8900 (9), the hard wearing Samsung M110 (7) and the Apple iPhone (all variants) at number 8.

No major surprises in the list overall in terms of manufacturers. Sony, LG and HTC are noticeable by their absences. May's top 10 business mobile phones will be provided here around the 2nd June.

We have added a new page to the website - business mobile phones. This page consolidates a lot of the other information from around the website into an easy to understand overview of how to get the best business mobile phone deal.

Regardless of your current mobile phone contract all businesses stand to benefit from a complete review of their mobile phones. This review can also look at landline phones and other communication methods. It's free of charge and without obligation.

To get a free telecoms review for your business simply contact Business Mobile World.

All businesses are welcome to apply from sole traders to large corporations. The opportunity to save some money and improve communications at the same time is available and within your grasp.

Is your business still stuck in the 20th century? Technology, particularly phone technology, is moving apace and if you haven't changed your hardware and/or software in a few years it is likely you are using obsolete equipment.

For many small businesses this may not manifest itself in noticeable problems. Providing the equipment works and does what you need it to then there is no need to upgrade. However, could your business be making more money by making an investment in new technology?

With the improved technologies has also come price reductions. Competition, particularly in the mobile phone sector, is continually driving prices down. This is particularly true for SmartPhones where they can now be obtained free of charge on even the cheapest of business mobile contracts.

So if your current telecoms equipment is reaching the end of its life span, or starting to show its age, now is the time to look into replacement - you might be surprised how cost effective a total business phone solution is.

Our telecoms healthcheck takes an overview of your current setup, the equipment used and how it is put to use, together with gathering your ideas (and our own) of possible improvements to your communications.

The review covers a number of areas including:

• Mobile phones
• Landline phones
• Telephone numbers and call management
• Broadband (both fixed and mobile)
• Device tracking and employee management solutions (where appropriate)
• IT

Your business can benefit from the latest technology (future proofing for several years), better integration of individual communication products, a more coherent telecoms strategy, and all of this whilst realising cost reductions overall.

Placing all of your communication needs into the hands of a single supplier may seem scary at first but when you see the cost savings available, together with the advantages in billing (single bill for all services) and customer service (one point of contact) you should be convinced that this is the way forward for your business in the 21st century.

We are able to provide business mobile deals for businesses looking for a single handset through to those looking for several hundred. The underlying principles of finding the best deal hold true for all businesses.

When you are only looking for one mobile phone for your business you need first to analyze how you are going to be using it. A builder will use their phone differently to a surveyor. Think about the following areas:

• Phone calls
• SMS messages
• Email
• Internet

If you are only looking for calls and texts you don't have to pay the premium for email and internet usage. You can choose a lower cost mobile, a cheaper tariff (dependent upon your usage) and get the best business mobile deal.

Once you have identified how you are going to be using your business phone you need to quantify how much you will be using it. If you already have an existing phone you are using for your business you will have an idea of your monthly usage broken down between:

• minutes
• texts
• mb of data

From this we can see what is the best business mobile tariff for your usage and combine this with your chosen handset, usually free of charge.

Those looking for larger business mobile phone deals should still go through the same process but there may be a number of different handsets and usages for different employees and the tariffs will usually involve shared minutes and free calls within the group. It is slightly more complicated for us but we try to keep it simple for our clients at all times.

Whatever the size of your business we can assure you of our best attention at all times and excellent ongoing customer service should you decide to become a client following your free quotation.

Whilst your sorting out your business mobiles why not also take advantage of our other services and get a free quote for your landlines, broadband and mobile broadband. Combining these services from one supplier usually leads to cost reductions and service improvements for business users.

Getting the best deal for your business mobiles can be an onerous task, particularly if you try and do it yourself. Although there are only five major networks, each one offers different business mobile tariffs and handset combinations making a direct comparison near impossible.

New mobile phone handsets are being released almost daily meaning large fluctuations in price for "obsolete" mobiles and a choice of a hundred handsets or more - how do you know you are getting the best deal? The answer is to use a business mobile comparison service like Business Mobile World.

Our sole aim is to get your business the best mobile phone deal. We work in a very competitive industry meaning that we have to keep our deals as low as possible to gain your business. This policy of cost reduction does not mean that we sacrifice service. We will not be giving you second hand mobiles or putting you on a network with no coverage - we value our excellent reputation.

You will benefit from having an account manager with many years experience looking after your initial quotation and ongoing contract as well as a dedicated customer service team. No call centres or hours spent holding on the phone.

Ultimately our service will mean that your business saves money on its business phones whilst at the same time improving your communication, both internally and with your existing/new customers.

We don't make any charges for our service, we receive payment from the mobile phone networks, so getting a quote from us should be at the top of your list when renewing your current contract. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by letting us show you our best deal.

Contact us on 0844 880 8116 or complete our online enquiry form to start saving your business money.

The latest business mobile despatch figures are in for March 2010. From these we have compiled a Top 10 business mobile phones.

No major surprises, the list is still very much dominated by Nokia, Samsung and BlackBerry, with one notable exception (can you guess?).

At no 1 is the perennial favourite the Nokia 6303. The successor to the 6300 this stylish little handset does the job for most business users in terms of talk and text. Reliable and easy to use it is a solid business phone choice.

The second best seller is another old favourite, the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Keenly priced yet providing most of the necessary business features and legendary BlackBerry email. This is destined to be in our top 10 for a while yet.

Third place goes to the Nokia 2700. Another solid Nokia business handset. And similarly in fifth is the Nokia 2323.

By contrast, in fourth place we have our old friend the Apple iPhone. We have lumped together all of the different versions to give a single sales position.

Will it ever make number 1? Certainly there is plenty of demand for it amongst business users and if the price drops significantly this will see the major barrier to ownership disappear and we will certainly sell plenty more. The current price for the 3GS is just a bit too high for most business users to justify.

Sixth place goes to the durable Samsung M110. This tough phone continues to sell well with business users needing reliability and toughness. Two more standard Nokias occupy 7th and 8th in the form of the Nokia 6300 and Nokia 1208.

At 9th is a new entrant, never been seen before in the lists - the Samsung Tocco Lite. And finally completing the 10 is the Nokia 6600i.

As well as business mobile solutions we also offer a full range of business phone products. This includes:

• Business phone systems (small and large)
• Business phone lines (ISDN2 and ISDN30)
• Business phone numbers (Geographical and non-geographical)

We offer a total communication solution for businesses large and small. This includes overhauling all of your current systems where necessary - often systems can become obsolete and fail to offer the services and reliability of modern phone systems. Whilst investing in hardware can be costly in the short term, in the long run a future proof business phone system (such as a VoIP system) will pay for itself many times over in improved efficiencies and lower call costs.

When thinking of a VoIP phone system, routing your calls over the internet, you need to make sure your current broadband is up to the job. We can offer uncontended business grade broadband offering guaranteed upload and download speeds ideal for this type of business phone system.

The benefits of utilising our services include:

• Free and without obligation
• Expert knowledge of current products
• Advice on improving your business communications
• Help with set up and ongoing maintenance when required
• Seamless integration of all products supplied

All businesses could gain from contacting us and seeing how we could improve communication, both within your organisation and with existing customers and prospects. Not only could you save initially on system costs, lines and calls but improving communication will inevitably improve customer retention and gaining new business.

For a free quote give us a call on 0844 880 8116 or fill out our online business phone enquiry form.

As mobile phones become more powerful the more uses they can be put too. A simple software download can turn them into trackable devices, working in conjunction with GPS and an online real-time interface allowing businesses to monitor employees out in the field.

Mobile phone tracking has come a long way in a very short space of time. No longer reliant upon triangulation between mobile phone masts it now relies upon GPS enabled phones to accurately pinpoint devices within 5 metres at any given time.

It is intelligent enough to recognise when a phone is travelling in a vehicle, indicating direction of travel and speed, or when a phone is being carried by an employee on foot. It can be programmed to notify of arrival, departure and when entering specific areas or zones.

All of the gathered information is stored and can be accessed at any time and compiled into a number of useful reports such as timesheets, expense reports etc. These can be viewed and printed at the touch of a button.

Knowing where everyone is within your organisation will improve your customer service and will help with health and safety compliance where lone workers are involved. Mobile phone tracking can also help with reduced mileage, reduced overtime claims and a range of other money saving benefits for your business.

If you already have a GPS phone you can take a 14 day free tracking trial allowing you to see the web interface in all of its glory and get a hands-on experience of how the tracking software could help your business.

There are no installation costs and you could be surprised how little mobile phone tracking costs. It could quickly pay for itself in savings alone whilst also improving efficiencies helping you retain existing customers and win new customers too.

Even if you don't operate your own fleet, but have employees using their own vehicles on your business, this system provides a grey fleet management solution. Think of it as an employee management system rather than vehicle tracking or mobile phone tracking.

 

What do we offer and how can we help your business? Using our services has a number of advantages over going direct to a mobile phone network for your business mobile phones. These include:

• More flexibility - full range of handsets to choose from
• Time saving - we find you the best deal in the quickest time
• Saving money - we can find you the best deals, better than going direct
• Communication integration - we can advise on your other telecoms requirements and how they will work with your mobiles
• No call centres - positive customer service if you need our help. We are on your side.

All of these advantages come to you free of charge and without obligation. If you want to approach the networks first and then see what we can offer in comparison please do. We thrive on competition and always offer our best price to win your business.

If you decide to go through us you will have the benefit of a dedicated account manager looking after your business. Any questions or problems and they are available to help you, backed up by our dedicated customer service team.

To get things started we need to know a little more about your business and your mobile phone usage. If you have a current business mobile contract we can use this as an initial quotation basis and discuss where changes might be made in the future. If new handsets are not required initially we can give you an allowance for use when your handsets reach the end of their life or get lost/stolen.

Where new mobile phones are needed/wanted we can advise you on the free of charge handsets available and even demonstrate them to you, giving you a chance to see if they meet your needs. We can also make suggestions as to the best handsets based upon your usage. For instance if you don't need access to the internet or email for the majority of employees there is no need paying extra for these features.

We can also help your business with a wide range of other telecoms services aimed at saving you money whilst improving your communications. Just let us know if this is of interest and we will provide you with a quote.

 

Assume you are starting a new business and would like a new mobile phone in the business name. You approach us to supply you with a phone. We can talk you through a number of different tariffs from the major phone networks. For instance:

• 500 inclusive mobile minutes
• Unlimited calls to UK landlines - 01, 02 and 03
• 250 texts
• 500mb of data
• £25 per month

The network pay us a commission for signing you up to a contract and out of this we pay for the mobile you need. So as long as the phone you require is less than the commission received, allowing us a little profit, then we can supply the handset free of charge for you. If not you may have to contribute towards the cost of the phone or choose a higher tariff.

As we source mobiles from a number of suppliers we are able to supply any UK handset and usually at excellent prices so we can keep our business mobile deals competitive.

Business mobile contracts are usually 18-24 months in length and you are committed to the network for this period of time. If you end the contract early they will expect you to pay for the remaining line rental until the end of the contract.

If you find that you need more minutes, texts or data or wish to change the contract in a way that increases the amount you pay each month the networks will almost certainly agree. However, reducing your tariff is not so easy and may be resisted if the reduction is particularly large.

Larger business mobile contracts work in a similar way, although there is usually one "main" number (the leader) and a number of sharers. The sharers use the same pool of minutes allocated to the leader.

So if you have five handsets on a 2,000 minute contract the 2,000 minutes are available for all numbers within the group. This does not always apply to text and data usage which may be allocated per handset instead. It is usual for calls between group handsets to be free of charge.

Minutes, texts and data over and above your normal contract will attract further charges and these are usually hefty so best to make sure you have a contract with a little bit of leeway built in. Similarly use outside of the UK is charged heavily, so make sure you add a package for overseas usage before you go or limit your usage whilst out of the country.

If your current business mobile contract is coming due for renewal soon and you would like to get a quotation please contact us by phone or online.

At Business Mobile World we specialise in providing business mobile phones. We deal with all types of businesses and all sizes from a one-man band with 1 mobile phone handset to large companies with hundreds.

We recognise that your main focus is running your own business and that you do not have the time to be getting lots of different quotes and negotiating with the mobile phone networks. Doing it yourself is unlikely to get you the best deal, the best option is to utilise our expertise to find the best business mobile tariff based upon your usage and requirements.

Getting a quote is easy. If you already have a business mobile contract you can send a copy of your current bills. This will allow us to see exactly how many minutes and texts you are using, your data usage and any extras such as international usage and calls to non-geographic numbers.

We can instantly compare your current deal with those available from the major mobile networks, and see if your current tariff is still the best for your business. Over time usage changes and what might seem the best tariff when you take the contract out may become less suitable after several months if your usage has changed.

If you don't already have business mobiles, either because it is a new business or your business has expanded and you now employ staff who need mobile phones, estimating usage is much harder. It could be worth taking out a tariff at a low-level and monitoring usage to see whether you need to increase it. It is always easy to go up a tariff or two but much harder to reduce your tariff.

We can provide a full range of business mobile handsets. These are usually supplied free of charge, depending upon your chosen tariff.

Once you have your new business mobile contract in place we keep an eye on it with regular reviews to make sure that everything is running smoothly and you are happy with it. As well as your itemised bill each month you will also receive 6 monthly overviews showing you trends and allowing you to spot excessive usage in any particular area.

Any problems and we are only a phone call or click away. We have a dedicated customer service team who not only help you with any issues but also monitor our own internal service standards to make sure we are always giving the best service possible.

If your business mobile phones are due for renewal in the next 3 months or so it would be worth your while to get in touch and see what we can offer you. There is no obligation to proceed if you don't like our quote and if you prefer your current deal you have the peace of mind that you already have the best deal available.

 

We've relaunched two websites this week following a brief break. These are:

• 21c Vehicle Tracking
• 21c Business Mobiles

We had a change of server late last year which led us to re-evaluate all of our websites. It was decided that these two could be put on ice temporarily whilst we concentrated on our main site.

However there have been some developments in the vehicle tracking arena which are exciting and need promoting so the 21c Vehicle Tracking website was chosen as the perfect vehicle to promote the new products.

And whilst we were reviving this site it was easy to put the business mobiles site back online too. This site won't be updated too much in the near future as we concentrate on the vehicle tracking developments.

Vehicle tracking, as a term, is pretty old now. Many businesses, who do not see the need for vehicle tracking, are missing the point. This is about employee management, protection and compliance.

The new breed of device tracking via GPS smartphones can do so much more than just keep track of a vehicle. Because it is not vehicle-fixed and remains with the employee it allows you to keep track of them and ensure that they are safe at all times whilst on your business. It also allows them to alert you if they have a problem with a simple press of a button. You can then see online in real-time where they are and get help to them if needed. This type of solution is ideal for lone workers.

It also allows you to keep track of your "grey fleet", vehicles owned by the employee but used on your business. This is important as your duty of care does not stop because they are in their own car.

Issues relating to privacy, particularly tracking employees outside of working hours, are now easily addressed via the online interface giving the employee complete peace of mind that they are not monitored 24/7.

And the best bit? The price. Businesses are always surprised that such a fully featured system costs so little. For your free quote please contact us or get in touch for a FREE, no obligation 14 day trial to see how this tracking solution might help your business. 

Originally this site was started solely to sell business mobiles, and products and services related only to this category. We worked closely with 21c Telecom Ltd, our main supplier, and had good success supplying businesses with phones on contract terms.

However, the telecoms market has moved on, and more and more businesses are sourcing all of their communication products from a single supplier. The advantages of this approach include cost savings, reduced administration, better customer service and enhanced fault resolution.

We are also able to offer a full range of business telecom products including:

• Business Landlines

This includes line rental, reduced call charges, telephone systems, telephone numbers, maintenance contracts, call management and more. Easy to understand monthly billing and a single point of contact for questions and problems.

• Business Broadband

Business grade broadband with low contention ratios giving your business a greater share of the available bandwidth. High speed, reliable broadband with routers supplied and installed where necessary.

• Mobile Broadband

USB dongles supplied to give you 3G mobile internet via your laptop or netbook. Speeds up to 7.2mbps.

• Vehicle Tracking

Track your vehicles or employees via hardware or a mobile phone. Live view of current position via real-time web interface.

All types and size of business can benefit from taking out a range of services with us, achieving large savings over a multiple supplier solution. Quotes are always free and we aim to save you money whilst simultaneously improving your business communications.

 

The figures are in for February. Based on our despatch records these are the Top 10 most popular business mobiles:

At number 1 is the Nokia 6303. A good, solid business phone, great for calls and texts and keeping you organised. No frills but a reliable business tool.

Coming in at number 2 is the BlackBerry 8520. This budget BlackBerry remains popular as it can do the majority of functions that its bigger, more expensive stable mates can at a fraction of the price. Great entry level BlackBerry mobile phone.

At 3 is the Samsung M110. We call this the builders phone, or the tradesmans phone, as it is a rugged, rubberised mobile designed to withstand shocks, dust, water and pretty much anything you can throw at it. In a similar vein is the Samsung B2100 which makes its entry at number 4.

Number 5 brings the Nokia 2700. Another no frills handset but reliable and easy to use. These features are often overlooked by those looking for a more flashy mobile.

Which brings us to number 6 - the Apple iPhone. We've actually lumped all of the variants 8GB/16GB/3GS together which brings it the no 6 ranking. We're sure we don't have to explain much about this phone, you will all have seen the adverts and the hype! We're not going to knock the phone, as many people seem to love it, but before you order one for your business do think about whether you need such an expensive phone when others can do the same job for less.

The last four places are all ocupied by Nokias. In order 7-10 are the 2330, 3110, 5800 and 6300. Not the most exciting of phones (or names!), with the 5800 standing out as a touchscreen phone with a lot of media features which we haven't seen in our list too often.

And that's it for February. No major surprises again with Nokia, Samsung and BlackBerry dominating. It's hard to see their dominance being challenged in the near future as they seem to best understand the needs of the business user.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of interesting mobile news currently, certainly not since we last posted on 10th February. The most interesting news from the world of mobile phones, both business mobile phones and consumer mobiles, is posted below.

Firstly it looks like the Orange/T-Mobile merger is going to go ahead without regulatory inspection in the UK. The decision is with the EU and it would appear that the companies involved have made enough concessions for the OFT to withdraw its objections and the EU to approve it. The decision is expected early next week.

Hopefully once regulatory approval is granted we will then get a timescale for the merger and perhaps more details of the direction that will be taken by the newly-merged network. Fingers crossed it will bring lower prices and more innovative products but don't hold your breath.

Vodafone would appear to be the fastest network for web browsing on mobile phones according to a recent independent survey commissioned by O2. The figures are general across the UK rather than region specific and the actual differences in speed between the major networks is unlikely to be noticeable by the average user.

Vodafone have also launched what is thought to be the world's cheapest phone. The 150 should sell for around £10 and is aimed at the developing world. The developing world is seen as the main growth area in the coming years as phone sales in the developed world fall.

TalkTalk are looking to enter the mobile phone arena by becoming a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) later in the year. This service is in addition to the home phone, broadband and digital TV products it already offers.

Sony Ericsson have been censured by the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) over claims it made in a TV advert with regard to it's Satio handset and its ability to connect to Facebook. The handset does not come with a Facebook app and initially could not even run the app due to software problems. However the Facebook app is now available for download onto the Satio.  

 

Vehicle tracking has been around for a few years now. Usually a GPS device is fitted to the vehicle and this transmits the position of the vehicle at pre-set intervals so that the movement of the vehicle can be tracked. Using the latest software, vehicle tracking is done online in real-time.

By utilising online tracking this means that you can log in from any device anywhere and see where your vehicles are. However fixed in-vehicle tracking does mean an initial cost for installing the hardware in each vehicle.

Now vehicle tracking can be done by mobile phone. Using a GPS enabled phone to transmit the position, direction and speed of travel, the phone can also show the whereabouts of the employee when out of the vehicle.

Both of these vehicle tracking systems enable savings to be made in your business if you operate a fleet of vehicles, whether small or large. Areas where vehicle tracking can help include:

• Reduced mileage
• Savings on diesel/petrol
• Reduced overtime claims
• Lone worker protection
• Helath and safety compliance
• Improved customer service
• Reduced admin via pre-prepared reports

Device tracking is easy to set up and, if you already have GPS smartphones in your business, is extremely cost efficient. If you don't already have GPS business phones suitable handsets can be supplied free of charge when you next renew your mobile contract. GPS enabled mobile phones can be obtained cheaply and still work well with the tracking software.

Device tracking also offers you extras such as tracking employees using their own vehicles on company business. You have a duty of care to them whilst they are working for you.

The savings made from a vehicle tracking system can quickly pay for the system itself and deliver cost savings on a monthly basis thereafter. There's only one way to find out how much your business could save and that is to get a vehicle tracking quote.

We are always looking at new products and services that can benefit our customers by reducing costs and improving communications. One such product allows you to control your inbound calls on any number, anywhere, from any device.

It works for both geographic and non-geographic telephone numbers and provides online access to a full range of call routing, monitoring and management tools, helping your business improve its customer service.

The benefits of this service include:

• Use with any number, anywhere, from any device
• Easy to use, designed to be intuitive
• Immediate to set up
• No capital outlay

There are three plans available on this service, designed for all sizes of business from sole traders and single site businesses, through multi site/multi department organisations, up to large call centres.

The features provided include:

• Tailored call plans - build plans according to your business operating hours, schedule call routing, handling and divert options to maximise your call handling potential.
• Call statistics - easily interpreted graphs of your inbound call statistics, results of call handling.
• Call queuing - Queue incoming calls during busy periods. Live queue statistics and queue management.
• Auto attendant - interactive voice response can be uploaded for announcements to callers
• Optional call recording - record inbound calls for compliance, customer service and audit purposes.

The easy to use online interface gives you full control of the handling of all of your inbound call traffic. If this feature is something you think could aid your business please contact us to discuss your requirements.

We have been looking at how we can make it easier for you to get in touch with us to get a quotation for your business mobiles.

The first solution has been to reduce the size of our online enquiry form. A number of fields have been removed and now it is just basic contact information we require and we will contact you from there to obtain anything else we need.

We have tested the new form out and it takes less than a minute to complete, typing in every field. If you have any sort of auto fill for forms enabled on your browser it will be even quicker!

We have also changed the telephone number displayed on the website from an 0844 number to a local 0115 number. This means that callers from mobile phones can get in touch cheaper (and usually free from inclusive minutes). Call us on 0115 944 8977 for a business mobile quote.

Remember our quotes are free of charge and without obligation. We can quote from one handset to two hundred plus and our aim is to save your business money whilst improving your communications.

In addition to business mobiles we also offer a number of related telecoms products including landlines, broadband, tracking and more. All of our services are designed to work in harmony together, streamlining both your internal and external communications, not to mention your administration and billing.

So visit our new look business mobile enquiry form and take a single minute out of your busy day to save your business some money.

A collection of stories, snippets and interesting information from the world of mobile phones.

• Some of the latest mobile phone apps include one from the AA listing 14,000 places to eat, stay and drink in throughout the UK. This guide will also tell you about local points of interest based upon your location. For those that regularly misplace their phone or have terrible memories where they last put it down a new app called Where's My Phone could be the answer. It allows you to whistle and the phone rings in response, allowing you to locate it.
  
• SmartPhones represent 25% of the mobile phone market yet nearly half of all phone based web traffic comes from them. The average SmartPhone user utilises around 300 minutes per month. Facebook is the most popular website accessed by mobile phone users.
  
• New mobile phones - the Sony Ericsson X10 is due to arrive in April, although it could be earlier. This phone makes use of the Android operating system and features a full touchscreen, 8.1mp camera with auto focus and 16x digital zoom, Timespace (a social networking aggregator), 1GB built-in memory expandable up to 16GB and GPS.
  
• Business Mobiles - companies, particularly corporate users, are spending up to one third of their mobile phone communication bill on personal calls made by their employees. This represents a total spend of £1bn which could possibly be saved by better management and procedures for company mobiles.
  
• The OFT are lobbying for an investigation by UK authorities into the Orange/T-mobile merger. The deal will already be scrutinised by the EU but fears of reduced competition and increased prices for consumers have led to the call from the OFT. A UK investigation could further drag out the merger timescale for several extra months.
  
• Apple - O2 have sold their 2 millionth Apple iPhone in the UK despite losing their exclusivity late last year. The next big thing, the Apple iPad, due for launch later this year, is also on the radar for all of the networks looking to tie up deals with Apple. No news yet of an exact release date or pricing.
  
• O2 continue testing on the 4G mobile network. Speeds of up to 150mbps are potentially available using this technology, however this has not been achieved yet and a full rollout of this is a little way off still.
  
• Nearly 97 billion text messages were sent in the UK in 2009. This represents an hourly rate of 11 million! These figures show a steady increase from 2007 and 2008 despite competition from social networking sites such as twitter and facebook.
  

We have a number of websites promoting our products and services. Some are specifically tailored to a particular category, such as business mobiles, whilst others are more generalised giving an overview of many of the different communication areas we can help your business with.

We have today updated Best Business Phone Deals with another three pages. These are as follows:

• Small business phones
• Business phones in Derbyshire
• Business phones in Nottinghamshire

These all emphasise that whilst we are able to provide a national service, our core business is working with local businesses throughout the East Midlands to provide them with a full portfolio of communication and IT products.

The advantages of dealing with a local company are many. Firstly, if there is any element of call-out, a local company will almost certainly be cheaper than a centralised national company. For instance if you need a small telephone system installing.

Secondly, if anything goes wrong, particularly with hardware, we can come out quickly to put it right. Finally we provide a much more personal service. No call centres and a dedicated account manager to contact.

We are right in the heart of the midlands, ideally placed to service Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. There are no businesses too large or small to take advantage of our services.

Quotes are free and without obligation and as well as looking at ways to save your business money we also look at how your communications can be improved and new technology incorporated into your existing systems.

Fill out our simple enquiry form and we'll contact you and show you how much your business could save.

Have you reviewed your business phones recently? A phone review should cover not only cost reductions, where possible, but also communication improvements. Ensuring that your mobile phones and landlines work together to provide optimum performance and smooth lines of communication.

Too many companies fail to review their arrangements and renew their contracts without giving consideration to how much they might save by looking at alternative ways of organising their business phones.

In fact savings of several thousands of pounds are possible for medium to large users. This is money that should not be wasted, particularly in the current economic climate. No business should be paying over the odds for their telecoms.

Some of the areas to look at with a review include:

• Business mobile tariff
• Mobile network
• Changes of usage (more/less mins, sms, data)
• New mobile handsets
• No of lines/extensions
• Line rental costs
• Landline hardware (system/handsets)
• Cost per minute of most used destinations
• IT integration

By ensuring that your business communications are on the optimum plan you should not only save money on your basic monthly costs but should also benefit from increased new business and business retention by improving your communications both internally and externally.

You have nothing to lose with a business phone review from Business Mobile World. They are free of charge and take little time out of your business. After a quick fact find we can put together a proposal showing you where improvements and savings can be made.

According to a recent study only 24% of mobile phone users in the UK access the internet via their handset. There are several reasons cited for this low figure:

• Actual cost of data when known
• Unknown costs related to downloads and fear of a big bill
• Difficulty in viewing websites on small screens
• Slow download speeds and unwieldy navigation

Many of these problems can be overcome, particularly if you are looking for a new handset. If the internet is going to be a factor in your choice of mobile phone you will likely want as big a screen as possible. This means a touchscreen or slidephone are the best options.

A QWERTY keyboard enables you to email better and also to type long URLs into your browser getting to the website you need faster. A 3G enabled phone is a must and look out for whether it supports standard web programming such as java and flash. Wi-fi phones keep your costs down if you have a wireless access point.

A smartphone enables you to download different web browsers and applications to suit your taste and preference.

When looking at tariffs there are some different options for data usage. These include:

• Pay as you go for amount downloaded
• Include a data usage amount within your tariff (eg. 500MB)
• Pay per day

Which one works out best for you depends upon how often you are likely to access the internet/email. For instance if the daily access charge is 30p and you are likely to use it half a dozen times per month it works out better to pay daily than paying £5 for inclusive data within your tariff.

Beware the high costs of downloading data on a pay as you go basis. It is easy to run up a sizeable bill if you surf the internet without a special data plan of some sort. Also note that your data plan applies only in the UK. When overseas the cost of data usage is usually enormous.

These days most businesses of all types and size will use mobile phones in some capacity or other. Some of the reasons why your business benefits from utilising its business mobiles include:

• Accessibility 24/7
• Making and keeping appointments
• Checking details/information whilst away from the office
• Saving time, being able to communicate during "dead" time (eg. travelling)
• Accessing emails and internet
• Call forwarding from your landline
• Keeping in touch when overseas
• Lone worker protection
• Tracking employees by mobile device

There are numerous other reasons why using mobiles in your business and making them a key part of your communication strategy makes sense.

In the 21st century people have little patience to wait around for a slow response to a problem or complaint. Companies that recognise this and are able to keep communication channels open and active at all times will benefit in retaining existing customers and also gaining new business.

It is not enough to simply have mobile phones in your organisation, you need to use them to their best advantage and integrate them with your landlines, broadband, IT to get the best possible communication solution.

As experts in the telecoms field, offering a full range of products and services designed specifically to work together, we would love to help your business function better and help you improve communications, not only with your customers but also internally.

A converged telecommunications solution does not have to be costly or overly-complicated, it just needs the right products working together in the best manner. Quotes are free and we welcome enquiries from all types of business and all sizes from 1 mobile handset to 100+.

Increasingly the biggest differential between companies is the standard of customer service. Those that provide a quick follow up to enquiries and problems will find it much easier to retain customers and prompt replies to new leads will also put them at the front of the queue for gaining new customers.

When thinking about contact with your customers you need to be aware of all of the different devices and means of communication that are available. Not everyone wants to deal with things on the phone, many now prefer to email. The more channels of communication you offer the more people will be able to interact with your business.

When offering multiple communication avenues you also need to make sure that they work together to give the customer the optimum service. For instance if an email is left sitting in an inbox without being read or dealt with for several hours you are immediately risking the ire of an impatient customer.

Much better for a copy of that email to be forwarded to the recipients mobile phone when they are away from the office so that it can be read instantly. If it's urgent it can be dealt with straight away and if not it can be actioned at a later date.

Making it easier for people to contact you will result in gaining more business. Yes it will also mean that people with problems and gripes can get hold of you but it is better to sort these out in a timely manner so as to avoid losing customers or getting a bad reputation.

Small businesses need this more than they think. If someone is looking to get a product or service quickly they will almost certainly go with the first provider they can get hold of (providing the cost is not extortionate). So being unable to contact you could result in losing business. Having an answerphone does not always help if you cannot return the call until several hours later. By then the opportunity has often disappeared.

It is possible to have a single non-geographic number that tries all of your devices in turn until it can get hold of you. In the event you are uncontactable it can send a message straight to your mobile phone alerting you that your attention is required.

For larger businesses with dedicated staff answering the phones during office hours the need might be for out-of-hours services, forwarding calls to on-call staff, or home working options for people with families or in the case of bad weather.

All of these scenarios can be catered for by integrating your landlines, business mobiles and IT to provide seamless connections between departments and between your business and its customers.

It's all very well wanting the latest mobile phone free of charge on contract but this usually means signing up to a hefty contract. Whilst this will usually get you a fair chunk of minutes and texts, if you don't use them then you are pouring money down the drain.

Moneysupermarket estimate that up to £13 billion is being wasted by British mobile phone users each year in unused minutes and texts. In fact nearly half of the inclusive deal is being wasted. This is a 40% increase on the 2007 figures and is driven by high cost phones (iPhone anyone?) which require huge tariffs to be obtained free of charge.

Whilst a free phone might seem like a tempting offer, if you are wasting £20 of inclusive minutes each month over a 24 month period it would be much cheaper to take out a lower tariff and part-pay towards the cost of the phone.

Whilst these figures refer to the whole of the mobile phone market, and are largely a consumer problem, business users also need to be aware of the cost of unused minutes, texts and data. It's very important that your business mobile contract accurately reflects your usage in order to get the best deal.

If your usage remains fairly steady each month it should be a simple task to look at your current usage and get the right tariff that includes what you need but no more.

If your bills vary widely each month then you have a decision to make. Do you take out a contract based upon the highest monthly spend and waste the minutes and texts in low spend months or take out a contract on a lower tariff and pay for calls etc. above your tariff as and when they are made. You might need to get out a calculator at this point and see which works out best for you!

On the other hand get in touch with Business Mobile World (that's us!) and let us do the hard work for you. We can analyze your bills and produce figures showing you the best options and how much you could save by switching tariffs and/or networks.

We can also propose other money saving communication options including your landline phones, taking over your current lines and reducing your line rental and telephone call costs, and business broadband with low contention ratios giving you great speeds without great costs.

One call does it all, just pick up the phone and dial 0844 880 8116 for immediate attention or fill out our online enquiry form.

The figures are in for December 2009 and we can now reveal the best selling business mobile phone for the month. And the winner is........

The Samsung M110. Back on top after a four month break, although it has never left the top 6. This hard-wearing phone, ideal for those in manual trades, is dustproof, water resistant and shockproof. Free on even the lowest of tariffs it makes sense for businesses where breakages of "ordinary" mobile phones are commonplace.

A re-entry at 2 for the Nokia 6303. A solid unit for business users everywhere, this no fuss handset sells by the bucketload to businesses with basic mobile needs of talk and text.

Third place was occupied by the Apple iPhone. The intuitive nature of the iPhone's user interface is catching on with business users who like their touchscreen phones. Plus the constant media attention means that this handset is never far away from the thoughts of many looking for a new phone.

RIM take fourth and fifth with their BlackBerry 8520 and BlackBerry 9700 respectively. We have no problem selling BlackBerry phones to businesses where email is a prime driving force behind their choice of handset. Still the first choice manufacturer for many business users.

Nokia fill four of the remaining places with their 6300, 2700, 6600 and 7100. Samsung break in at 7 with their B2100. Another phone built along the lines of the aforementioned M110 this is a rugged phone for hardworkers.

A top 10 filled with sensible business mobile choices (iPhone excepted!). Each month is becoming fairly similar with only 4 manufacturers represented. No sign of LG or Sony Ericsson, they seem to be very much concentrating on consumer mobiles.

No entries for HTC either. They make good phones for the business user but many seem to shy away from them as they are not a household name. Their recent TV advertising may address these issues so look out for them making an appearance in the top 10 in the coming months.

Finally a reminder - we can help your business with its mobile phones and we don't only stock the phones shown in our top 10 listings. We can get you any handsets on a variety of business mobile tariffs with all of the major mobile networks. Contact us for your free quote.

Reports are that over the Christmas period Samsung have been outselling Nokia and have gained the crown of most popular mobile phone manufacturer. This is for all mobile phone handsets, including consumer phones, rather than just business mobile phones, where Nokia are still the best sellers, at least according to our own in-house figures.

The rise of Samsung is led by a series of fun and funky handsets, often low cost, that appeal to the generation buying the most handsets. For business users the colour and design of a phone is less likely to impress. It's the phone features at the top of the list when choosing a handset.

Samsung do make mobile phones for business users, notably the durable and hardwearing "builders" phones. The Samsung Solid Extreme is one such example offering water and dust resistance and compliance with MIL-STD-810F. This means it can survive military standard testing including exposure to high and low temperatures, rain (including wind blown and freezing rain), humidity, sand and dust exposure, shock and random vibration.

Nokia, on the other hand, are still producing good, solid phones, ideal for business users but without any great innovation or fanfare that is going to rival Apple's iPhone or Google's new Nexus One. They persevere with series phones, such as the N series, even though they are tarnished by bad reviews and software problems in the past. Once people become aware of such problems they are less likely to trust such phones in the future, even when the problems have been sorted.

Expect a fightback from Nokia soon, although with a host of non-traditional manufacturers such as Apple and Google entering the market as competition with their own USP it is going to be hard work to win back a sizeable chunk of market share in the consumer arena.

The business mobile market is moving too and new technologies will be adopted by business buyers looking for better ways to interact with their customers. It moves much more slowly but it is definitely moving. BlackBerry and Nokia need to be on their mettle if they are to keep up with the young guns, particularly if Google do decide to aim their next handset at the business user as is rumoured.

Business mobile buyers also need to keep their eyes on the new technology and think how it could help improve their business efficiency. For some free advice get in touch with us and let us show you how the latest handset technology can help you connect with your customers and make more sales.

Technology moves on apace and no area is moving faster than mobile phones. With the continuing rise in sales of SmartPhones, including GPS and always-on connectivity, the possibility to provide location-based services combined with mobile phone payment will be here soon.

This will allow you to receive information, offers and discounts on products and services based on your location. You might be walking along the high street nearing a large retail store and suddenly your phone beeps and a discount voucher appears on your screen. You visit the retailer, swipe your voucher to receive your discount, and swipe again to pay for your goods.

This will undoubtedly make life easier, particularly in paying for small items when you don't have any cash in your pocket. However the temptation to overspend will definitely be there for some. Also a lot of small impulse purchases can soon add up to a tidy sum at the end of the month.

It is also be possible to use your phone as a shopping assistant, taking a photo of an item in a shop and using an app to find info about it and get the best price. Apps could also be involved in money transfer between phones, so you could see car boot sales where the goods are bought by a shake of a couple of mobile phones and the money transferred from buyer to seller.

The security of the mobile payments will need to be excellent and combined with transaction limits to limit spending if people are going to adopt this technology. But any minor objections from people are likely to be overcome and many of the iPhone generation are going to want to get involved with this straight away.

They are the same people who will be using the new features on social networking sites which will enable you to see where your friends are and broadcast your location to your friends to meet up. The issue of privacy here is paramount but not insurmountable. There may be plenty of people who you don't want to know where you are!

Business applications for location tracking are already in use by many businesses who use device tracking systems to keep track of vehicles and employees during working hours. This enables the business to make savings and efficiencies and the systems can pay for themselves within a relatively short space of time.

As a small business you will be aware that every penny counts. After all, who wants to spend more than they need to?

By obtaining a free review from Business Mobile World you will find out how much you could save. Not only that but we can provide you with advice relating to the latest technology and handsets and how they could improve your business communications.

We appreciate that your time is precious so we make it as easy as possible for you to get the best current deal and move seamlessly to a new network provider if necessary.

We can provide quotes and savings illustrations by phone, email or face-to-face whichever is easier for you.

With one of our small business plans you can get:

• Between 100 and 3,000 inclusive mobile minutes (dependent upon chosen tariff)
• Unlimited calls between all company mobiles
• Unlimited calls to all 01, 02 and 03 landlines
• Rollover unused minutes for 30 days
• Dedicated account manager
• Latest handsets free of charge

We can also provide small businesses with landline telephone services saving you up to 40% on your call charges, as well as a range of other services designed to help small business users. Get in touch with us for your free quote.

For larger business users we have a range of plans from the major networks and can provide integrated communication solutions bringing together mobiles, landlines, broadband and IT.

 

The use of wi-fi hotspots is set to treble within 2 years, fuelled mainly by the popularity of the Apple iPhone.

Wi-fi enabled mobile phones can access the internet and email via hotspots, often free of charge. They can also access these services in your home if you have a wireless router. The advantage of this is that wi-fi access falls outside of a standard contract and does not incur data charges.

However, not all mobiles have wi-fi capability and you need to check before you buy. Some cheap phones do have it yet some more expensive phones don't. It is likely that the vast majority of new phones will feature wi-fi.

The free public wireless network in Swindon, allowing all of the towns inhabitants free wi-fi access, is due to be completed in April. Should this prove successful it is likely other towns will follow suit. Access to Swindon residents will be time-limited each day with a charge for use beyond their initial limit. Visitors to the town will also be charged.

A solid choice if you are looking for a wi-fi mobile phone with internet and email is the BlackBerry Curve 8520 (pictured right). Ths features a full QWERTY keyboard which is useful for email and also for entering URLs for web browsing.

It doesn't cost a packet either. Contracts start at £25 per month with 500 mobile minutes, unlimited landlines, 250 texts and 500 MB of data. This includes a free handset (this deal is for business mobiles users).

Other features include:

• 2.64 inch screen
• full QWERTY keyboard
• touch-sensitive optical trackpad
• memory expandable up to 32GB
• Bluetooth
• 2MP camera
• BlackBerry OS (512mhz processor)
• BlackBerry's legendary mobile email
• Organizer
• MP3/MP4 player.

We offer a full range of wi-fi mobile phones for business users. Get in touch to find out more and for a free quotation.

The start of a new year is an ideal time to take stock of your business and plan your success for the coming 12 months. As well as gearing up to sell more of your products and services you should be looking at ways of saving money on your costs in order to maximise your profits.

A telecoms review from Business Mobile World will analyze all of your current communications including mobile phones, landline phones, broadband and mobile broadband showing you where savings can be made.

Additionally we can also help with new products and services including telephone systems, VoIP systems, website hosting, design and promotion - we offer a fully converged telecoms solution.

The benefits of a review for your business include:

• Saving money on each product
• Ensuring all products work together optimally
• Simplifying your billing (one monthly bill)
• One point of contact

At the moment you will probably have a number of different contracts for each of your communication components with different renewal dates. We can arrange for a smooth transition for each of these as they become due for renewal.

And the downside of getting a review? If we cannot save you money or improve your communications then you have total peace of mind that your current deal/s are the best available in the market. It's a win-win situation.

Best of all it's a free service. It won't cost your business a penny to see how much you could be saving and how your communications could be improved. Just contact us for your individual quotation.

This may be the last post before the 25th so a Happy Christmas to all of our customers, new and old, and a prosperous New Year.

Talking of New Year, the date for Vodafone's iPhone launch is now known. It will be on the 14th January 2010. Pre-orders are now being taken direct via their website although there don't appear to be any tariff details as yet.

Don't expect to see any startlingly different tariffs from either Orange or O2. It is likely that they will follow the other two networks both in terms of pricing and length of contract.

For the cheapest iPhone deals the best option could be Tesco Mobile who are offering 12 month contracts. It does mean that you have to contribute towards the cost of the phone initially but you are better off in the long run in terms of total cost. It also allows you to upgrade after 12 months which could be useful as it is likely the next generation iPhone or a variant will be released by then.

These are the deals for individual customers. For iPhone business mobile contracts get in touch with us for your tailored quotation. We have a wide range of business mobile tariffs from all of the major networks and can assist with a single iPhone or multiple iPhones for all of your employees.

The New Year is an ideal time for businesses to take a look at all of their outgoings. Remember we can help with a wide range of telecoms providing your business with an integrated solution and saving you money in the process. Our quotes are free and without obligation.

Recent research suggests that over a quarter of UK businesses are unhappy with their broadband. This might be because the service is poor, with dropped and interrupted connections, or because the service is slooooowwww.

Many of these same businesses might have caused this problem themselves by choosing consumer grade broadband. This is the cheapest option, and, if you are only an occasional or light user, will probably do an OK job. However, these days businesses are more and more reliant upon email, the internet and mobile data devices. Having a slow connection is going to slow your business down.

The reason consumer broadband is always going to be cheaper than business broadband is the contention ratio. This is the maximum number of users on the line at the same time. With business broadband there are always going to be fewer users meaning that you get a bigger slice of the available capacity. This means a quicker and more reliable service for your business.

Admittedly it does cost more, but it is only a few pounds each month and you should really notice the difference. To find out more visit the business broadband page.

It's a similar story for mobile broadband. If you sign up on the cheapest deal you can find you are likely to experience problems with connection and speed. Before taking out a mobile broadband contract make sure that the coverage in your area, and in the areas you are likely to use it, is excellent. Also check the maximum download speeds.

Not all mobile broadband is the same and some networks offer a slower connection than others. When you bear in mind that the figures quoted are the maximum you could receive, rather than what you are likely to receive, a slower connection could be even slower than you thought.

What is the best business mobile contract for your business?

There is no easy answer to this question as all businesses are different and will use their handsets in different ways. Some will want a contract with lots of inclusive minutes but little else, others will be more focused on data and a mobile email solution.

Getting the right business mobile contract is especially important as contract terms get longer and longer. Very few 12 month contracts now exist and the norm is 18 or 24 months, with 36 month contracts also available.

If you are paying over the odds for your business mobile contract you could be stuck paying too much month after month for 24 months. This additional expense could add up to several hundred pounds, or even more for large users, over the course of a contract.

So how do you find the best deal for your business? Whilst there are only 5 main networks each of them have a wide range of business tariffs. If you multiply the number of networks by the number of tariffs by the number of available handsets the total you come up with is staggering.

Whilst you could trawl through all of the options yourselves it would be extremely time consuming and you could not guarantee getting the best deal. This is because dealing direct with the networks can be more expensive than using a third party broker, such as ourselves, in many instances.

Additionally if you deal direct you are likely to be provided with a lesser level of customer service, particularly if you are a small business user. We don't have call centres and you speak to real people, including your dedicated account manager, when you need to contact us.

All we need from you is some idea of the type of handset you need - we can advise on the best ones for your usage based on your current bills or we can discuss handset options with you. If we have a copy of your current bills we can also tailor a contract based on your exact usage.

If your usage fluctuates greatly month-to-month we can analyze a range of different tariffs to see which one would work out the best option for you in terms of monthly spend.

Taking out a contract with us need not involve changing networks. We can take over your existing contract at expiry providing you with new handsets where needed and adjusting your tariff to the optimum.

If you need/want to change networks we make sure that your changeover is smooth and trouble free and help out with obtaining PAC numbers for you to keep your existing numbers if required.

Basically we make your life easier whilst saving you money! If that is something your business would consider a useful service please contact us for a free discussion and quote.

After a few days without posting we are going to catch up on some of the latest news from the world of mobile phones.

Aino and Satio back in business?

Sony Ericsson have been suffering some software problems on two of their latest handsets, so much so that they were withdrawn from sale by some retailers. The software update fixing all of these issues is now available for current users of these phones.

Too early to tell if this will help with sales in the run up to Christmas which must have been severely affected by the much publicised problems. Would you buy a handset with known problems when there is so much choice out there and plenty of reliable and proven phones?

Driving whilst using mobile on the increase?

It's hard to believe that people still haven't got the message. Apparently mobile phone use whilst driving has doubled in the last two years according to a recent study. This is despite the increased fines and penalties and the easy availability of hands-free kits such as bluetooth headsets.

If you know someone who is regularly driving whilst using a mobile, do them a favour and wrap them up a hands-free device for Christmas. They're cheap and easy to find and most of them work very well.

Can prolonged use of mobile phones give you brain cancer?

Whilst it is still very early days, it would appear that the incidence of brain tumours has not increased (in Scandinavia at least where the report comes from) since the 1990s when prolonged usage of mobile phones first started.  

It's always better to be cautious and limit use of mobiles where possible, particularly for children, but it would appear that the risks are relatively small for the time being. Longer studies need to take place and manufacturers need to continue to reduce radiation from their handsets where possible.

Smartphones continue to dominate people's wishlists

With SmartPhones getting smarter and cheaper all the time it is very likely many will be making the switch in the run up to Christmas and getting an operating system on their phone, similar to that on their computer. This allows the easy download of applications, synching with your desktop or laptop and using software that is already second nature.

In the same way that computing power has increased exponentially in recent years SmartPhone technology is likely to do the same. For those that haven't dipped their toes into the water a budget SmartPhone can be free of charge on a monthly contract costing a few pounds. This will get you used to how they work, ready for the jump to a more powerful model in the future as the technology evolves.

If you are due your upgrade in the coming months get in touch to see how we could help you take your first step with a new SmartPhone for both business users and individual consumers.

Well, the best sellers for November 2009 despatched by us in any case.

We start with the best selling business mobile, which was also the best seller last month, and that is the BlackBerry Curve 8520. This "budget" BlackBerry has a full QWERTY keyboard and offers the usual BlackBerry email and data experience which is why business users love them so much!

In second place is the Nokia 6300. This has occupied a top 3 spot in 5 out of the last 6 months and in the other month was the fifth best seller! Again a solid performer for business users looking for a phone that does what they need without any frills.

Making its debut at 3 is the BlackBerry Bold 2 (9700). A new phone which builds upon the already excellent BlackBerry Bold and adds new features. At 4 is the BlackBerry Bold 9000.

Rounding out the top 5 is the "builders phone" the Samsung M110. It retains a position in the top 6 which it has held every month so far since we started reporting the top 10 business mobiles.

At 6 is the phone people seem to love or hate - the Apple iPhone. Very much overrated for business users, and thus overpriced too, it retains a following with business people choosing style over substance!

Nokia fill three of the remaining four places with the Nokia 2330 (7), Nokia E72 (9) and Nokia 3110 (10) with the Samsung S5230 spoiling the Nokia run at 8.

Orange have reported that they sold more than 30,000 iphones on their first day of offering the handset to their customers. There is no stopping the momentum behind the iPhone, particularly now that Tesco Mobile have announced they will be selling it online and in their mobile shops.

Tesco currently have around 100 mobile shops within their stores, a number which is set to grow to 200 during 2010. No tariffs have been announced but they claim they will be offering a little "Tesco value" to their customers.

Does this herald the start of a price war? Orange getting the iPhone certainly didn't, with tariffs set almost exactly the same as O2. Vodafone come into the market in 2010 and this extra competition may start the prices heading ownwards.

However, how much room for manoeuvre is there in the price? If you are paying £30 per month over 24 months your total outlay is only £720. With an iPhone GS costing in the region of £500 (probably a bit less to the major networks) there isn't much of a profit margin.

Whilst we can supply the iPhone to our business customers, we find that other handsets from Nokia and RIM (BlackBerry) are much more popular. It did pop into our Top 10 business mobile handset chart for August 2009 but hasn't been seen since.

As a business phone it doesn't offer any extra features above many considerably cheaper handsets. Businessmen with their heads screwed on understand value and understand that every extra penny spent on their mobiles is a penny off their profits.

So if you are looking for a business mobile phone and are considering the iPhone get in touch with us for some free advice and some cheaper (and better) alternative handsets that will save your business money month after month.

 

 

How easy is it to carry out crimes on the streets from behind bars? Well first of all you need to know the right people and you need around £400.

 

This is why there has been a call to jam mobile phone signals from an inspector. This would stop crimes on the streets, including drug trafficking, and bullying within prisons.

 

It is believed that there are 3 times as many mobile phones in circulation than have actually been seized. So going on figures from 2008, 7000 mobile phones where seized, with a black market value of 9million.  This means that there are potentially 21,000 mobile phones in circulation in UK prisons.

 

The prison service say that blocking signals is a slow and costly process but the technology is out there. For each prison to have the technology would cost £250,000 per prison.

 

But…will signal jamming affect the public outside the prison? Is the technology there to be specific with the signal blocking? Or will they have each individual network track signals from inside the prison and maybe get an imei block? Would that be possible and more cost effective? Or would that be too much work for the networks?

 

Interestingly at this moment in time it is not against the law to be in possession of a mobile phone in prison, the only law is on smuggling the phone into jail.

 

Author: Simon Hunt

Position: Telecommunications Consultant with 21C Telecom

The new UK Mobile Phone Deals website is now live and ready for you to visit.

As well as offering business mobile phones, it also has links to consumer mobiles with a mobile phone shop offering free mobiles, the latest deals, offers and mobile phone extras.

There is a blog, online polls, mobile broadband section and there will be plenty more to come in the near future.

We intend to keep it updated with the latest mobile phone news on a daily basis, at least during the working week, and it will have different content to the stuff posted here on Business Mobile World.

It is based on the MojoPortal content management system and is an experiment in terms of its effectiveness in search engine optimisation. We will be keeping a close eye on it in the search engines to see if it does better or worse than the old site.

 

 

Further to the meeting held by Peter Mandelson with all 5 major network providers to have a Spectrum reframe (to hit Labour's Mobile broadband targets by 2012).

 

T-Mobile and Orange are now telling the UK regulator that they do not want to give up spectrum in exchange for regulatory approval of their planned merger. This isn’t going to please OFCOM as the merger will have 37% of mobile customers and over 50% of all available spectrum.

 

It will be unlikely that Vodafone and 02 will give up any of the 900mhz bandwidth if T-Mobile and Orange are not going to let go of any of their spectrum to meet Mandelson's 2012 targets. It should be remembered that there is a General election coming up next year which could change things!

 

What is Spectrum?

 

According to Wikipedia it is "the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation". For more information read the Ofcom pdf relating to the Frequency Allocation Table which contains 224 pages of further info.

 

 

Author: Simon Hunt

Position: Telecommunications Consultant with 21C Telecom

 

 

It's been a bit quiet here with our blogger and website updater away for a couple of weeks. However, he's back now and raring to go!

So what's been happening in the world of mobile phones and business mobile phones in the past 14 days? This is a chance for you (and him!) to catch up with the latest mobile phone news in the UK.

• Firstly it looks like some staff at T-Mobile have been selling-on data on its customers to third parties who then contact the customers in advance of their upgrade date to upgrade their phones. This illegal activity is likely to result in a criminal prosecution and even some jail time. However there is no suggestion that details such as financial information/bank accounts have been compromised or sold on.
  
• Harriet Harman, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, looks like being prosecuted for being involved in a road accident whilst using a mobile phone. There is no excuse for using your handset whilst driving, hands-free kits are available and are very cheap. We can supply any of our existing customers with the kits and can even arrange for installation where a fixed kit is required.
  
• Arriva, the bus company, has become the first in the UK to launch a mobile phone ticket service. Prepaid tickets can be sent to your mobile phone. The ticket is then activated by the user on the day of travel and shown to the driver in the same way as a paper ticket.
  
• Recent research suggests that UK businesses could potentially be wasting up to £264 million each year on mobile call costs. This is mainly due to employees simply picking up the phone and ringing without thinking about the cost of the call and whether there are cheaper options available (after all it is not their money they are wasting!).
  
  Many of these calls are made from within offices where alternatives are available. However, employees are not the only ones to blame. Many businesses fail to make the best use of their resources, such as Wi-Fi networks, which could enable cheap/free calls over the internet from their business mobiles.
  
  If your business is looking to save money on its phone calls get in touch for a wide range of options available to small businesses and largeer users alike.

That's some of the news from the mobile phone world. To keep in touch with developments bookmark this blog, which will now be updated a bit more often!

Following on from our recent blog post, Mobile Phone Form Factors, the differential in exterior design is becoming less important than the internal operating system and software for customers who know their mobiles.

There are still consumers who just want the latest "in" gadget, or a phone because it "looks pretty", but more and more people understand how mobiles work now that they are becoming more like computers. This is particularly so for companies looking for business mobiles.

The latest SmartPhones can run operating systems that are already familiar to anyone who has had a computer for the last few years. So if you are a fan of Windows on your PC it makes sense to hunt down a Windows Mobile device which will provide you with an OS that you can quickly understand and are broadly familiar with.

Using similar operating systems on all of your devices will also make it easier to integrate them and to transfer documents and files between them.

With so many manufacturers making similar looking devices, and with physical limitations to just how different mobiles can be, plus only a handful of different operating systems out there, how are they going to make their handsets stand out?

Firstly they can add to the OS. Open Source operating systems such as Google's Android can be customised by the manufacturer's development teams. So whilst you would broadly expect to be getting a similar experience with all Android based handsets, there could actually be quite a bit of difference with interfaces and usability dependent on your handset choice.

The next step could also be niche handsets. Rather than trying to be all things to all men new handsets could appeal to different sectors. For instance in Korea they have released a "golf" phone with maps of 280 golf courses built in and a host of other features to appeal particularly to the golf market. This is definitely a way to differentiate handsets based on the users lifestyle.

When comparing handsets the first thing to look for is if it has an operating system (ie. it's a SmartPhone) or not. If you only want to make calls and texts then you don't need an OS and should go for a basic model, there's no point paying for features you don't need.

Next look for which OS it's running. You are likely to come across the following systems:

• Symbian
• Android
• Windows Mobile
• BlackBerry
• iPhone
• Palm Web OS

You may not have a preference initially, but if there is specific software (apps) that you want your phone to run you will need to make sure the Operating System can handle it and do some research to make sure it works OK. Online reviews and blogs from real users will usually tell you how well it works!

If you have family/friends/acquaintances who are already using a phone with your chosen OS see if they will let you give it a try to see how well you get on with it. All UIs (User Interfaces) calim to be intuitive yet work in different ways. What is intuitive to me may not feel intuitive to you.

For company mobile users give us a call for a chat about the different handsets and operating systems. We can supply business users with a single handset or multiple handsets as required.

When choosing a mobile phone there are a number of different designs which offer variable user experiences. The one you choose may be decided by specific reasons or a good experience with a particular handset in the past.

• Candy Bar

The "standard" form factor, used on the very first mobile phones and still popular today. With this type of phone there is no protection for the screen or keyboard. Be careful not to keep it in a pocket with keys or other items that could scratch or damage the screen. Also make sure that the keyboard is locked as accidentally dialling someone or accessing the internet (many browser keys seem to be placed deliberately in a position where accidental use is encouraged!) could incur extra charges.

• Slide Phone

Usually the top part of the phone containing the screen slides over the keyboard. This means that the keyboard is protected but the screen remains exposed. They can be prone to screen damage due to broken connectors in the slide mechanism.

• Flip Phones / Clam Shell

Very rare nowadays to see a flip phone. The advantages are both the keyboard and main screen are protected. Outer screens remain at risk of scratching and breakage. When opened the phones should give a decent call experience with earpiece and microphone naturally in the right place.

• Touchscreen

More and more modern mobile phones are touchscreen. They can be used by touching with your fingers or a stylus. Keyboard use is via a "virtual keyboard" that appears on the main screen. Different manufacturers utilise technologies that give a different feel to their touchscreens. Some users swear by them but others cannot get on with them. It is easier to make a mistake than with a traditional keyboard.

• Hybrids

Some phones are now being released that feature more than one of these technologies. For instance they have a touchscreen top panel which slides out to reveal a standard keyboard. The best of both worlds or just more things to go wrong??

Sales of SmartPhones continue to soar and are predicted to exceed those of PCs by 2012. The average SmartPhone is now so packed full of features that they could possibly replace a number of devices in the fullness of time.

When you invest in a SmartPhone you are likely getting a

• camera
• media player (MP3/4/Radio)
• computer
• satnav
• TV
• communication device (phone/sms/mms/email)

All of these features are rolled into one device that you can carry around and, as processing power and memory increase, the potential for replacing all of your other gadgets with a single SmartPhone are being realised.

As more manufacturers enter the SmartPhone market prices are coming down and obtaining a free SmartPhone can now be done with even the most basic of business mobile contracts. For consumers, SmartPhones can be obtained free on contracts as low as £18 per month including data usage.

Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry device manufacturers, now have units available on £25 per month contracts. These include minutes, texts AND data, giving you everything you need to use all of the phone features.

If you do intend using the email and internet features of your SmartPhone make sure you have data usage included within your package as charges per MB out of bundle can be very steep and it doesn't take much browsing to run up a big bill.

Alternatively you can use a Wi-fi enabled phone utilising your home or office wireless network to download data. This should not incur any charges from your network.

If you are looking for a free iPhone you are going to have to pay a fair bit more, particularly if you want the latest model. However for a business user there are many handsets available free that offer better features without the need for an expensive tariff.

Researching handset models is easy, we use the GSM Arena website which details of all of the handsets released throughout the world. You can see photos, reviews, full specs and user comments.

When doing your research on this site make sure the model is released in the UK as some phones are US or Far East only. Once you have a model in mind give us a call or let us know the features you require and your budget and we'll let you know the best combination of handset and tariff giving you a free mobile SmartPhone.

The despatch figures for October are in and the winner is...........

The BlackBerry 8520. This the best selling business mobile phone for October across our range of websites. This is the choice of users looking for a budget BlackBerry as it can be obtained free of charge on tariffs from £25. This INCLUDES data usage too.

In second place is the Samsung M110. This is also known as the "builders phone" as it comes in a rubberized casing making it shockproof. It is also dust proof and damp proof.

Keeping up Nokia's excellent record in the charts is the Nokia 6300 in third place. This is a solid business phone with a durable metal casing, ideal for all "road warriors" and those looking for a good quality, functional and inexpensive phone.

Another BlackBerry occupies fourth place, the BlackBerry 8900. Offering the usual quality expected of RIM and the excellent business tools including email and organizer.

Fifth place goes to another Samsung, the Samsung B2100. Another solid phone designed for those working in tough environments. Expect this to take over from the Samsung M110 in future lists.

Three Nokias occupy positions six to eight, namely the 3110, 6303 and 2680.

Bringing up the rear are the Samsung S5230, aka the Samsung Star, and the Nokia 6600 slide.

Only three manufacturers make this months list of the best business mobiles, no room for Apple, Motorola, Sony, HTC and a host of others. We have to conclude that, at this moment, if you are looking for a business mobile go for a Nokia, BlackBerry or Samsung!

 

With the release of the BlackBerry 9520 (aka Storm 2) Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry manufacturer, are focusing on a competitor to the iPhone with an all-round aptitude for both business and leisure uses.

 

For the dedicated business mobile user which BlackBerry should you choose?

 

If you are looking for a BlackBerry device it is very likely that email is on your mind. From an email point of view can you manage without a full QWERTY keyboard? Most BlackBerry phones now provide this as standard either via a touchscreen interface or regular buttons. Older models can have half-QWERTY keypads but if you are going to be emailing regularly these are probably best avoided.

 

Remember that data usage out of bundle is extremely expensive so a BlackBerry Internet Solution (BIS) or BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) need to be included within your package. These will be charged extra and start at around £10 per month for 500MB of data for BIS.

 

As BlackBerry phones tend to be aimed squarely at business users some features, such as a camera, tend to be rather basic. A standard 2.0 or 3.2 MP camera is all that you are likely to get. Compare that to the latest 12MP camera phones now available.

 

If you want to access the internet via your own router, at home or in the office, then you will need Wi-Fi connectivity. This is becoming standard on newly released models such as the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Most also include GPS as standard.

 

In fact the latest models are remarkably similar in features, it is up to you whether you prefer the look and feel of the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm 2 or the more standard BlackBerry Bold 9700. You are unlikely to be disappointed with either model.

 

We can supply your business with either handset, or a choice of other BlackBerry mobiles, and these can be free of charge subject to the tariff you choose.

As a business user you are very likely to enter into a contract for your business mobiles rather than pay as you go. How long should your business mobile contract be?

If you are dealing direct with the network it is likely they will want to tie you to them for as long as possible. 12 month contracts are becoming a thing of the past and you are more likely to be offered 18 month, 24 month or even 36 month contracts.

Wherever possible you should keep the contract term as short as is available. This allows you the flexibility to change tariffs earlier and to replace equipment when it becomes obsolete.

Occasionally there are reasons why a longer term is necessary. For instance, if you want a large quantity of expensive phones free of charge you are going to have to take a long contract to allow the networks to recoup the initial purchase costs of the phones over the full duration of the contract.

Rather than take out a long contract in these circumstances you could opt for a shorter contract and put an amount towards the cost of the handsets.

Alternatively you could opt for a shorter contract with less expensive handsets. It is often possible to find cheaper mobiles which still do the same job equally as well. A bit of research can pinpoint the models which offer all of the features you need.

Longer contracts can also offer lower monthly payments. Some tariffs will have different monthly payments for exactly the same amount of minutes and texts depending on the contract duration.

Every business is different and has different requirements for their mobile contracts. Whatever your requirements we can put together a business mobile package that suits you and offers the best balance between handsets, usage and contract length. Contact us for your free quote.

It's not easy keeping up-to-date with all of the manufacturers, networks and companies providing operating systems and apps when they are announcing new developments on a daily basis. Here are some of the developments we've spotted which should be coming to the UK soon.

Projectors

Projector technology has now advanced to such a degree that there are projector units available of a similar size to a mobile phone. The next logical step is to integrate the projector within a mobile phone handset.

This has already been achieved within a Samsung handset available in South Korea (the home of the latest mobile phone gadgets) but will inevitably be coming to these shores in the fullness of time.

The projector could be used for business presentations but could also show live TV and stored media via the handset.

Free SatNav

Many mobile phones already include maps and sat navs, however there is usually a subscription charge for using the service. Google have now introduced a free service offering turn-by-turn navigation integrated with Google Maps as part of their Android 2.0 operating system.

This offers most of the features available in the average sat nav unit like live traffic data plus satellite imagery from Google Maps and real pictures of destinations via the Google street view service.

Currently available in the US, this technology will no doubt be making its way across the pond very soon.

Going green

As well as mobile phone handset manufacturers jumping on the green bandwagon with new models such as the Samsung Blue Earth - using recycled plastic, a five-star rated energy efficient charger, plus additional solar chargers on the rear of the phone - you will soon be checking your home energy use via your mobile.

Smart meters showing energy consumption within your home will soon become mandatory. The data they produce can then be sent to your phone so you can keep track of how much energy you are using and how much it is costing even when you are at work or on holiday. It may even be possible in the future to turn off appliances and lights remotely from your mobile!

These are just a few of the developments currently being made in the mobile phone world. We will keep you posted as and when new stuff appears which may help business mobile phone users.

Many people are now more likely to forget their wallet/cards/cash than their mobile phone when they leave the house. So the ability to pay for small items of shopping or travel fares via your mobile phone is going to appeal.

Already available in the Far East, trials continue in the UK to get the mobile wallet up and running and accepted by retailers. With many supermarkets already offering self-checkout, the ability to scan your phone to pay for the goods would seem reasonably straightforward.

No doubt there are a number of technical and payment problems to iron out, but the day you can start paying with your mobile is coming soon.

There are also many shopping related apps coming onto the market. Retailers are realising that the mobile is an ideal device to help them market themselves and sell more product.

For instance Amazon have released an app that allows you to place orders and keep track of them, in the same way as you would use their website. They also offer a special feature whereby if you see an item you like when you are out and about you can take a photo of it and upload it to their site and if it can be matched with a product they sell you can find out all about it and then order it from your phone (or just keep it in your visual shopping list).

Dominos Pizza have also launched an app to enable you to track your pizza delivery. It lets you know when the pizza is in the oven, when it is ready for collection or on the way to being delivered.

These apps are examples of how big business is embracing new technology and using it to keep in touch with customers. Small business users can also take advantage of mobile technology. Not necessarily by the use of apps, but by sms marketing which is relatively low cost and provides instant results.

If you can think of a way that using mobile phones could help your business from a marketing or sales perspective please contact us and let us show you how cost effective mobile phone marketing could be.

As a small business it can often be difficult to compete with much larger businesses on a level playing field. They can buy all of the technology they need, regardless of cost, and have deep pockets to pay for marketing their products and services.

However, with even the most advanced mobile phones available from only £35 per month, your small business can be equipped with the latest in SmartPhone technology without breaking the bank.

Armed with the latest SmartPhone you can download apps, often for free, that will make your phone perform exactly how you need it to. You can also find a lot of free software for your computer that emulates the performance of very expensive software and systems that can keep you competitive.

Being a small business means that you can also respond more quickly to new technology, getting the latest gadgets to help your business as soon as they are available.

What is the ideal mobile phone for small business users?

That depends on how you are going to use it and what you need it to do. With a bit of research you can find a cheaper alternative to the headline-grabbing phones that will do exactly the job you need.

Before plunging headlong into buying your new phone think about exactly which features you NEED (not want) for your business. All phones are going to give you similar performance for voice and texts, but the difference in browsing and email between handsets can be large. QWERTY keyboards and larger screens are the order of the day if you need email and internet usage on a daily basis.

If you need your phone to be durable, either because you work in a tough environment or because you are just clumsy, then a rubberized phone would be a good buy. They tend to be cheap and cheerful with few features but you will know you made a good decision in buying one the first time you drop it heavily onto a concrete path and it bounces back still working.

They may not be the most glamorous of phones but they could save you a lot of money in replacing your mobile time and time again. Remember, getting a replacement phone is likely to cost your business at least £100, and up to £500 for the most advanced phone, each and every time one is broken.

The array of mobile phones available to small business users can be daunting and research can be time consuming. If you prefer to talk to an expert in the field of business mobiles then pick up the phone and call us. We will happily talk you through all of the latest phones and features that could help your small business.

 

Businesses should always be looking at saving money. After all every penny saved is added to the business profits. Keeping an eye on all of your expenditure and making sure that you always have the best deal is one way of ensuring your costs are as low as they can be.

But is the cheapest deal always the best deal? Sometimes it is. For instance the gas and electricity that your business receives will be exactly the same regardless of which distributor you use. Prices between distributors vary greatly.

With business mobile phones there are a number of variables which mean that sometimes the cheapest deal is not going to deliver the results you want.

For a start there are handsets. The very cheapest handsets should deliver you a reasonable voice and text service, and if that is all you need then sourcing the cheapest business mobile deal is right for you.

Businesses who need durable phones with few added features, such as builders and other tradesmen, will find that their chosen handsets will be relatively cheap allowing them to choose from a full range of tariffs and get their handsets free.

However if you are going to need data use (email and/or internet), gps or camera functions then you need to think carefully which handsets will deliver all of the necessary functionality. If you need the latest handsets you are not going to get them free of charge on the cheapest tariffs, but if you use a lot of minutes, texts and data you could find that the tariff you need allows you to get the best handsets too.

Of course keeping a close eye on all of your expenditure is time-consuming and could take your focus away from your core business. That is why it could be a wise move to employ a broker to handle all of your telecoms requirements. They don't have to worry about running your business, they focus solely on your communications, how they could be improved and where money can be saved.

At Business Mobile World we can handle all of your mobile phone, landline and broadband infrastructure plus the necessary IT to make it all work together seamlessly. A converged solution offers your business full integration between fixed-line and mobile devices, offering improved communication and reduced costs. Get in touch to find out more.

 

A recent poll by Consumer Focus found that nearly 70% of people think there are too many mobile phone tariffs available. The figure they quote for the total number of tariffs is a staggering 1.3 million!

As a result many people are not getting the best deal available and are finding hidden costs, for instance for accessing voicemail, after they have signed up to a contract.

With business mobile tariffs you can experience similar problems. There are so many different tariffs offering voice and texts, plus a huge range of bolt-ons for data, extra texts etc. Getting the right tariff that exactly meets your needs is difficult and, if you don't, your business is going to be overspending.

Rather than do the hard work of contacting all of the networks individually yourself, let us make it easy for you. We have access to all of the business tariffs plus all of the different mobile phone handsets allowing us to tailor a deal that exactly suits your business needs.

Our service is free and we are available at all times to discuss any changes plus advise you about other ways of saving money and utilising mobile communications that you may not have thought of.

We can start from a blank slate or can analyze your current bills to see exactly where your money is being spent and where savings could be made. A free review costs you nothing and will at least let you know if better deals are out there.

If you are not yet ready for a review but would like a quick chat about your business mobile contract just pick up the phone and call 0844 880 8116.

 

 

A recent survey of over 7,000 SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) reports that over 60% of businesses said faster broadband speeds had a positive impact on their business. Other beneficial technology included mobile devices (mobile phones and mobile broadband) and remote working tech.

Nearly 70% of those businesses that were embracing new technology were experiencing a "better" recession than those who lagged behind.

Not surprising to us, we have been blogging regularly about how new technology can help your business improve its communications and ultimately make you more money. Any initial investment can soon be overtaken by ongoing savings or increased profits.

And that is just the current scenario. Going forward into the future new technology will become ever more important in businesses that rely upon communications.

Even traditional trades, such as hairdressers, where actual technological advancements are unlikely to replace their core business (you cannot get a haircut on the internet!) need to embrace technology to make sure that their marketing remains relevant and accessible.

Letting customers (and potential customers) know about new styles, products and special offers by email or sms could keep all of their current customers happy and get people who may never have thought of using them in the past through the front door. 

All businesses should be thinking of how they could use technology to improve their communications inter-office and with customers. We can help you with advice about the latest technology and how it can be used to boost your business. Just get in touch.

With mobile phones becoming more like computers, offering storage for documents, personal and work data, the need to keep this data safe for business mobile users is paramount.

Most phones offer a PIN code security system. This locks all of the data but leaves the phone enabled to make emergency calls. The pin code is usually 4-8 digits. In common with your bank pin code you should make it memorable, not make it easily guessable and should not write it down and keep it with the phone!

If for any reason you enter an incorrect pin code three consecutive times the phone and/or sim card will be locked and you will be unable to use the phone or access its data. To reactivate the phone you need to know the PUC code (Pin Unlock Code). This is also known as the PUK code (Pin Unlock Key).

Should you enter the pin code wrongly 10 times in succession you will permanently lock your phone and need a new sim card, for which the network will charge you.

For O2 users the PUK code can be obtained from their website. Find an O2 PUK code. For all other networks you will have to get in touch with their customer service departments by phone (not easy if you only have your mobile with you and you've just locked it!).

As well as PIN protection SmartPhone users can download software apps that offer password protected storage facilities for all of their contacts and data. There are also apps for the safe and secure back-up of mobile phone data in the event of a lost/stolen/damaged phone.

By using a cloud storage facility and keeping your data safely online, it can be retrieved easily and downloaded to your new phone in the event of any problems.

Many manufacturers of mobile phone handsets and mobile phone networks are having tough times making a profit. This is ideal for the end user as the business mobile deals on offer currently are excellent.

Lower handset prices, plus tariffs with extra minutes, texts and data mean that if your current mobile contract is coming up for renewal in the near future you are almost guaranteed to find either a cheaper alternative or get a lot extra for your current spend.

Finding the best business mobile phone deal is where we come in. We save you the time of dealing with all five networks and can advise you on the best handsets for your business.

All you need to do is provide us with a few basic details:

• Coverage - are there any networks where coverage is problematic in your area
• Landline minutes - how many minutes do you need to call landlines
• Mobile minutes - how many minutes do you need to call mobile phones
• Texts - how many texts per handset each month
• Data - do you need data bundles for email or internet. Do you need a BlackBerry solution
• Preferred handsets - How many handsets do you need. Do you have a manufacturer or handset type preference

From this we can find you the best combination of network, tariff and handset/s to give your business the lowest monthly cost without compromising on quality of service and making sure there are no nasty surprises when you get your first bill!

We don't stop there. Become a customer with Business Mobile World and you benefit from your own account manager helping you with any problems, additions, technical advice and letting you know about new technologies that might help your business.

Once you've sampled our customer service you might want to save money on your landline bills, broadband and mobile broadband. Arranging them all with us gives you one point of contact should there be any issues and will save your business money each month.

For a free quote for any or all of our services please contact us.

 

The days before mobile phones are long behind us and it seems nearly impossible to imagine how we used to live without them, even for those of us who spent many happy years without a mobile.

The range of features on the average modern mobile phone gives you a variety of things to do for business and pleasure but how much of the stuff you do on your phone is really necessary and how much is down to boredom or stress?

On several occasions I have left my phone at home when going to work. Half way there I realise and start to panic. Why? When I'm at work everyone can call me on the landline, I have internet access and constant emails. There is little reason for me even to carry a mobile at work.

OK, I could break down on the way home when it would come in useful but my irrational anxiety about being without my phone really hit home. It's getting harder and harder to switch off and relax.

I was waiting in a beautiful hotel lobby recently and admiring the art and decor around me when I noticed how many people were glued to their phones oblivious to their surroundings. Some may well have been important calls, but as I walked around I would catch snippets of some of them and they were as banal as the average twitter post.

There was a recent survey of people with internet access that found 50% of them would experience anxiety if they were not connected all of the time. This is the same thing. Mobile phones are incredibly powerful business tools if used correctly but many users need to know when to switch them off and relax.

Whilst I do take my mobile phone on holiday, it is only "for emergency purposes". It stays switched off and I'm pleased to say I've never had to use it overseas. I'd much rather be on the beach and forgetting about all of the work issues which may (or may not) be happening.

Whilst business mobile phones can help your business life run smoother, make sure you get some downtime too. Staying permanently connected seems to be addictive and is not going to improve your work/life balance.

New handsets - BlackBerry Storm 2 is coming (26/10). This touchscreen smartphone is another attempt by RIM (Research In Motion) to compete with the iPhone. In a similar vein the much vaunted Palm Pre has now been released. "The first phone on the new Palm webOS™ platform allows you to keep multiple applications open at the same time so you can flow effortlessly between the people and events that make up your life" - well that's what it says in the blurb anyway.

Sony Ericsson have released the Satio with a staggering 12mp camera. It's not just a camera phone though as it also incorporates Sony's Walkman music features making it a great all-round entertainment phone.

None of these phones are going to be cheap with long-term contracts starting from around £35 per month if you want one free.

Spectrum Auction - The Government has cleared the way for the 5 major UK mobile phone networks to bid for the airwaves best suited for mobile broadband. This will not only help dedicated mobile broadband access (eg. via dongle) but should also improve data connections for SmartPhones.

Currently around 80% of the population have access to the 3G network, mainly in urban areas. For business users on the road increased coverage will mean less chance of signals "dropping out" or being stranded with no signal at all.

Emergency Calls - should you get in trouble up a mountain, or indeed anywhere where coverage on your own network is not so good, calls to 999 or 112 will now use the best coverage available from all 5 networks making it easier to get in touch with rescue services.

iPhone on all 5 networks - It won't be long now before the Apple iPhone is available on all 5 major UK networks. T-mobile and Three have not announced deals with Apple but are believed to be sourcing sim free iPhones from Europe to keep hold of their best customers. Expect monthly contract prices to fall by around £5 once all of the networks are involved.

 

 

Do you currently give out a landline work number and your mobile number for when you are away from the office? If you work from home some of the time you will likely give out this number too. So when someone is trying to reach you they could conceivably be ringing three different numbers, leaving messages on each and getting nowhere!

Make it easier for people to contact you and save time listening to duplicate messages. You can give out one number and technology makes sure the call finds you. This also enables you to be contacted at home (when it is convenient) without having to give out your home phone number.

Wasting time retrieving voicemail? Get it sent to you by email as an attachment. The subject line tells you who it is from so if you don't want to hear from them just delete the email! You can also forward the message to others if you need to.

These are just a couple of ways that modern technology will help your business keep in touch.

New internet telephone systems utilising VoIP will also be a means of improving communications and providing enhanced telephone features whilst also reducing call costs by routing calls over the internet. As internet connection gets faster and the technology matures it is likely that traditional phone lines will decline in usage, particularly amongst business users.

Did you know Business Mobile World can help you with VoIP communications technology? Remember, we not only offer business mobiles but also a full range of business telecoms designed to integrate seamlessly together to make your business communications easier.

 

Dictionary definition of the word UNLIMITED: limitless or without bounds; unrestricted.

So when you see that companies are offering you unlimited calls, unlimited texts, unlimited browsing, you are entitled to think that no limits apply and that you will get exactly what is promised by the word unlimited.

Sadly not. There has never been (to the best of our knowledge) or is ever likely to be a genuinely "unlimited" tariff. Read the small print. Likely you will find there the limits that actually apply.

It could be 5GB of data, 3,000 texts, £500 mixed credit - all of these limits apply to deals we have seen advertised as unlimited. The limits placed upon them are often referred to as "Fair Usage" policies.

Clearly if everyone took up unlimited tariffs and used them 24/7 the networks would not be able to cope with demand. That is the reason for the restrictions. That's fair enough, but if a limit applies don't refer to it as unlimited!

It's a pity that companies who advertise their products genuinely are put at a disadvantage by this tactic which is clearly disingenuous, although not apparently illegal. So when comparing tariffs make sure you check out the limits that apply.

At Business Mobile World we do not offer unlimited tariffs. We are very clear about the limits that apply and set out everything in an easy to understand manner.

For a better way of doing business contact Business Mobile World for a free quote or give us a call with your requirements.

Nokia are releasing a Windows 7 Netbook. Initially available in the US, but shortly available in Europe, this netbook release shows that mobile device convergence is continuing apace.

With Apple, a traditional computer company, gobbling up its mobile phone market share with the iPhone, Nokia are switching the tables with their new hi-spec netbook. Bridging the gap between the SmartPhone, which offers a limited browsing experience, and the full-blown laptop which is so much larger to carry around, more netbooks are being released and sold daily.

Convergence is the new watchword in the telecoms marketplace. There is no sign to the end of device convergence and increasingly the line between phone and computer is becoming blurred.

To keep your business ahead of the curve you need to be thinking about how you can best use the new technology and how your fixed and mobile devices connect with each other. The days of having mobiles with one company, landlines with another, computers supplied by someone else are disappearing fast for companies that want to embrace new technology.

Even the big networks are getting in on the act. Vodafone have, in recent weeks, announced a rollout of landline services for SMEs plus a deal to offer online cloud storage to its existing business and consumer customers. They realise that convergence is inevitable and offering a fully-integrated telecoms solution will help preserve their market share in the future.

At Business Mobile World we can tell you how your business can best take advantage of new technologies to ensure that your communications keep up-to-date. This may be across continents, work sites, or just across the next desk.

Shopping around for all the seperate parts of your business telecoms no longer makes any sense - it could cost you a lot more in the long run. An integrated telecoms solution will save your business money, in terms of reduced tariffs for packaged deals, enhanced problem resolution and better customer service.

Technology is moving at such a pace that it is difficult to keep up, never mind stay one step ahead. Things that were once only thought of in sci-fi movies are now being developed and brought to life.

For instance, Tom Cruise's character in Minority Report wandered the streets with targeted ads appearing as he moved through the cityscape. This is now being developed, and with SmartPhone technology and GPS it is possible that this will be happening very, very soon.

Businesses that embrace new technology and can see how this can help them improve their interaction with new and existing customers will be the winners going forward into the next decade.

Of course all of the technological infrastructure will need building and maintaining, not to mention updating as new developments and breakthroughs are made.

The news today that Rentokil Initial plc have signed a landmark deal with Google to improve the communications of its 78,000 employees across 50 countries shows that forward thinking companies are already looking to new technology to integrate their systems and keep ahead of the competition.

You don't need to be the size of Rentokil Initial to get your business involved. We can help SMEs with a range of new communications technology making their business life easier and reducing costs at the same time.

To find out how we could help you get in touch with us for a free communications review.

When thinking about your business telecoms, and in particular your sales telephone number, it has long been the conventional wisdom that a freephone number (0800, 0808) increases enquiries by up to 40% compared to a regular number.

However, this was in the days when the majority of calls were made from landlines, meaning that your customers were not charged for their call to your business.

Those days are long gone, and the rise of the mobile phone means that many of your customers will actively avoid freephone numbers as they could be charged up to 20p per minute to call them.

It is forecast that 2010 will see the majority of UK phone calls made via mobile phones rather than landlines. Even now mobile phone calls account for around 45% of all calls made.

So what is the answer?

It could be an 03 number. This is a non-geographic landline number which can be called free of charge from a mobile phone's inclusive minutes. An 03 number can also be cheaper for your business than a freephone number.

With an 03 number you also have portability and flexibility. You can redirect incoming calls to any landline or mobile that you specify and benefit from a range of call management features.

Business Mobile World can offer you an 03 telephone number, or you can choose from a range of other telephone numbers which we provide. Just get in touch for a free quote.

As you may know we have a number of websites within the telecoms arena. One of these, Best Business Phone Deals, has had a number of pages added today.

The pages added are:

• Business Phone Systems
• Business Phone Numbers
• Business Phone Lines
• Business Phone Services
• Business Phone Packages

This site gives a broad overview of the types of services we can offer rather than get bogged down in great detail. Every business is different and, as a consequence, the solutions that we offer are likely to differ in each case.

It is exactly the same within the business mobile world, two businesses who are neighbours in the same building will want different handsets and use them in very different ways dependent upon their business type.

Similarly the landline solutions for these companies would also likely differ based upon the number of employees, whether call traffic is mostly inbound or outbound, the numbers they are ringing (local, national, international) etc.

So rather than dryly listing a number of phone systems with all of their features, which only telephone system anoraks are likely to appreciate, we explain how we can help your business improve its communications and reduce costs and invite you to contact us for a free quote or review.

Business decision makers have nothing to lose by contacting us. For a few minutes of time your business could reduce its costs, improve communications and receive ongoing help and support including the integration of new technology as it becomes available.

Some of the new releases and mobiles that are coming soon.

First up is the Sony Ericsson Naite (GreenHeart). A candy bar phone with 2mp camera and relatively basic features for a phone these days. However its main selling point is its green credentials.

It is made from eco friendly materials, has an e-manual on the phone instead of a paper manual, and contains Ecomate, a CO2 calculator pre-installed on the phone. It also has a low power consumption charger and reduced packaging.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Samsung B7620 Giorgio Armani. A SmartPhone running windows mobile with a 5mp camera plus most of the features you would expect from a just-released SmartPhone in 2009. It is Armani-badged and contains Giorgio Armani fashion applications, whatever they might be!

There is no news on a UK release at present, so don't get too excited, especially as it would cost a considerable amount to get your hands on one!

Breaking the mould is the newly released Nokia 6350. It's a clam-shell design that most of us would be familiar with from a few years ago before slide and touchscreen became all the rage. Again, this one is not available in the UK but it is interesting to see a manufacturer going back to this old design style.

It could herald a few more calm-shell type phones coming onto the market as there are customers who swear by their old folding phones.

For more details of the latest phones and business mobile news please contact us for a quick chat or to find out how much your business could save with a new deal.

Lack of mobile coverage for users has lead Ofcom to suggest that consumers should be offered a "try before you buy" period in which, if you are new to a network, you can try out the coverage at home and in your local area and if it is not up to scratch return the phone without further charges.

At the moment you have to sign up to a contract, often for 18 months or more, "blind" without knowing how the coverage will be. If it's useless then tough luck! You are locked into the contract and if you want to get out of it you will have to pay ALL of the remaining monthly payments.

The figures quoted by Ofcom are quite startling - up to 91% of small business users are said to have had difficulties with mobile coverage. Reception at your workplace or in the office is absolutely imperative for running your business.

Going direct to a network for your business mobiles might seem like a good idea but when problems like these arise you are likely to get little sympathy. They are not going to make it easy to move to another network no matter how bad your signal is.

By using Business Mobile World you have a choice of networks. Forget the rather unreliable "coverage checkers" on the mobile networks websites, let us demonstrate the signal strength of a variety of networks and handsets at your place of work.

It doesn't cost you any more, we can get the best business mobile tariffs from the networks and they pay us, not you. It's a win-win situation for your business.

 

Well no, not just yet, but there will certainly be fewer of them in the coming years.

The merger between Orange and T-Mobile UK, if it goes ahead, could see up to 8,000 masts decommissioned as the two networks share infrastructure. The 3 network have also agreed a deal with T-Mobile to use their network which could see up to 5,000 masts disappear.

Now O2 and Vodafone are looking to cut costs. With 24,000 masts between them, a deal to share masts means several thousand could go over the course of the next few years.

If this trend continues it could well mean that, in the fullness of time, the mobile phone infrastructure will be shared by all networks. Differences in coverage would no longer be an issue and with all of the major networks sharing the investment, coverage could well improve in more remote areas where it is currently problematic.

A shared network would also help with the rollout of future technologies such as 4G which will become necessary to increase mobile data usage amongst customers who currently are sceptical about coverage and speed on mobile devices.

 

 

Did you know...

...that almost 70% of the worldwide population now have some form of mobile phone subscription?

...that by the end of this year mobile broadband will have overtaken fixed line broadband?

The modern business needs to embrace this trend and ensure that it remains in touch with the latest technology and is able to move quickly with industry developments.

As the distinction between phones and computers becomes more blurred, with each device able to do the other's job, business users will need to make a decision - are you staying fixed or are you getting mobile?

Make the SMART decision, get a SmartPhone and release your business from the fixed telephony shackles. Better still, get an integrated solution from Business Mobile World involving your mobiles, landlines, broadband and IT.

Bundling them all together not only saves your business money but it improves the overall communications of your company by ensuring that all of your devices interact with each other seamlessly.

When there's a problem (modern technology doesn't always work correctly ALL of the time!) it's just one phone call to speak with a human being, not a robot, and the solution is at hand.

Want to know more? Let us show you how it all works. We can quote you for any or all of our many telecoms services, just get in touch.

Microsoft are going all out to increase their share of the SmartPhone market with their new operating system Windows Mobile 6.5. It's been a while coming and in the meantime Google's Android and Apple's iPhone have gained a chunk of Microsoft's market.

Up to 30 phones running the new OS should be launched by the end of the year, and these should demonstrate the improvements that have been made to their best effect. Ease of use and better browsing are two key elements of 6.5, plus their MyPhone service enabling users to remotely back-up their data, track lost/stolen phones and lock them against unauthorised access.

Microsoft's new OS should look and feel familiar for all of us using Windows based computer systems. Already a solid choice for business SmartPhones, the new Windows Mobile OS should appeal more to consumers, backed up by a new app store, Marketplace, with around 250 apps available at launch.

Expect some great deals in the run up to Christmas as networks and handset manufacturers battle to corner as much of the SmartPhone market as possible. Sales of SmartPhones this year are expected to be up over 20% on 2008 and continue to climb into 2010.

Sales of "cheap and cheerful" phones are also set to remain steady with the middle-market phones the big losers.

 

Although the iPhone has only been around for a couple of years (it seems like longer) it has established itself, in its various guises, as the top selling handset in the UK and US.

This is mainly due to individual customers impressed by the TV ads, and it is undoubtedly a very good entertainment phone. But can it be used for business?

It made it into our Top 10 business mobile phones at number 6 in August but has disappeared in September's chart. More "sensible" phones occupy the top 10 positions, providing solid voice and data options at a much more reasonable price.

However there are many business users who swear by their iPhones. They find the intuitive nature of the operating system and touchscreen much easier to use than other SmartPhones. Plus there is a range of apps now available for business users, up to 75,000 in total (business and leisure) via the App Store.

The large screen and excellent built-in web browser make it particularly useful in businesses where "proper" internet access is needed. Plus the native email client is certainly up to the job of handling business email.

The battery however is a letdown. Plus the processor, although reasonably powerful, does not compare to recently released phones and is unable to run simultaneous applications.

If an iPhone is the apple of your eye then we certainly won't put you off buying it (providing you can afford it!) but before you jump in give some thought to the many other business mobile phones available which may offer you exactly what you need at a fraction of the price.

We've compiled the despatch figures for September 2009 to give you a picture of the handsets that are requested most by our business mobile customers.

1. Nokia 6300

2. Nokia 3110

3. Nokia 2630

4. Blackberry 8520

5. Nokia 2680

6. Samsung M110

7. Nokia 6220

8. Blackberry 8110

9. Nokia 6303

10. Nokia 7100

No real surprises for last month. Nokia dominate with 7 entries, BlackBerry remain popular with 2 and the remaining phone is the Samsung M110, also known as the "builders phone" as it is made for tough conditions - splash, dust and shock proof.

 

The Nokia 6300 (pictured) is a solid business phone with no frills. Excellent voice and text functions without any of the costly extras making this a good choice for business customers.

 

 

It's only 80 days to Christmas now! Some people will already have started their Christmas shopping or making their Christmas lists. Have you thought about a mobile related gift for your family or friends?

Have you ever run out of battery on your phone when you are nowhere near a charge point? A wind-up mobile phone charger is what you need.

There are wind-up torches that also charge your mobile phone so you get two gifts for the price of one! Ideal for camping trips. They will also provide charge for iPods via the many inclusive adaptors.

You could also try a battery powered charger, perhaps to keep in your glovebox, and all of these gifts cost less than a tenner.

For a little more you could buy a bluetooth car kit. They attach to your sun visor and work with any bluetooth enabled phones for a hands free in-car solution.

Or protect your phone with an invisible film that is resistant to scratching. It can protect your phone body as well as the screen. For a little more buy a leather case which gives a more stylish protection.

Sim free phones are now cheap enough to be bought as Christmas gifts, and memory cards make ideal stocking fillers as they can be used in so many different devices now including mobiles, mp3/4 players, digital photo frames and digital cameras.

 

 

The choice of mobile phone networks is farly limited, and set to become more so if Orange and T-Mobile UK merge. If you fall out with one and have limited coverage on another you are going to have little choice where you can arrange your contract and limited tariffs.

However, there seems to be a rise in "virtual" mobile phone networks offered by MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) which will give you a better choice. For instance Virgin Mobile does not have its own infrastructure or masts, it utilises the T-Mobile network but can offer a range of different phones and tariffs.

Other virtual mobile phone networks include BT mobile and Tesco mobile, and new ones that we could see soon include Red Bull mobile and GiffGaff.

So if your best coverage is with T-Mobile, you don't have to restrict yourself to their tariffs, check out Virgin Mobile, Fresh or Easy, all of whom piggy-back on the T-Mobile network. They might have better tariffs or the handset you want, lower prices or shorter contracts.

Wise advice for consumers is always to shop around and don't jump at the first deal you see. For business mobile users the choice of network is much more limited.

The MVNOs above focus only on individual consumers with one handset. For business users the best plan is to utilise the services of a business mobile specialist who can find you the best deal. Their services are usually free of charge and they are likely to save you money on your mobile bills, adding profit to your bottom line.

Yes, you read that right, you can now get a free USB modem stick with 5GB download limit per month on the Vodafone network for only £10 (plus vat) per month.

This tariff is normally £18 per month. There must be a catch?

Well, yes, there is! The £10 mobile broadband is offered as part of a bundle package. Take out a mobile phone on the Vodafone Total Business Tariff (24 months) and you are entitled to this offer, saving you 44% each month.

Other bundles include BIS (BlackBerry Internet Solution) and BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) saving you around 35% on each.

Other reasons to take out a Vodafone Total Business tariff:

• Free calls to company mobiles (when you have more than 1 handset)
• Free calls to UK landlines (not out of your inclusive minutes)
• 50 texts per user included
• Tariffs start from £20 for 300 minutes

Is the Total Business Tariff the best for your business? Contact us for a free quote on a variety of tariffs from the major networks.

We will find you the best deal free of charge. Speak to one of our friendly staff members on 0844 880 8116.

 

The choice of SmartPhone for your business is getting larger day-by-day. Each phone offers slightly different features but behind the glossy screens the operating system will largely determine which is best for your business.

The most popular operating systems for business mobile phones are:

• Symbian - used to power the majority of Nokia SmartPhones
• Windows Mobile - found across a variety of phones from different manufacturers
• Android - Google's linux-based open source operating system is slowly being adopted by more manufacturers 
• BlackBerry - the BlackBerry OS from RIM (Research In Motion) powers their range of BlackBerry mobile phones
• iPhone OS - used solely for the different versions of the Apple iPhone

So which one should you choose?

The iPhone OS only applies to the iPhone and is aimed more at the individual consumer with its range of music and games although it also has push-email facilities.

The BlackBerry OS does without many of these frills (although more are included with each new release) in favour of providing a solid business phone, particularly for email.

Android powered devices are harder to find and the operating system is in its infancy so is evolving fast with each new update. Many people have complained of "teething problems".

The Symbian S60 OS restricts you to a Nokia device, but is an excellent choice if Nokia is your favourite manufacturer as there are a large number of applications available to download.

Finally there is Windows Mobile. A solid all-rounder which is available on a number of handsets from a range of manufacturers. Its user interface is a little tired now by comparison with others but this should be addressed when version 7 of the operating system is released.

 

We all live in a fast-paced business world, particularly those of us based in the world of mobile phones and telecoms.

Take mobiles for instance; processing power doubles every 18 months, storage capacity increases, and faster download speeds and higher bandwidth are available.

In the next couple of years the standard mobile phone will have the processing power of your average PC of today. The possibilities are nearly limitless.

With so many SmartPhones being sold, more and more customers have powerful operating-system based devices in their pockets. New apps are being released daily offering new services to both consumers and business mobile users.

When planning your next business mobile contract you not only need to think about what you need today but what is going to help your business in the future.

How are new mobile devices and the range of services they offer going to help your staff be more productive and, where they are used in a customer facing situation, improve your customer service?

For instance, I recently had a few estate agents around my house to value my property. Several of them brought around paper print-outs of similar properties in the area to show me. Not very interesting.

The one that stood out from the crowd whipped out his iPhone and connected directly to the Right Move website. He scrolled through similar properties and from there could click on any details of interest, show me all of the photos, provide an interactive service which offered so much more than a flat piece of paper. He got my business.

Think about how technology could improve your presentations to customers and prospects. Utilising the features of a modern SmartPhone will save you time, money and, ultimately, increase your profits.

 

The Apple iPhone has been an incredible success amongst individual consumers. For business mobile users the pull is not so great. The need for the "gadget of the moment" is less and functionality is far more important than style.

Most of the iPhone features can be performed just as well, if not better, by other phones on the market. Apple are also going to have trouble retaining their current advantage in the future as all of the major manufacturers are "out to get them" with every new SmartPhone release offering something to make it an "iPhone killer".

Not only that, but by signing exclusively with O2 they also have the other networks gunning for them. Vodafone, whilst being the largest network globally, are only second in the UK (and shortly to be third with the merger of Orange and O2).

They need something to entice the iPhone buyers onto their network. Or alternatively the many people who would like an iPhone but just cannot afford the hefty monthly bills or handset price!

Their answer, at least in the short term, is Vodafone 360. This service aims to pull together all of the social networking people do now, both on mobile phones and computers. A common address book will span email contacts, Facebook and Twitter friends and other online communities.

There will also be a store for Vodafone apps for music, games and mapping plus new content drawn from a range of developers. New phones will be launched to take advantage of this new service and to show it off to its full potential. Samsung are rumoured to be manufacturing two of the new handsets.

The first we are likely to see of Vodafone 360 is in the run up to Christmas. Watch this space.

On local radio a couple of days ago was a debate on what age should children be given mobile phones. Whilst the host was rather unrealistically saying he thought around 14 years old, many of the listeners were advising their kids had mobiles at 7 years old.

More as an emergency aid and to keep track of them rather than for them to make calls or texts. There are a couple of reasons why mobile phones could be harmful to kids.

The first is the health factor. Whilst there has been no major research which can conclusively confirm a link between prolonged mobile phone usage and cancer the technology is in its infancy and therefore long term risks have not had time to be assessed.

Many cancer experts believe the radiation from mobile phones could pose a significant risk for long term usage over a long period (say 10 years). The dangers for children are that much greater, so caution is advised.

The second is the effect it could have on their education. Recent reports suggest increased use of mobile phones (and the internet) leads children to copy homework directly from websites and use text-speak in their written schoolwork.

This is in schools where mobile phones are banned. In the USA there have been trials where mobile phones have been integrated into pupils learning and have shown achievement scores increase by 25% on average.

We can conclude from this that it is not the mobiles themselves that are harmful, more the way in which they are used. Used sensibly and sparingly mobile phones can be of great benefit.

We have written from time to time on this blog about the increasing convergence between devices, particularly the advance of mobile phone technology and how phones are replacing computers, at least in part.

Over the coming years, and it may not be that long with the pace of technological advances, landlines, mobiles and IT are going to become more entwined and having separate providers for each of these services is going to cause headaches and wasted time sorting out problems.

For instance, if you have a problem with accessing the internet is it your broadband supplier, your telephone line provider or your IT guys? Will any of them admit their responsibility and sort it out or will they all tell you "it's the other guys fault".

With a converged communications solution incorporating landlines, business mobiles, IT (and possibly other services like device tracking) you have one point of contact, one person to call who will sort it out. You don't have to worry about contacting all of the individual suppliers, that is all sorted on your behalf.

Best of all it is not going to cost you any more. In fact, in all likelihood you could save your business a sizeable sum by employing specialists to review all of your communication requirements.

As businesses evolve and expand the individual communication requirements tend to grow without any clear direction. This random growth often means over-complication and increased costs. Getting a free review is a no-brainer - after all what have you got to lose?

No business, in a recession or otherwise, should turn down the opportunity of saving money. Every penny saved is a penny added to your bottom line.

Getting the right tariffs for your business mobiles, reduced line rental and call costs for your landlines, business grade broadband helping your communications run smoothly and a solution integrating all of these services will help your business in the future.

As part of the 21c Telecom group we are at the forefront of converged communications. We would welcome the opportunity of helping your business save money and improve its communications.

Just contact us for a free review. We can call at your premises to look at your current communication provisions and see where improvements can be made.

 

 

Currently there are around 4 billion people worldwide using mobile phones. This is forecast to rise to 5.2 billion by 2011.

Mobile phones are now a part of most peoples lives and increasingly taking over from other devices such as MP3 players, SatNavs and cameras.

Modern SmartPhones are now replacing mobile computers for many with their incredible speed and processing power. These are particularly popular with business users who can take advantage of the extra memory now available for email and documents.

As people are just as likely to have their mobile phone with them as their purse or wallet they will be used as payment devices for small transactions. Swipe your mobile (installed with the correct software) and pay for your shopping.

They can be used for bus and train fares in the same way as an Oyster card or similar payment card.

You can also interact with your environment. With GPS functions the phone knows where you are all of the time. So if you are looking at the Tower of London it will know and can automatically download interesting facts and information about places of interest. This is known as augmented reality.

Watching TV on your mobile is possible. It doesn't have to be via the internet it can be picked up from a local television mast, thus saving your inclusive minutes and data.

Banking on your mobile is now common so you can move your money around (if you have any!) whilst on the move.

You can get fit with your phone. You can download apps to tell you how far you have run and even have routes for you to run/cycle downloaded to your phone and it will guide you.

Twitter and Facebook and all of your social networking can be done by phone. In fact phones can now be used for every aspect of your life making them indispensible.

 

 

With the proposed merger of Orange and T-Mobile the number of networks available to business users is set to shrink. Which one is best for your business?

There are several factors to consider when thinking about which network to place your business mobiles on.

Firstly, and certainly most importantly, is coverage. Although all of the networks claim to have large percentages of the UK covered in reality the signal strength can vary wildly within a few metres distance and many places get little or no signal at all.

If you already have mobile phones and get a strong signal with your current network make sure you do your homework before changing. You might be offered a very sweet deal to move to another network but that's no good if you can't talk or text.

Try and get a sim card from the new providers to see if their signal strength is as good where you need it before signing up to a new contract. If you sign up to a long term contract and only find out about poor coverage later you could find yourself paying a large sum to buy out your contract and go back to your original network.

Next you have to think about tariffs. Most networks offer broadly similar packages but occasionally you will find one deal that perfectly suits your usage or requirements. It might be unlimited texts or an offer of free insurance (useful if you are always losing your phone).

If you are only looking for a single phone and have a particular model in mind it might be that the phone is exclusive to one network (eg. iphone on O2) in which case your choice is very limited, although there are always ways around this with imported sim free phones for instance.

You might have dealt with another network before and had a bad experience with their customer service. You may have vowed never to use them again. However, if it is only one instance it might have been an isolated incident and it might be worth giving them another try if your business stands to benefit from a great low tariff.

Whichever network you want your business mobiles on at Business Mobile World we can help you with expert impartial advice, getting you the best deal and making sure you are a happy customer. 

 

On paper it really is no contest. The Nokia 3510i (pictured) was released in 2002 and basically has no features. No camera, no bluetooth, tiny screen.

On the other hand the Samsung U600 was released in 2007, has a 2.2 inch TFT screen, 3.2 MP camera with video, bluetooth, stereo radio, MP3 player, document viewer etc. etc.

So when my Samsung U600 broke and I had to borrow a Nokia 3510i from a friend I was not too pleased. However, I'm still using the 3510i even after my U600 has been replaced under warranty. Why?

I work in an area where signal quality is not too good. With my Samsung I always struggled to get a signal at all and put it down to the area and lack of signal strength.

When I took my Nokia into work I expected the same thing, after all I was using the same SIM card on the same network, and with it being an older phone I anticipated getting nothing at all.

In actual fact I now get a signal. Not brilliant, but enough to make and receive calls without too many problems, something that I could not do before with my "superior" handset.

Maybe the size of the handset (it is a big old beast) has something to do with it, or the fact that it is a Nokia rather than Samsung, but it really doesn't make much sense.

However when my upgrade comes in November I will be looking for a Nokia and trying it out in the building before deciding whether to buy. It is a phone, after all, and the ability to make and receive calls is more important than the flashy features that are packed into modern handsets.

So when you are looking for your next phone remember that the best phone is not always the latest one or the smartest looking one. Function over form every time.

We specialize in mobile phones for business users, however we also upgrade individual consumers on a range of different networks.

If your current contract is due for renewal shortly, or you are due for a mid-term upgrade, please contact us to see what we can offer you before going direct to the network.

The upgrade process

Depending on your usage the network allocate a banding to your account. Light users will get a low banding which means they will have a limited choice of inexpensive phones when it comes to upgrade time. Heavy users get a high banding and can choose from a large range of the latest mobile handsets.

We can provide you with a list of phones you can choose from and advise you about the best one for your particular usage.

At upgrade time we can also change your tariff. This includes changing minutes, texts and add-ons such as data (email and internet).

Everything can be done in one simple phone call and your new phone can often be despatched the following day. You keep your existing number and if you need help moving your contacts to your new phone or have other questions about your new handset we are only a phone call away.

As well as business mobile phones and landline telephony we can also provide your business with tracking solutions.

We have a dedicated tracking website at 21c Vehicle Tracking which provides more information.

Why does your business need tracking? If you operate vehicles as part of your business, for delivery, sales reps, even your own employees using their vehicles on company business, you have health and safety legislation to comply with.

The use of tracking can also yield cost savings on fuel, mileage, overtime claims, speeding fines, improved customer service, reporting and administration, and the system could pay for itself in a relatively short time frame.

Vehicle Tracking

Tracking hardware is fixed in the vehicle and uses GPS to report on the vehicle position, direction and speed which can be seen online in real time.

Device Tracking

No hardware is required, instead software is downloaded onto compatible GPS SmartPhones (eg. BlackBerry phones). When in a vehicle the phone will provide the same information as above, but you will also be able to track employees whilst out of the vehicle too.

Depending on your type of business and how you will be using the information will determine which system suits you best, however we can demo both systems for you so you can see how they work and how your business could benefit.

Visit our dedicated tracking website at 21c Vehicle Tracking to find out more and to arrange for a free quote.

 

As well as offering business mobile phones, we also offer a full range of business telecommunications products and services. This includes landline telephones.

We can install new telephone systems, telephone lines (analogue/ISDN2/ISDN30) and reduce your call costs. If you are currently with BT you could be saving up to 40% on your calls.

There is no interruption to your service and you keep your current number. We take over your billing and put you on one of our bespoke tariffs. Calls start from 0.75p per minute.

You get a simple to understand monthly bill detailing all of your calls.

We can also take over your broadband, providing business-grade broadband with low contention ratios, giving you excellent bandwidth and quick resolution in the event of problems.

We have a dedicated landline department, including telephone engineers, so we are only one phone call away if you have any concerns.

So, if you are approaching the end of your current contract, (NB - beware getting trapped into another lengthy contract by your current provider without your knowledge!) then get in touch and see what we can offer your business.

 

Our aim at Business Mobile World is to make your business communications simple, straightforward and cost-effective. One of the ways we can cut your costs is by including free calls within your package.

We offer many business mobile tariffs that include free calls to UK landlines. These are numbers beginning 01, 02 and 03. Eg. 0115 944 8977 (our number for you to call us).

If you have an inclusive package with free landline minutes this leaves the remainder of your minutes solely for mobile-to-mobile calls. This could mean a serious reduction in the number of inclusive minutes you need, a reduction in tariff, and best of all a reduction in your monthly costs.

If you have more than one mobile handset we can include free calls between all of your company mobiles. Again this can reduce the number of minutes you need and therefore the cost.

You need to analyze your current bills (or let us do it for you) and see where your minutes are being used. From this we can ensure you get the best value-for-money package.

We can also offer a GSM gateway (or Premicell) which you use for your landline calls to mobiles. This device automaticaly routes all calls starting 07 (mobile numbers) via a dedicated sim card meaning that these minutes can come out of your monthly inclusive allowance.

All of these ideas can be used together to ensure that you pay as little as possible for every business phone call and therefore maximise your profits.

There has been speculation in the mobile world about the possible takeover of the UK arm of T-Mobile for a little while. Vodafone were thought to be bidding, as were 02.

However T-Mobile UK look set to merge with Orange in a deal set to create a mobile phone goliath with 37% of the UK market (over 28 million customers), overtaking 02 as the largest network.

The deal could be signed by November and will mean the companies make large ongoing savings through sharing network resources and streamlining their admin and customer service operations.

These savings could well result in lower tariffs for their customers in the future however for the time being all accounts will run as normal as both brands will be retained, at least for the time being.

It is unknown what will happen to Virgin Mobile, which runs on T-Mobile's network, or 3, which has recently signed up to do the same. These issues could be affected by possible intervention by the competition authorities who are likely to want to scrutinise the deal and the effect it will have on the UK mobile phone market.

Business mobile phone users with both networks should be unaffected in the short term but, as we always recommend, when their contracts are due for renewal should look around for the best deals by contacting us.

 

 

 

It has finally arrived, our best BlackBerry business mobile deal ever. For only £25 per month you get a free BlackBerry 8520 mobile phone handset (pictured right) with 500 inclusive mobile minutes (plus unlimited calls to UK landlines - 01, 02 and 03), 250 texts and 500mb of data in the form of BlackBerry Internet Solution (BIS).

This is on the Vodafone Your Plan for Small Business. Best of all if you order before the end of August you get three months free line rental! (if you cannot order before September please contact us as these free line rental deals are often extended)

Contact us for your FREE BlackBerry Curve 8520

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 features include a 2.64 inch screen, full QWERTY keyboard, touch-sensitive optical trackpad, memory expandable up to 32GB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2MP camera, BlackBerry OS (512mhz processor), BlackBerry's legendary mobile email, Organizer and MP3/MP4 player.

Stocks are likely to be limited on this deal so please contact us ASAP to get your handset.

Business Mobile World is a website in the 21c Telecom group. This comprises a number of websites dedicated to all forms of telecommunication.

The group started out in 1996 as Phone Direct providing business mobile phones. In 2008 the name changed to 21c Voice and Data to reflect the number of other services we can now provide to business customers. This includes:

• Business Mobiles
• Landline telephone systems/lines/calls
• Broadband
• Device and vehicle tracking
• Non geographic numbers
• VOIP telephone systems
• Mobile Broadband
• Phone call recording

Since 2008 other businesses and websites have been consolidated within the group and it continues to expand with the latest website launched this week.

Best business phone deals focusses primarily on business mobile phones and landline phones. It has been kept deliberately simple, just providing the basic idea of what can be offered without complicating matters. It makes it easy to get in touch with us to find out more.

Basically we can provide your business with a fully converged telecoms solution with bespoke tariffs, free hardware and seamless integration between the individual components. To put it simply, we will sort out your communications.

Don't hesitate to contact us for advice and quotes for any or all of our services.