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.

The increasing popularity of smartphones, particularly the iPhone, has led to an even greater explosion in the use of mobile data. So much so that the mobile networks  now feel the time is right to take some action.

Up until recently there have been a number of "unlimited" mobile data tariffs (although these were usually subject to a fair usage policy). It looks like their days are numbered as the mobile networks now seek to impose limits, around 500MB or 1GB per month will likely be the norm.

The mobile networks themselves say that their networks are creaking under the strain of the increased traffic hence the need for restrictions. Others say that this is the networks attempt to increase profits as the amount they make from voice and text dwindles.

Whichever is the reason the new limits will need to be adhered to in order to avoid a nasty bill (out of bundle data usage is extremely expensive). Heavy users will be catered for but will have to pay substantially more for their initial tariff.

Most users will find 500MB of data is adequate for internet browsing and email. The problems come if you are downloading music/movies or streaming video/TV. The latest smartphone handsets will offer you better quality music/video services and this may tempt you to download/stream. Just be aware of your mobile data limits for your contract.

We are finding a number of customers with our fixed business broadband have recently started to approach their monthly 50GB limits. For the first time ever we are having to notify people to moderate their usage in order to avoid penalties. And the reason for this? The World Cup!

It looks like a lot of businesses are streaming the World Cup matches which has led to a major increase in internet traffic. If you are streaming matches to your phone beware - a 90 minute match will likely be up to 1GB in data usage (subject to the quality of the transmission).

We have just added a new blog to one of our other websites. Take a look at the Best Business Phone Deals blog for more information. A blog is a good way of adding extra website content easily and helps promote your website to the search engines.

The larger your website the better chance you have of appearing within the search engines, providing you have taken some basic search engine optimisation action on each page. Even if you employ a scattergun approach of churning out lots of content you will inevitably click with obscure keywords and phrases which you may have used on your pages.

It is amazing how many businesses still don't have websites at all. They are not expensive to set up and pay for themselves quickly even with limited visitors. We offer a business website service including website hosting, design and search engine optimisation (SEO). Take a look at our business website prices to compare our deals with your current one.

You are not only comparing the basic price, you need to think about whether you are happy with your current website and whether it is fulfilling your ambitions for it. If not then give us a call for a quote.

We can take over your current website hosting and tidy up/improve your existing site, taking particular attention to making sure basic SEO methods are followed. We can also redesign and provide you with a fresh new look, helping to turn visitors into customers.

Basic search engine optimisation techniques will only take you so far, so we also offer a bespoke SEO service. This is a fixed monthly fee, depending upon how much work we need to do, and our aim is always to make it pay for itself within the first 6 months.

In order to provide a quotation for search engine optimisation we look at your existing site, the sector of business you are in, the competition within your sector, and calculate how much work you are likely to need to appear on the front page of the search engines (primarily Google) for a variety of different keywords and phrases.

It has to be cost effective for your business, bringing in enough enquiries/leads for you to make a profit from your monthly fee. If there is little chance of this happening then we will not be able to provide a quote.

We don't offer guaranteed results - beware of anyone offering them as nothing can be guaranteed in the realms of SEO - but we do have an excellent track record of promoting our own sites and those of our existing business website customers. Contact us for a free quote for your business.

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.

One of the newer services we offer is search engine optimisation (SEO). Internet usage in the UK is still growing with more people being able to access the internet and those who already have it increasing their access speed and time spent online.

This means that if you want to maximimse the reach of your business an online presence is essential. Getting a website designed, built and up and running is a relatively easy task, however that is only the start. Having a website with no visitors is not going to increase your profits!

Whilst there are plenty of good web designers around who will produce you a good looking site, many of them have little clue about even the most basic of search engine optimisation strategies. Those that do may not have the necessary time to dedicate to your website to get it improving its search ranking and starting to deliver enquiries and sales.

As part of the 21c Telecom Business Phones group we have a dedicated business website SEO department. This enables us to dedicate the necessary time to search engine marketing for our website clients.

SEO work is a time consuming business and it is likely that you will be charged an hourly rate for a set number of hours per month. This could be as high as £60 per hour which means that many SMEs could not purchase enough hours to make it cost effective. Our charges are a fraction of this amount and we work out a budget with you that makes us both happy!

We want to deliver results and we will not take on a SEO job where we feel there is little chance of getting results based upon the amount of time we are being asked tp put into it. We want to build long term business relationships which means delivering tangible results to our search engine optimisation clients.

SEO quotes are free. If you already have a website but are disappointed by the number of visitors you are currently getting get in touch with us and we will take a look at your site and see where improvements can be made.

From there we can do some research into your likely keywords and keyphrases, the competition within your sector and put together a quotation that will get you results as quickly as possible. Bear in mind that SEO is not an exact science and that the target is moving all of the time with changes to search engines and how they find sites and deliver results. Also it could take a little time for rankings to improve, particularly in competitive areas of business. This is the same for ALL seo companies - don't let anyone tell you they can deliver instant results for organic search engine ranking improvements.

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.