The cost of broadband for home consumers has never been so low. However, at peak times the speeds you are actually operating at can be well short of the advertised max speed. If you find your home PC is struggling with routine internet use check out the speed by using one of the online speed checkers (eg. http://www.broadbandspeedchecker.co.uk/).

Even on reduced speeds standard web browsing is unlikely to grind to a halt, particularly if you are only using one computer with the connection. However for business users the broadband speed coming into the workplace is then diluted by the number of users. If you have several employees online this is where the lack of speed and high contention ratios will be noticeable.

Can your business cope with a loss of internet service? Many businesses now rely upon the web and email for their daily communications. A loss of several hours service in the form of downtime can be costly and distressing.

We now have reduced prices on our business broadband. Not on the cheap and nasty low grade broadband but on 1:1 contention business grade broadband giving you a dedicated service. This type of broadband is ideal for new technology such as VoIP because it provides guaranteed bandwidth end-to-end and symmetric download and upload speeds.

There are a range of options based on different speeds and we can guide you on the best one for your business. We can also supply hardware in the form of a variety of routers and assist in the set up of your new business broadband.

Any problems and you do not sit in a phone queue waiting for a call centre assistant, we have a dedicated broadband department available straight away. This grade of broadband has proved to be extremely reliable meaning that you are unlikely to be calling us in all but the rarest of circumstances.

For a free quotation, line test and suitability discussion please contact us.

One of the services offered by ourselves is business website hosting. We have been working on a number of different plans to suit all size of business from a small business with a few pages on their website to a fully functioning e-commerce website.

We offer both Windows and Linux hosting and numerous extras and programming support are included as standard, as is a .co.uk domain name. Pricing details are below.

For the vast majority of small businesses plans L1 and W1 would be more than sufficient at £9.95 per month. This will host a few hundred average webpages and cater for several thousand visitors each month.

The choice between Linux and Windows only matters if there is scripting involved within the site. We can advise on the best options based upon your current set up.

For more information visit the main business website services page.

KEY: L=Linux, W=Windows

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.