5G Scotland recently supported a client with their international growth in the United States by developing a new partnership with a major US network provider, AT&T. 
 
5G Scotland has forged a new relationship with an international partner in the USA to support their client with their business growth. After research and discussions with various providers in the USA, 5G Scotland achieved an agreement with AT&T. AT&T is the world’s largest telecommunications company and largest provider of mobile network services in the USA, and this agreement allows 5G Scotland to provide their customer with the connectivity they needed, while maintaining a consistent and high-level account management service.
 
The new deal was reached after discussions with their existing customer, who has 2 offices based in the UK, and have recently expanded internationally in Europe and the USA. Supporting their expansion and growth was seen as part of the journey for 5G Scotland,  and seamless account management experience across their customers international locations was their new objective.
  
Due to the demands of working remotely and internationally, there was also a need to consider the high volume of international calls being made across the client’s business. 5G Scotland supported the client to mitigate costs in this area through understanding their requirements and creating an adapted solution to fit their needs. 5G supported to align contracts to ensure maximum purchasing power at the negotiation stage. 
 
The team are very proud to be able to deliver their services in partnership with AT&T and this is something they hope to develop further in the future to support clients in their growth. Their new system allows vital connection to cloud based systems, wherever they are.  

5G Scotland Manager Dan Cargill said:  

“We are delighted with this new partnership opportunity, and it’s been a great experience working on behalf of the customer to secure the highest level of international support. I hope this partnership means we can support other customers with their plans for international growth in the future – no matter where they are in the world. It’s a great step in the right direction so that we can ensure better connectivity for the businesses we support. We are also in final discussions with a mobile network in Central Europe too – this will maximise the support we can give users no matter where they are.”  ​

Many people in the UK already own a smartphone, and the number is expected to reach 54 million in the next few years. There are several service providers in the UK, all offering different mobile phone packages, many of them are geared towards business. There are also a wide range of business mobile suppliers with a focus on building bespoke packages for business. The huge array of options can make it difficult to know if you are picking the right option, especially when it comes to selecting a plan for a business. To help you in this regard, here is a handy guide of five top tips on choosing the right mobile phone plan for your business:

1. Know Your Needs

 
When you are approaching a potential supplier it’s always useful to be aware of your business needs and how your users will actually use their phones. Some only need a phone to make calls; some may need to access emails, files or custom applications on the go. A few things to consider include:

• The types of calls your users will make. Do you call on mobile numbers or landline? Do you have to make international calls as well? All these factors need to be considered when considering a plan. A business may need to make calls all around the globe, but if you do not have an international reach, then you may not need a plan that offers international calling or international calling at discounted rates.
• Data is usually the most significant area of overspend for businesses, so choosing the right amount is vital. This is the era of the internet and many staff will need to be connected to the internet on the go to perform essential activities. A lot of us use our mobile devices to access emails which is why a plan that offers a good amount of data at a good speed would be a good choice.

Knowing your needs will help you to pick the right option but it can also help your potential supplier build a bespoke package that accurately reflects your usage which will ultimately save you money.

2. Look at a Range of Different Providers and Offerings
 
It is an important thing to look around and find all the options you have. You need to pick plans knowing your needs.
In the first step, you found your needs. Now is the time to find providers that fit your criteria. While you can buy business mobiles directly from the network, we believe that you will get a better deal if you choose a supplier that deals directly with businesses.

Many service providers will be willing to speak to you and answer your queries, so organising an exploratory call can be a good idea. Listen to them and make a list of options that you like.

3. Compare the Plans
 
The next option is to compare the plans. Doing this manually can be quite a task, which is why you can ask a potential provider to offer you a range of options that could fit your needs so that you can compare different plans quickly and efficiently.
 
At 5G Scotland  we can offer a range of bespoke packages based on your requirements, it’s up to you to choose which is most suitable – we can help guide and advise you so you know that you are getting the most our of your mobiles.
 
4. Good Things Come in a Bundle
 
Many providers offer a range of options for different businesses requirements and sizes, so make sure to let your provider know the type of extras you are looking for. Data bundles mean that a larger data package can be shared out among your users. They may also offer a bundle price that includes phone charges with other services, such as wireless internet. Data bundles can also save your business money, as preparing your user with the right amount of data to fit their needs can avoid costly out-of-bundle spend.

5. Ask About Bolt-Ons and Account Management
 
Make sure to be aware of all the perks your plan offers. For example, many providers offer special customer support to business clients such as account management and technical support. This offer can be of great help if you suffer any trouble with your service and can mean that issues are resolved with ease and minimal disruption to your end users. The best way to find out which bolt-ons or account management services a provider offers is to get in touch!
To find out more about developing a bespoke mobile package for your business needs, get in touch with the 5G Scotland team now via our contact form. 

The smartphone has become an essential tool for business and is also a crucial part of working from home, even more so in these challenging times.  You may need your employees to have that connection with you or their line manager and a business approved way to access cloud software or other programs.

There’s no overstating the importance of business mobile phones for home workers.  The modern smartphone is a pocket computer of impressive ability and allows them to do a range of work regardless of where they are. We believe that when businesses invest in mobile, they can connect better not only with their clients, but also make internal communication seamless.

With 800,000+  apps available across the major OS, it is easy for businesses to find the right tool or software for their needs.  From workflow scheduling to video calls, there are top quality, secure apps for all your business needs.

The use of the right business mobile phone also cuts down on the number of devices your staff need to work from home quickly and efficiently.  This means that things like web cameras, voice recorders and strong voice calling are all found within the smartphone.  This helps cut down costs while ensuring staff have all the equipment that they need to reach you and their valuable clients.
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By offering business mobiles to staff working away from the office, you have a business expense and also some degree of control over what is done with the device.  Or you can allow staff to use their own phones but offer a range of apps and cloud-based software that must be used to ensure security and data protection.
5G Scotland offers a wide range of support with your account and in terms of mobile device management. If you are interested in learning more about how we can help your business thrive, get in touch with us now via the contact form. 

Overview
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Our client  is a privately owned accountancy firm consisting of 5 Partners and around 70 employees. They provide a wide range of Accounting and Advisory services to around 3000 clients. The firm covers a wide variety of industry sectors and deals with all sizes of business, from start-ups to multinationals providing accounting, taxation, wealth management and business advisory services.

Challenges

The firm experienced some challenges when choosing a network provider – in particular they wanted to reduce costs and replace older mobile handsets. They were also hoping to find a provider that offered good value for money and a high standard of service when approaching 5G Scotland:

“From personal experience selecting the right provider can pose many problems, for example, making sure the selected network provides adequate coverage in the areas the mobiles will be predominantly used in.  Blackspots need to be identified.  It is also important to make sure the right tariff is selected so data allowances are appropriate for the business and additional charges are not incurred.”

Furthermore, they were seeking a provider that offered dedicated account management as there had been some difficulty in communicating directly with the networks in the past. They stated:

“Having an account manager, therefore, removing the need for any contact between us and the network provider which can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating.”
 
Analysis

5G Scotland conducted an audit of the firms existing set up, particularly focussing on data usage analysis in order to build a solution that worked for them. Helping the business unlock value from its mobile usage data was a major benefit of the analysis process for this client:
“Data analysis is key to decision making.  Thorough analysis and provision of statistics proves the reseller is an expert in their field, understands what is important to their clients business and can therefore makes sound recommendations on the results. At our last contract renewal, we were able to make substantial savings by taking Dan’s advice onboard.  In the last year we have benefited from the newly developed analysis reports and receive these on a monthly basis.”
This also made the renewal process frictionless and easy and reduced the workload of the staff. 5G Scotland’s experience and expertise in mobile usage analysis also stood out for this client and gave them confidence in the solution they were offered:    
“5G Scotland have provided an excellent service in the last 3 years and have helped the firm to significantly reduce costs by finding the best solution for us. Having the comfort that bill analysis is handled by experts in their field and knowing that the best solution would be put in place.”
 

Solution
 
5G Scotland provided a range of handsets for the business as well as ongoing account management. The mobiles are used by a wide range of staff within the business, particularly by Partners and Managers to maintain contact with their valued clients and colleagues. They are also used for remote hotspots when no Wi-Fi is available, meaning the team can work seamlessly on the go. They said:
 
“Mobile technology is key to our business particularly at his moment in time.  Under all circumstances, mobile communication is necessary to maintain contact with clients and colleagues. I find that the contact management is proactive.”
 
A further major benefit for the business is the management of spending, particularly on data. 5G Scotland work to set spending caps and alert their clients when they are reaching spending limits and this has proved the effectiveness of their solution:
 
“Our bills are continuously monitored, and we are advised when we are nearing data limits.  This allows us the opportunity to adjust our allowance and avoid additional costs.  Nothing is too much trouble and it is always easy to make contact. Even when given extremely short notice requests for additional equipment or tariff changes these have been carried out quickly for us.”
 
Client Recommendation
“We value our relationship with 5G Scotland.  I am confident that I am being given sound advice and our account is being constantly monitored.   It is good to know that our best interests are at the forefront of everything that is done for us. I would have no hesitation in recommending 5G Scotland.”

Overview

The client is an independent insurance broker based in Scotland and a financial services firm. They serve both commercial and personal clients all over the UK and beyond.

Challenges

Finding a business mobile supplier that fit their needs had been a challenge for the business. They had experienced issues such as a wide range of renewal dates which had caused complications in the past and had faced increasing tariff costs as a result:

“We wanted to streamline the number of mobile lines we had operating and to try and align all renewal dates. Some of the challenges we were facing included increases, no pro-active approach by provider and sporadic renewal dates. We needed a single point of contact for all mobile phone enquires with a trusted advisor to leverage any deals in the market.”

Analysis

5G Scotland conducted a review of their current tariffs and handsets, addressing usage patterns and worked to devise a plan that suited their business needs. Value for money, quality handsets and reliable signal were priorities.

“5G Scotland audited our existing set-up, removed old lines, moved many lines onto better tariffs and created a plan to move remaining lines over when possible. It was very easy to get started with 5G Scotland… only a few authorisation forms and that was it!
The data analysis support impacted our decision making massively, as it allows much more granular reviews of individuals activity and spending. This then allowed us to come up with some strategies around cost management.”

Solution

5G Scotland secured a range of lines for business as well as providing ongoing account management. Their mobiles are used across their entire team, from management to staff across all levels. This includes internal communication and client meetings. One of the major benefits of the 5G Scotland solution was to take the strain away from the IT team and free up their time:  

“Our business is all about relationships, so it is so important we stay connected. A high number of our staff use company mobile phones and this means we can stay connected even when we are not in the office. We feel that 5G Scotland have a pro-active approach to their work. They analyse and then advise on the best strategy for your communication needs. It takes away a lot of the work we just don’t have the time to do.”

They felt there is a good ongoing relationship between themselves and the team following the initial set up and support they were offered. The ongoing account management support has been vital for the business and has been done quickly and efficiently:

“The best thing about working with 5G Scotland is having the mobile phone review process removed from my to do list! I can just pass all the requests onto 5G Scotland. We have ongoing discussions with our point of contact Dan. We regularly update lines or order phones so it is a frequent experience. It’s always done swiftly with minimal pain.”
 
Recommendation
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“We would recommend 5G Scotland because they allow you to free up time to do what you’re good at, whilst leaving this task in the hands of experts.”

Overview 

Caltech Lifts is one of Scotland's leading independent lift companies specialising in the supply, installation and maintenance of passenger lifts, disabled access and public access lifts, goods lifts and stairlifts. Established in 1978, they are family-owned business that has over 35 years’ experience in the lift industry. Their team of engineers are all fully qualified in lift engineering and are based across Scotland to provide a fast and efficient call-out response. 

Challenges 

Finding a business mobile supplier that fit their needs had presented a challenge in the past for Managing Director Fraser Renwick. 5G Scotland got involved at the discovery and planning stage and wanted to understand the problems Caltech Lifts had faced with their last supplier. One major challenge was a lack of communication and rolling tariffs which had led to rising costs: 

“Our previous mobile contract was with a company based in Ireland and we only ever received the occasional phone call or email, so not much personalised support at all. Our old phone contract was not the best, we’d had it for a very long time and it was a rolling contract. The phones were not getting upgraded, so were not really fit for our purpose” 

Analysis 

5G Scotland first conducted a review of their current situation and usage patterns with a focus on data, quality handsets and reliable signal for their offices and onsite engineers. They used real usage data to reveal the savings that could be made. Fraser stated that: 

“We started off by getting our records from the previous company and 5G Scotland then analysed it and put together an exact package that would match our current usage needs. This involved everything from checking how many minutes we used, how many texts and how much data was needed. Data was a really big thing for us - accessing our servers online and downloading drawings on site is quite data-heavy. The team were able to tailor-make our contract to exactly what we required.” 

Solution 

5G Scotland secured 17 lines for Caltech Lifts as well as provided ongoing account management for the duration of the contract. Their mobiles are used across all levels of their business by management as well as engineers out on site. It was particularly important for the team to have a reliable data connection due to the nature of their work - this was built into their package:  

“Our team use their phones for specific job management software so they are constantly in use. They also need to use their phones to access technical drawings and important documents so the data connection and reception needs to be consistently high quality.” 

Fraser felt 5G Scotland had helped them secure the data bundles and handsets they needed for their onsite engineers to do their job effectively. There was also a high level of personalised customer care, which contributed to the continuing success of their solution: 

“We have a very good ongoing relationship with the team. We had a recent new start so I emailed Dan and asked if he could get me a new SIM card, and he actually came along to our office the same day and dropped it off – with anyone else it would have been lots of waiting around and back-and-forth over email. They often go above and beyond with their support. ” 

Recommendation  

“I would 100% recommend 5G Scotland purely because of the savings they helped us make, along with the fantastic level of support we get from their team. They go above and beyond when it come to that personal touch and you do feel valued as a customer, you are not just another number to them. You can tell they really value their customers.” 

Fraser Renwick, Managing Director at Caltech Lifts 

5G Scotland, a local independent communications consultancy and mobile network partner, have announced a rebrand to reinforce the company’s investment in mobile innovation and to supporting businesses to become better connected through mobile. The 5G Scotland team (formerly known as 4G Scotland) have identified a true market need for better business mobile communication solutions among SME’s and hope to offer maximised productivity while reducing cost. The company hope the rebrand will encourage local businesses looking to access the UK’s emerging 5G networks - along with all the benefits increased communications capability can provide. The new brand reinforces the company’s offering of cutting-edge mobile usage analysis and serves as an opportunity to remain unique in the marketplace.

Dan Cargill, General Manager said: We’re delighted with the results of our new website and animation, and after the hard work behind the scenes it’s great to go live with it all.
The business is ramping up its operations, we’ve invested in new software which will helps us support our customers more effectively. We’ve added a new reporting system which allows customers to view their usage in a much more detailed and understandable fashion. And alongside the business rebrand and website launch we have plans to grow and invest in our team”.

The rebranding includes a top-to-bottom redesign of the company’s website, graphics, logo, communications and correspondence. 5G Scotland new brand assets include an animation explaining their innovative mobile analysis hope to convey complex solutions in an accessible way. 
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Please visit www.5gscotland.com to explore the new website and learn more about the bespoke telecommunications services they provide for business. 

5G in the UK – Everything You Need to Know
5G in the UK is here! 5G networks are the next generation of mobile internet connectivity offering super-fast speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and mobile devices than ever before. 5G began rolling out in the UK in May 2019 and is currently limited to 6 major cities, however the network is expected to expand exponentially.

5G is set to bring new opportunities for both providers and consumers: superfast mobile broadbandwith no need for landlines, greater connectivity and device integration, car to infrastructure communication, distance healthcare solutions and a whole new generation of smartphones and devices.

How could 5G Connectivity Benefit your Business?
5G has the potential to benefit the private sector in major ways by transforming the way we connect and communicate. Businesses and their customers will be able to work remotely more easily, which will have real benefits for our client’s bottom line – contributing to opportunities for rapid growth. Qualcomm have estimated that 5G could create up to 22 million new jobs in the UK and will have the capability for organisations to create their own closed networks that are completely tailored to suit their needs. Businesses will be able to free up more time and money to work towards their goals through a dramatic increase in speed, capacity and latency. Through finding new ways to communicate and share information, 5G technology will be a key player in addressing some of the major socio-economic and ecological issues of our time, which puts our clients at the forefront of this conversation. There has already been major investment from the UK Government in making sure 5G is accessible for all, with the launch Rural Connected Communities project. £30m funding is being offered to businesses who want to help trial 5G in rural
and remote communities. The £30m on offer is the latest wave of a larger £200m funding pot to rollout 5G UK wide.

New Challenges for Businesses
With all these benefits, there are also some challenges to consider for organisations moving to thenew network. The vast increase in the ability share and move large amounts of data, as well as theopportunity for wider collaboration and access will make data protection and compliance morechallenging for smaller clients. There is no one-size-fits all solution to the challenges of managing this change, and we will have to wait to see how the private sector responds to these opportunities for development to reap the rewards that 5G connectivity offers.

EE – Why Coverage and Connection Matters for You
EE is the UK’s biggest 4G mobile network and 5G Scotland’s preferred partner network. As a
customer, you may wonder why we choose to work with EE and in this article, we hope to share the real benefits that choosing them as your network provider could have for your business.

The UK’s Top Performing Network
EE has been named the UK’s top performing network 6 years in a row according to RootMetrics’ UK wide performance tables. This means EE comes top in overall performance, this includes speed, reliability, coverage, calls, texts and data. Coverage is consistently good with Fast or Faster ratings in most areas with very minor patches of slow connectivity in remote coastal and rural areas. Furthermore, the average download speed across the UK comes in at 37.6Mbits/sec, far ahead of their nearest rival network (21.7Mbits/sec).

Controlling your spending
If you’re looking to control your organisation’s spending, EE spend caps helps to make that easier for businesses. For individual handsets, data usage is capped at your allowance and to use more you must actively purchase a data add-on for between £5 and £20. This can be restricted within an organisation by an administrator through allowing the ability to block additional data purchases for our fleet.

Deals, products and services
EE provides generous sim-only deals and offers a wide range of other useful products for business such as Wi-Fi calling, where you can call and text via Wi-Fi connection in areas where it might be otherwise difficult to get a signal. There are also dedicated EE Signal Boxes that can help boost signal in your location. Like all the major UK operators, EE offers inclusive roaming within the EU plus other states within the EEA and EE’s Europe Zone, as well as other handy add-ons to suit your needs.

Finding the best network for you
As part of our service and cutting-edge analysis, we will check the coverage of EE and alternative networks at your significant addresses. You can rest assured that we will only offer you a network’s proposal if you get a reliable mobile signal from that network. We want to make sure that our customers get the fastest and most dependable connection at a price that fits you.

​Overall, if you want the best possible connection, network speeds and the best coverage, EE is a great choice for your business. We are proud to say that EE are our preferred partner as we feel this reflects our commitment to a quality service for all the organisations we support.