Stephen Adams

I often need a coffee after looking at the reviews of some of the big boys in our industry. Did you know that BT has a 1.4/5 rating on Trustpilot? I am sure it would be lower but you can't give a 0/5 on Trustpilot. You wouldn't eat at a restaurant with a 1-star food hygiene rating so why get your telecoms from a 1-star provider? Switch to Think today for some gourmet telecoms.

25

6 Comments

With 2025 rapidly approaching and the big telecoms switch off still seeming to be off a lot of businesses radar might be a good time to jump on tomorrows webinar. #2025switchoff #isdn #voip #futureprooftechnology

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🎶 Reasons to be cheerful, 1, 2, 3...🎶 Read on ....👇 .... As an ambassador for Comms Dealer UK Partner Week, I couldn’t be prouder to champion an event that highlights the incredible value of the UK technology channel community. This week will be all about celebrating partnerships, connecting leaders and teams, and envisioning greater impact for customers through the channel. Why should we be cheerful? Let me count the ways:  1: UK ICT is booming  With an anticipated annual growth rate of 10%+, the UK ICT market is on track to hit a whopping $250Bn by 2027.  2: The channel is the fast lane   Partner-delivered ICT and services are growing faster than direct/vendor-delivered offerings. A 5%+ growth rate through 2026 means we’re driving innovation and value at pace.  3: Partnerships make the difference   In 2023, partner-delivered technology and services reached $3.4 Trn globally - over 70% of the market. The trend? Still climbing.  This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about resilience, innovation, and trust. The channel is a powerhouse for growth, efficiency, and global credibility for UK businesses.  Whether you're an MSP, vendor, or partner leader, there are so many reasons to be cheerful! www.partnerweek.uk #UKPartnerWeek #ReasonsToBeCheerful #TechChannelGrowth #PartnershipsMatter

15

1 Comment

For Square One Network and the Team to be nominated for any award is humbling but to be a finalist in the Comms Dealer SME Reseller Business Transformation Category is very special. We took over running the business in June 2022 and this was key, we had to transform the business, we had to listen to our customers, and we have to make it personal. A very long way to go, but we are on the right road. #cna #awards #businesstransformation

29

2 Comments

The GREAT BT SWITCH OFF...........has now been extended! As you may have heard, BT has announced plans to switch off its analogue phone network for voice services on the 31st December 2025. However, after further discussions this has now been pushed back to January 2027. This means that all traditional landline phones will no longer be supported after this date and businesses will need to upgrade to digital alternatives. But what does this mean for you and your business? For some, it may be a simple matter of upgrading to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system or a cloud-based phone service. But for others, it may require more significant changes to their infrastructure and operations. Whether you're a business owner, IT manager, or just someone who's curious about the impact of this change and have any questions, then please reach out by passing comment below or connecting with me.

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BT Group has today launched a new Apprenticeship Fund, designed to support SMEs, charities and public sector organisations across England by providing access to £4m in apprenticeship funding over an initial four-year period. Since 2017, companies with an annual wage bill of more than £3 million have been required to pay the apprenticeship levy, using the funds to recruit and train apprentices. They can also choose to transfer up to 50% of their levy to help support other companies. BT Group has partnered with Babington, one of the UK's largest and longest-established apprenticeship training providers to transfer up to £4 million from its apprenticeship levy funds to help SMEs, charities and the public sector train new apprentices and upskill their existing workforce. Babington will play a crucial role in matching businesses with appropriate training providers and guiding them through the application process. Successful applicants will be provided with access to funded apprenticeship training within 20 days, subject to meeting funding criteria. The Fund has the ability to scale up depending on take up and could support up to 550 apprentices, resulting in a £21m positive economic impact. The launch comes at a time when more than a third of mid-sized businesses are struggling to recruit apprentices. #bt #btgroup #uk #apprenticeshipfund #babington #sme #workforce

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Well that surprises me...... BT/OR have delayed the total switch-off of the PSTN to 31st Jan 2027. Especially after a webinar from one of the major players who categorically stated that BT/OR had said that this would not be delayed other than for telecare provision and vulnerable customers. Obviously they were embracing their inner Boris. Although this gives an extra year to complete this, those who still have ISDN and analogue services should not really delay. In 2023 the number of PSTN incidents rose 20% and the number of hours lost to customers due to PSTN issues rose 60%. The amount of resource that will be dedicated to PSTN will continue to decrease and I expect those numbers of lost hours and incident counts to continue to rise. I also expect the costs of PSTN to continue to rise well ahead of inflation in order to make exiting from PSTN for customers a sensible decision economically as well as technically. Pen Telecom are here to guide you through the minefield of the switch-off. Please reach out if you feel we can help. [email protected] or 020 8827 0722.

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📢 Important Update for Broadband Wholesale Customers 📢 As of today, 24th October, Ofcom has officially removed the Notification of Transfer (NoT+) for broadband transfers, following their earlier announcement on 4th September. What does this mean for you? 1) The NoT+ Minimum Lead Time (MLT) for migrations has been discontinued. Instead, new product-specific MLTs have been introduced. 2) The 'Cancel Other' option is no longer available from the losing provider during migrations. Migrations can now happen as quickly as technically feasible, sometimes within **24 hours**. 3) For Working Line Takeovers, the 'Cancel Other' option is still available to the losing provider when the end user is changing, such as in a house move. Have questions about how these changes may impact your customers? Our team is here to help! One Touch Switching (OTS) 🚀 With the removal of NoT+, focus is now shifting to One Touch Switching (OTS). This new process simplifies switching for residential customers, allowing them to move providers without contacting their current provider. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with this process, as it is now the standard for migrations. 🧑‍💼 Business customers are not required to use OTS, but they are still impacted by the changes to lead times and the removal of the 'Cancel' option for migrations. 💬 If you have any questions about One Touch Switching or the changes from the removal of NoT+, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. We’re here to support you through these updates! #Broadband #Telecom #OneTouchSwitching #Ofcom #WholesaleCustomers #CustomerSupport

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Any recommendations for prospect/sales management systems developed specifically for the telecoms industry? (Ideally which won't break the bank 😊) Note: We already have a CRM system from one of the main ‘generic’ CRM providers, but rather than the continued effort of adapting it to meet our needs we require a solution that is designed from the ground up to meet the specific challenges and needs of a telecoms service provider. We are growing our direct and channel sales teams, therefore our key requirement is a system for effective prospect/sales management. We don’t require a billing engine or ticketing system/helpdesk. We have this sorted, our primary focus is prospect/sales management. Integration with DocuSign for seamlessly turning quotes in to contracts would be desirable. #Telecoms #Sales #CRM

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18 Comments

Today, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released its provisional findings on our proposed merger with Three UK and we look forward to working with them to secure approval. Although we disagree with the assertion that it would lead to price rises for customers, we are encouraged to see the CMA recognise that the merger will improve network quality. We truly believe this is not only a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the sector to get much needed investment, at scale, but also a chance to build the infrastructure the country deserves and unlock significant economic growth. Our pledge to invest £11 billion over ten years as a joint company would see 50 million customers directly benefiting from improved network quality. And beyond that, 99% of the UK population having 5G SA by 2034, as well as every school and hospital by 2030. By all measures, the merger is pro-growth, pro-customer and pro-competition. We look forward to continuing to work with the CMA to find a path forwards. #TheNationsNetwork #TogetherWeCan #Vodafone #ThreeUK #CMA #5GSA

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6 Comments

If you want to get more from your investment in call answering, the Paperclip 'Optimising Call Answering' is a good place to start. You can download the PDF from the Paperclip website or click on this direct link: https://lnkd.in/ehAK8ChC #callanswering #paperclip #receptiondesk #adminsupport #businessprocessimprovement

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1 Comment

Our EE network team knew it All Too Well... Fans at Saturday’s Taylor Swift gig smashed the record for the most mobile data used on EE during a single concert at Wembley Stadium! 5.57TB is the equivalent of playing TS’s entire back catalogue for 10 years. In fact, all three of Taylor Swift’s gigs at Wembley last weekend saw Swifties use more EE mobile data than the previous record set during Harry Styles’ Love on Tour concert last summer (4.49TB)... Fri 21 June: 5.16TB 💫 Sat 22 June: 5.57TB 💃 Sun 23 June: 5.48TB 🪩 In terms of data consumed, both Saturday and Sunday at TS were bigger than the Champions League Final (5.29TB). Only the Capital FM Summertime Ball in 2023 and 2024, which was an all-day event on both occasions, has seen more data consumed at Wembley. Peak time for online uploads using our @EE 5G network was Saturday night, as Champagne Problems rolled into TikTok favourite August. Of course, the TS gigs also drove spikes in mobile app usage. The top five? 1⃣ Instagram 2⃣ Snapchat 3⃣ Facebook 4⃣ iCloud (iPhone uploads) 5⃣ TikTok #LondonTSTheErasTour

915

29 Comments

It's all there folks. We can help you define a specification or just supply you with the best business internet to fit your budget. You will know much more after you have read the guide. #ISP #Business #Internet #LeasedLine #Cloud #FTTP

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Great topics and updates covered on #FCC #ISED #EU #CE #Global #Cybersecurity #RFexposure #KDB #Standards #Instrumentation etc

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**Last Week's Achievements:** 1. **Website Building:**working on refreshing company website to further improve customer experience. 2. **Meetings:** Liaising with teams and external providers to enhance service offerings. Working with the team on the one touch switch platform. 3. **Sales Targets:** Analysed sales performance and adjusted strategies to meet targets. 4. **Team Monitoring:** Conducted reviews to recognise achievements and identify areas for growth. 5. **Research:** Carving out time to research the industry, competition, regulations. **Saturday Focus on Future Planning:** - **Morning:** Early brainstorming session to explore exciting new business ideas. By staying proactive and organised the past week it has allowed me to create headspace for growth🌱💡 Inspire Telecom #BusinessBuilding #TeamSuccess #FuturePlanning #GrowthMindset #inspiretelecom #sales #onetouchswitch #entrepreneurs

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2 Comments