Connected home Is enough being done to keep mobile at the centre of the connected home?
Are we 5G ready? Network and industry experts report on the developments, demands and use cases of 5G in the UK
Exclusive double interview Samsung VPs Conor Pierce and Graham Long discuss industry issues
Sharp insight. Inspiring analysis www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017 ÂŁ2.70
Connected home Is enough being done to keep mobile at the centre of the connected home?
Are we 5G ready? Network and industry experts report on the developments, demands and use cases of 5G in the UK
Exclusive double interview Samsung VPs Conor Pierce and Graham Long discuss industry issues
Sectionhead
Sharp insight. Inspiring analysis www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017 ÂŁ2.70
Elephant in the smart room Can mobile own the connected home?
www.mobiletoday.co.uk January 2017
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Contents Future Publishing Ltd. 1-10 Praed Mews Paddington London W2 1QY @mobile_mag /mobiletoday.mag EDITORIAL 07896 727464 NEWS & COMMUNITY EDITOR
Jack Courtez jack.courtez@futurenet.com 07592 880864 FEATURES EDITOR
Chris Jenkins chris.Jenkins@futurenet.com 07896 727865 CONTRIBUTORS
Désiré Athow Sunetra Chakravarti James Atkinson DESIGNER
Marian Hutchinson PRODUCTION ASSISTANT/ LAYOUT SUB-EDITOR
Naomi MacKay mobile@nhmedia.co.uk
ADVERTISING 07896 727762 HEAD OF PORTFOLIO SALES
Mark Fermor +44 (0) 7896727762 mark.fermor@nhmedia.co.uk
Going to a little event in Spain? Make sure you look out for the Mobile team at MWC – we’ll be the blur running backwards and forwards across Barcelona in order to reach as many people as we can Though the event seems to lack the blockbuster moment that Samsung and Mark Zuckerberg’s double team achieved on the Sunday of MWC 2016, there appear to be a greater number of launches, albeit of a slightly lower profile. These include Alcatel, Blackberry, Huawei, LG, Moto, Nokia (HMD), Samsung, Sony and ZTE along with dozens more. The challenge of being able to stand out from the crowds at MWC is nothing new to any of these names (with the notable exception of HMD). What is new however, is the range of products outside of mobile devices that they are in competition with for that precious consumer press coverage. It’s not just wearables and tablets any more, but also the connected home and VR – the two top trends according to last month’s reader survey. However, with both of these trends there are still some important questions to be answered both in terms of eco-system control/collaboration and persuading consumers of its value. The industry is taking steps to overcome this, as shown in this month’s lead feature on page 8, and in our exclusive interview with Samsung vice presidents Conor Pierce and Graham Long on page 20. See you in Barcelona!
Jack Courtez News & community editor jack.courtez@futurenet.com
GENERAL ENQUIRIES 07896 727725
Contents
PUBLISHER/MANAGING DIRECTOR Debra Doran
06 08
SUBS/CIRCULATION 07896 727725 Standard subs price: £70.20 Printed by Buxton Press Ltd
ISellMobile Digital Product of the Year Commercial Initiative of the Year www.isellmobile.co.uk
ISSN 1472-0833 All material in this publication is covered by copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form – electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise – in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. © 2017 Future Publishing Ltd. While considerable care has been taken in the production of this issue, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork or equipment. All correspondence is assumed to be intended for publication unless clearly stated otherwise.
Mobile Download – switching changes Fast stats, facts, news and debate
Mobile Investigates Losing control of the connected home: is the mobile industry doing enough to capitalise on its natural market lead?
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World news February: This month’s latest news from around the world
February 2017
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10 Ways to Sell Business device management: the headline opportunities of BDM that your clients should be hearing all about
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Interview Conor Pierce and Graham Long: the two Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland vice presidents discuss the brand’s development and strategy in this exclusive double interview
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Mobile Industry Awards Categories announced: see most of this year’s awards categories and find out which one is right for you
Analysis 5G ready: How far away is a commercial 5G network in the UK?
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Mobile Explores Flexible working security: Part two of our exploration of how unified comms dealers are meeting the demand for flexible working, focusing on security
Shop Idol Meet the contestants: Some of this year’s Shop Idol contestants detail why they think they can win
Tech Guide Battery packs: an overview on the role of this accessory in the mobile mix for 2017
www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017
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DOWNLOAD Fast facts, stats, news and debate
The debate: Is Ofcom right to simplify the switching process for consumers? YES
Chris Jenkins, features editor, Mobile MOBILE switching is an issue that is causing real harm to customers, and Ofcom is doing no good by dragging its feet over consultations. The process has now extended, to allow operators to comment. These proposals sound reasonable and affordable. Ofcom wants to automate the current PAC process, or require the gaining provider to coordinate the switch (GPL); it wants to address loss of service during switching by ensuring the management of the activation (CPS); and it wants to avoid risks of double paying because of providers demanding notice periods. Ofcom’s estimated 10-year costs to the industry don’t sound outrageous either; £47.8m for Auto-PAC, £47.1 million for GPL, £36.4m for end-to-end management, and
DEVICES
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£6.8m for not charging beyond the switching date. In response, Three, TalkTalk, and consumer groups broadly support most of Ofcom’s proposals; but Virgin thinks that results might be achieved faster and cheaper using different methods. Telefonica believes the system’s working well for most customers, and thinks Ofcom’s proposals risk an increase in slamming, mis-selling and fraud. BT/EE believes switching has been refined so there is ‘no case for immediate action’, but the record level of switching complaints say otherwise. But the naysayers are fooling themselves – the recorded levels of switching complaints received by Ofcom and the telecoms ombudsman are just the tip of the iceberg, and the industry is on a collision course unless it takes avoiding action soon.
NO
Jack Courtez, news editor, Mobile THE main arguments in favour of switching are ease of use for consumers and encouraging more competition to win and retain business. However, not only is there questionable evidence that the proposed changes to the PAC porting process suggested by Ofcom are necessary, there’s also the chance that it will make things worse for consumers. Changing supplier can be a little tedious, but often it actually gives the current supplier a chance to provide a counter-offer, therefore actually increasing competition. Not only this but 10% of users switch mobile operator each year and 94% say that switching was fairly or very easy. Sure, this 10% is lower than the electricity market (27%), but when you consider that many mobile customers are locked in to 24-month contracts due to the value of the devices, it looks a lot
more comparable. By trying to shape the mobile supplier model into the gas and electricity suppliers’ model on switching, Ofcom does a great disservice to mobile operators, ignoring that often their relationships with customers are far deeper, often including additional services such as membership schemes, content services and even educating users about the technology in thousands of stores up and down the UK. Finally, pushing providers into going after acquisition rather than retention can have unexpected consequences. Looking back at the shark-like selling techniques that occurred when mobile was in its boom time, it’s easy to see where Telefonica’s concerns about ‘slamming’ (switching a user without their permission, or mis-informing them) comes from.
Big releases Our round-up of the key releases this month LG WATCH SPORT
HUAWEI HONOR 6X
LOGITECH ZEROTOUCH ALEXA
HANDHELD ALGIZ 8X
Featuring Android Wear 2.0 software, this feature-packed watch can Google without a phone in tow
Launched at CES and aimed at the younger buyer, the 6X features a 5.5in FHD screen and dual rear camera setup
The hands-free in-car system buddies up with Amazon’s Alexa courtesy of a free update to the voiceresponsive app
A rugged IP65-rated Windows tablet built for field workers, with LTE, dual-band WLAN and a barcode scanner option
February 2017
www.mobiletoday.co.uk
Download
Stats Is Ofcom right to simplify the switching process for consumers?
The month in numbers
£2.7 trillion Estimated value of the global 5G market by 2035
93%
GOOD MONTH 5G No one knows what it is yet, but with the launch of an official logo by 3GPP, at least we know what it looks like
LYCAMOBILE Snapping up Ortel Mobile meas Lycamobile has bolstered its Belgian connectivity and added 1m customers
of businesses that lose data for more than 10 days go bankrupt within a year
When will a 5G network launch in the UK?
GAMMA Key service launches including an online marketing portal and an expanded partner programme
6.9 million complaints made against telecoms companies by consumers last year
76%
Ups & downs
of business users have no internet security measures on their mobile devices
100m
UK postpay handset market share
Number of nuisance calls blocked by Vodafone’s barring service in six months
£295m
Amount Nokia paid to acquire fellow Finnish company Comptel
29%
O2 BUSINESS A bundle fumble gave free landline and broadband services to some lucky business customers
UK HOLIDAYMAKERS Sun-seekers and business travellers may still pay through the nose for data roaming if the forthcoming EU cap does not apply to them
of consumers want retailers to use AI or AR in their apps
Source: mobiletoday.co.uk January 2017
PEOPLE
WESTERN EUROPE Smartphone sales dropped 4% following weak demand in Britain, Germany and France
BAD MONTH
Movers A look at who has changed role recently PAUL LAWTHER WAS: RAINBOW COMMUNICATIONS UK HEAD OF MOBILE SALES NOW: ONECOM HEAD OF MOBILE SALES FOR NI Lawther will put his 10 years of experience and local knowledge to good use leading Onecom’s £5 million expansion into NI.
MAURICE DAW WAS: VIRGIN MEDIA CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER NOW: VIRGIN MEDIA LONDON CUSTOMER DIRECTOR Within his remit is supporting what he calls its ‘ambitious plans for network expansion in London.’
RICHARD BAXENDALE WAS: TECH DATA VP OF SERVICES NOW: MOBILE PHONES DIRECT CEO With 14 years of experience in distribution, his new position at MPD is his first foray into sitting on the other side of the negotiating table.
IAN JEFFERY WAS: BELKIN BDM NOW: INCIPIO UK TELCO SALES MANAGER Eight years of experience in accessory sales and distribution will help the recently merged Incipio-Griffin power house to expand its ranging on the high street.
www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017
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INVESTIGATES
Connected home ownership Is the mobile industry doing enough to remain at the centre of the connected home universe? Chris Jenkins
T
he mobile phone may be at the centre of the connected home, but is the industry ready to take advantage? The ‘smart’ or connected home has been the stuff of science fiction since the 1950s, and it has long been possible to automate many domestic functions such as lighting, heating, air conditioning, access, security, and communications. Until now, home connectivity required an expensive custom installation, with a mish-mash of different control systems. Specialist manufacturers such as Crestron, Lutron and AMX dominated a market that was out of reach for all but the wellheeled. Three years ago there were at least 50 different connected home platforms available, and it was clear that not all could survive, ultimately leaving early adopters with now ‘dumb’ gadgets, all connected to a useless proprietary system.
Control solutions The advent of affordable, programmable touchscreen devices such as Apple’s iPad
An O2 Home installer showcases the technology to an early adopting customer.
changed the game, offering built-in hardware and software compatibility with industrystandard devices. The smartphone is capable of all the same functions, and is an even more familiar, affordable and universal device, so perhaps it is the natural centre of the connected home. So why are mobile dealers not taking advantage of this opportunity?
Tech development The prime sales driver for the
smart home may well be energy saving, which, it’s often argued, can cover the cost of the hardware. If this is so, systems such as Nest and Hive have a market advantage and energy providers would be strong candidates for winning the race for system control. But despite the ‘heat’ surrounding the connected home and the Internet of Things (IoT), the stumbling block remains that connected devices will talk to your smartphone, but most won’t
talk to each other. There is still a plethora of competing systems and manufacturers, including Apple’s HomeKit, Google’s Brillo, Lowe’s Iris, and AllJoyn, using different wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Z-Wave. A central hub, either a hardware router, mobile app or cloud software, could coordinate all smart products. This could be a voice-activated system such as Amazon’s Alexa, or Apple’s Siri. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, on the launch of its Pixel smartphone in
On the market • Samsung’s Smart Things range includes a £200 starter kit that features the iOS/Android/Windows mobile-compatible control app, a device hub containing Z-wave and ZigBee transponders, motion sensor, multi sensor, presence sensor and power outlet devices. • Panasonic’s comparable Smart Home range features a Monitoring and Control Kit, again with a central hub, connecting to a range of Smart Home devices. • Amazon’s Echo, a voice-controlled smart speaker controlled by Amazon’s Alexa AI, can do anything from playing music, providing news, weather and traffic reports and telling jokes, to integrating with the household control app from Yonomi. Lenovo’s Smart Assistant and Google’s Home Assistant are similar propositions.
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• The British Gas Hive Active Heating system and Nest’s thermostat are well-established systems which can control your heating and hot water by learning your routines. Compatible with products from Whirlpool, Bosch, Amazon, WeMo, Philips and others, Nest, like Hive, has to be fitted by an engineer. • The O2 Home system is based on AT&T’s established platform and is available in a range of packages including the basic Home Connect starter pack, Home Comfort for heating and lighting, and Home View for security. • Also available are systems and products from Netatmo, Sonos, Motorola, Canary, Resmed, Withings, LG, Siemens, Sony and others.
www.mobiletoday.co.uk
Connected home
Hive’s range of connected home devices can all be controlled through a central app
2016, said that Google believes the tech world is shifting from a ‘mobile-first’ to ‘AI-first’ focus. While manufacturers fight for dominance rather than cooperating, progress will be slow. Jon Carter, strategist at Deutsche Telekom, summarised feelings at the IoT World Forum, saying: ‘Despite the hype, we’re exasperated.’ Samsung shows the way with its open SmartThings ecosystem, which now has 20,000 compatibles including Amazon’s Echo and LG’s Hub Robot. Other vendors’ products are compatible with Google’s Nest smart thermostat and Nest Cam.
Is retail ready? David Plumb, digital director at Telefónica UK and Ireland, tells Mobile that now is the right time for the connected home; the technology is here, ‘at a decent
David Plumb, digital director, Telefónica
www.mobiletoday.co.uk
Connected Home on the High Street O2 The O2 Home system is available to customers in the South East, and is on demo at branches in Balham, Epsom, Kingston Bentalls Centre, Uxbridge and Watford.
standard, quality and price’, and it addresses important issues in society, such as mobile working, elderly care, and energy conservation. Plumb points to O2’s Home package, which includes a hub, Samsung internal camera, two open-and-close sensors, and a smart plug. Also available is a Tado thermostat. Crucially, the system can be paid for on a monthly contract, an approach that other operators haven’t yet embraced. ‘The connected home concept involves a lot of expensive gear on day one,’ Plumb explains. ‘With O2 Home we spread that cost over two years, including the cost of installation and a visit from an engineer, and we’ve built other vital elements including cloud backup and 4G backup into the package.’ The O2 Home offering is built on the established AT&T Digital Life platform. ‘But it’s open and interoperable, and AT&T is working on its own AI system and compatibility with others, so it does not lock users into one standard,’ says Plumb. Plumb seems relaxed about the fairly low-key start to the market, with O2 Home rolled out initially in only the South East, and sales running at around four per store per week. Dedicated areas in
Tottenham Court Road and Westfield were scaled back, as in Plumb’s words: ‘We found the locations weren’t reaching the home-owning customer.’ Seb James of Carphone Warehouse also sees a future in bundling services as part of the smart home proposition, and in line with wider buying trends. He tells Mobile: ‘We think a combination of not just hardware, but finance, accessories, services, installations and support is what customers want in the future for a very predictable monthly fee – and what’s more they’ll want to have the newest technology, to be upgraded as soon as possible.’
Voices vs mobile Brightstar’s Joyce Mercer called the launch of its Smart Living proposition in 2015 just the start of a major push into the connected market: ‘We know that growth will come from connected and SIM-enabled products, but until now very few retailers and operators have managed to find a way to successfully take them to market.. . while there is no shortage of interest in connected products, it’s fair to say that most haven’t yet capitalised on the opportunity or defined their strategy.’ Rod Slater, head of Smart Tech and IoT at technology distributor
John Lewis The flagship London Oxford Street store has four Smart Home interactive zones: Kitchen, Entertainment, Sleep and Home Monitoring, demonstrating everything from smart heating and lighting to audio, TV and appliances. Fonehouse The Fonehouse chain and its Techhouse accessory outlet have stores in Bluewater, Bromley, Lakeside, High Wycombe, Romford and Watford. Maplin Maplin Electronics has 218 stores throughout the UK and Ireland. Its Smart Home range includes the Nest thermostat, Panasonic products and LIFX lighting. It has a new connected range due later this year. Homebase Home improvement giant Homebase has more than 200 stores throughout the UK and Ireland, and features the Yale Smart Living lock, alarm and camera kits, and Warmup smart thermostat.
February 2017
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FEATURE
Franchise store operation TechHouse specialises in mobile accessories, including connected home equipment
A home security element of Samsung’s SmartThings collection.
and service provider Exertis, says that security, energy, entertainment and convenience are the key categories driving interest in the area. ‘Not surprisingly, home security has been one of the most influential drivers in this market and has been top of the list for many households. The ability to obtain instant monitoring with high-quality video direct to a mobile device from a small and convenient smart camera has clear benefits.’ But Slater isn’t wedded to mobile phone control. ‘Mobile device control of smart home features is probably acceptable when you have one or two 10
February 2017
Smart Tech brands. When each product has its own app, it starts to get complicated and time consuming.’ Slater believes that mobile stores are currently providing neither the display space nor the training to sell smart home. ‘Other channels such as hardware and DIY superstores have embraced the opportunity, but it would require a change to traditional mobile store display and their range of products. ‘The mobile channel is in the unique position where it could become the main protagonist of the smart home; millions of active
customers being regularly billed can reap huge rewards for the mobile channel. Many of the processes and systems to support this model already exist, it’s just rethinking the role, strategy and execution methods.’
Consumer challenge And Chloe Woodhead of John Lewis’s Home and Tech division says that there are other challenges in selling the ‘connected home’ concept, one of which is consumer awareness. ‘Smart home is still a category that has relatively low awareness
in the mass market. Retailers have to overcome two key barriers: perceived complexity of the technology, helping consumers understand the potential benefits, as well as the knowledge that Smart Home products actually exist,’ she says. Woodhead sees the strongest areas of connected home being heating, lightning, entertainment and home monitoring, and points to natural connections to utility services, for example smart thermostat and energy provider such as Hive and British Gas. But she points to another stumbling block in the way of the mobile market. ‘In many cases smart home products require a smartphone or tablet in order to set up and control, and at this stage it is probable that it is the centre of connected home. However, I think it is also a barrier, as it’s not a natural behaviour, and not always convenient to use.’ It seems certain, then, that the connected home will find a market; but it’s still unclear whether this will work to the benefit of telcos using a contract model, utility companies billing their household customers, or hardware manufacturers selling bundled solutions. Most likely, they will all need to work together.
Utility based connected home platforms can show a clear return on investment through reduced heating costs.
www.mobiletoday.co.uk
WORLD News Power 50 presents
February around the world Africa Botswana – Orange heats up the summer Traditionally, mobile service providers in Africa offer special deals to capture customers in the summer months of holidays and festivities. This summer, Orange Botswana is offering a range of bonus offers including free calls during key time periods, flash promotions for prepaid bundles, free unlimited calls for prepaid customers, and discounted devices such as the Orange Rise, a low-end Android smartphone with 3G. The offers are being promoted in local media and the new SmartStore in Airport Junction. South Africa – Africa becoming a distracted continent A Deloitte survey suggests that more than 33% of Africans check their phones every five minutes, and more than half of smartphone users regularly use their devices on public transport, at work and while shopping. The Game of Phones Survey suggests that this is an opportunity for businesses to provide a ‘platform for life’ that evolves its value through sophisticated data analytics. The survey finds that while mobile internet remains dominant, Wi-Fi and fibre is growing, particularly in South Africa and Nigeria.
Asia Thailand – IoT network rolls out in April Thailand is rolling out an IoT network in April this year serving central Phuket and Bangkok. One of the first commercial deployments of its kind in Southeast Asia, the network will be built by South Korea’s SK Telecom and Thailand’s CAT Telecom, a state-owned telecommunications service provider. Phuket has been earmarked as Thailand’s first smart city, and will be launching a vehicle location tracking service, smart metering and smart street lighting services. Central Bangkok will get an IoT-based location tracking service, expected to prevent visitors getting lost near the Grand Palace. www.mobiletoday.co.uk
India – Mobile phone production ramps up Indian manufacturers are expected to produce 200 million devices in the financial year 2015-16, five times as many as two years ago, the IT Ministry has announced. In what is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, nearly 40 new factories have been built in the past two years, including Chinese names such as Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi, and homegrown brands Intex, Lava and Karbonn, as well as nearly three dozen supporting manufacturers. Local production enjoys around 12% incentive compared with imported products, and this has been a major incentive for companies to look inwards.
Oceania Australia – Vodafone goes virtual Ericsson and Cisco are to virtualise Vodafone Hutchison Australia’s core and IP network. Ericsson will lead the transformation program, having responsibility for not only building the infrastructure but also for ensuring the delivery of an end-to-end operational system. Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) aims to increase network agility, reduce opex and capex, deploy services faster, and improve customer experience. The project is the first major collaboration between Ericsson and Cisco on Telecom Cloud infrastructure.
Europe Finland – Ericsson builds its 4G network Ericsson and DNA are working together to boost mobile broadband coverage in sparsely populated areas of Finland using the 700 MHz frequency with the Ericsson Radio System. The Finnish population is the most active in the world in using mobile data, and using the new 700 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband, a spectrum previously used for digital television, enables build-up of 4G capacity. DNA’s 4G network today covers 99% of the population in Finland.
Russia – Ufa gets radio boost Ericsson and MTS are launching the Ericsson Radio System in the city of Ufa, to boost capacity towards 5G. Deployment of the Ericsson Radio System with new baseband and radio technology will enhance the network capacity and increase the efficiency of spectrum use, through implementation of LTE Carrier Aggregation, 4x4 MIMO and 256 QAM.
North America US – Viber offers free calls Viber, the call and messaging app for Windows devices, is enabling free calls to countries affected by the US President’s immigration measures, including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Viber’s parent company Rakuten, tweeted: ‘I am very sad to see what is happening now in the US. I came to America when I was seven and I really respect America’s big heart.’ Canada – Voracious demand for wireless Canada’s big three telecoms providers sprinted to a strong finish in 2016 propelled by ‘voracious demand for wireless services’, according to financial reports. Despite competitive pressures that dampened results in the television and Internet markets, giants BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc and Telus Corp added more than 844,000 wireless subscribers last year, pulling in an extra 292,000 subscribers.
South America Colombia – Tax reform could boost growth A GSMA report suggests that reforming mobile sector taxation could promote investment and drive digital inclusion in Colombia. The report notes that sector-specific taxation represented 37% of mobile services’ US$1.36 billion total tax payments in Colombia during 2014; with the exception of the Dominican Republic, no other country in Latin America has a higher proportion of mobile-specific taxes, and 49% of non-users list affordability as a barrier to mobile adoption. February 2017
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BEST B2B DISTRIBUTOR With the rise of converged services, distributors have remained at the forefront of innovation in recent years, with the challenge of being both niche specialists and all-encompassing vendors. Competition continues to be rife and a business needs to be sharp, fast moving and have a firm grasp of costs if they are to thrive. This award celebrates the best of this sector. BEST UNIFIED COMMS DEALER No longer a niche but a necessity in the business communications market, unified comms continues to expand in both market potential and definition. As dealers compete to provide a complete service for their clients, this category examines the success, innovations, skills and opportunities developed along the way. BEST B2B PARTNER PORTAL Open to all distributors, the winner of this new category will be the portal that provides the very best in billing, support, information and incentives for their dealer community. 2017’S CALL FOR ENTRIES HAS BEGUN, MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR ENTRY IN BY
29TH MARCH
BEST RETAIL DISTRIBUTOR The distributor that is leading the way in flexibility, speed and ingenuity, the core ingredients in giving retailers the right product at the right price, right now. BEST B2B PARTNER PROGRAMME Which distributor programme best empowers partners, amplifies sales and incentivises best practice? This category rewards the programme that is an asset to both the partners and the provider. BEST RECYCLING SERVICE This category recognises the service that has had the most impact on its clients in the past year. The market for recycling, refurbishing and repair has grown exponentially with successful propositions providing crucial revenue streams for many different areas of the industry. BEST MVNO Despite an ambivalent approach to MVNOs from many networks, the sector continues to thrive and grab market share as users become increasingly price-conscious. To succeed in this space requires a tenacious and cast-iron strategy, resilience to partner pressures and a finely tuned marketing strategy. The winner of this categories best represents these qualities.
HOW TO ENTER Each category has a full description and criteria listed online. Visit the awards site to register your interest.
www.mobiletoday.co.uk/awards
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BEST BUSINESS NETWORK With trends such as M2M solutions, flexible working and productivity at the forefront of government policy and employer strategies, the importance of reliable, high-speed mobile connectivity will continue to grow. The operator which best meets these demands will be crowned Best Business Network 2017. BEST MVNO PARTNER (MVNA/E) An MVNO can only be as innovative as the service it is able to provide. This category rewards the MVNO partner that does the most to champion and support the MVNOs dependent on their services.
BEST ONLINE RETAILER To be successful, retailers must not only secure the biggest deals they must market them in innovative ways to grab the brief attention span of online consumers. This award recognises the key role online retailer’s play and rewards the one which demonstrates unrivalled performance throughout the year. BEST SIM FREE RETAILER As consumers continue to show a willingness to buy their device and contract in separation, this category celebrates the retailer with the most compelling SIM Free proposition. BEST FRANCHISE Driving the whole industry forward with their unrivalled ability to quickly adapt to consumer and even local demands, franchises are a hotbed of retail innovation. Recognising business agility, success and innovation, the winner of Best Franchise is always the vanguard of progress in retail.
BEST CONSUMER NETWORK The fierce competition to prove which operator has the best network has seen coverage, capacity, care, converged services and price become key battlegrounds. This category goes to the network which best balances the above factors to give customers the confidence that no matter what they do BEST MANUFACTURER FIELD or where they go, their network MARKETING TEAM will have them covered. This category is designed BEST HIGH STREET RETAILER to recognise the impact The most powerful sales channel manufacturer’s field marketing in the UK mobile space demands teams have on the success of the seamless integration of sales, logistics, business in their work to educate marketing and purchasing to survive, and train high street and and excellence and ingenuity in these contact centre retail staff. areas to thrive. This award goes to the high street retailer that has done more than any other to provide the very best in retail experience and results.
Join us on 1 June, The Brewery London
Book your table package now! Contact Mark Fermor at +44 (0) 795109063 mark.fermor@futurenet.com
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www.mobiletoday.co.uk January 2017
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Analysis
5G – ready, set, go? Is the UK ready for the rollout of 5G? Chris Jenkins
Like each generation of wireless communications standards before it, 5G is designed to offer users faster service and more features. But with 2020, the date of the Olympic Games in Japan, set as the headline date for 5G deployment, there are doubts whether it can – or even should – be rolled out in time. There is also pressure to make 5G available for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea, or the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. In technical terms, 4GLTE has a typical download speed of 14Mbps, and a theoretical maximum of 150Mbps; while 5G could offer 10Gbps – around 1,000 times faster. EE claims it will trial 5G speeds of 1Gbps in 2017, while Ofcom sees 5G as achieving real-world speeds of between 10 and 50Gbps. The IHS Technology report The 5G Economy suggests that 5G could have a global value of £2.7tn by 2035, but that for technical and commercial reasons 5G is likely to be rolled out as an incremental series of new technologies, each offering its own applications and satisfying particular customer demands, while 4G LTE continues
to evolve through Gigabit LTE, LTE IoT, and NarrowBand-IoT deployments. If so, when could actual 5G be a commercial reality?
Short term The first of these SMARTER (Services and Markets Technology Enablers) technologies will be Enhanced Mobile Broadband (EMBB), offering improved indoor and outdoor wireless broadband coverage, and fixed wireless broadband deployment. EMBB will extend cellular coverage into problematical areas such as office buildings, industrial parks, shopping malls and large venues, and will improve capacity to handle large numbers of high-volume data devices. The net result will be an improved and more consistent experience of mobile broadband in applications including enterprise teamwork, education, augmented and virtual reality, and extended mobile computing – largely enhancements to existing services catered for by 4G, and not truly transformative. O2 expects the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to set global standards from this year until around 2020, with 5G available between 2020 and 2024. A
The 5G innovation centre at the University of Surrey
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spokesman says: ‘Things are a long way off yet – in the meantime we continue to contribute to developments and engage with the industry and trials.’ O2 CEO Mark Evans says that government industrial strategy is essential. ‘As the demand for faster connectivity increases, it is vital we build the next generation of digital infrastructure,’ he comments. ‘Mobile operators such as O2 are willing to make the massive investment needed to keep Britain connected. However, we can’t do it alone. We need an industrial strategy that puts mobile at the heart of post-Brexit Britain.’ David Lister, principal researcher of 5G technologies at Vodafone, says that telecoms providers need to find use cases for 5G that will justify the cost of development and rollout. ‘Before we get too carried away with any [5G] technology, we have to say: “This can only be supported if it can be commercially justified”.’ A Vodafone spokesman elaborates: ‘Vodafone expects 5G to be introduced commercially by 2020. However, it’s is a well-established industry norm that standards evolve into each other over time. It’s an efficient way to invest in the future – and it also means that in practice we are already beginning to build networks that will bring some of the benefits of 5G sooner than 2020.’ Phil Sheppard, director of network strategy at Three UK, says: ‘Planning for 4G and, of course, 5G is all about how you can do it cost-efficiently.’ Sheppard advances Three’s familiar argument on spectrum allocation, saying: ‘You need to look at the future – (for) 4G Advanced or 5G, surely it’s equally important to ensure that there’s a fairly even distribution of spectrum, so that all operators compete in that giant technology world?’ Three is exploring dark fibre, small cell networks and additional spectrum to improve its mobile network without necessarily focusing on 5G, and it’s notable that the company made no submissions to Ofcom’s consultation into allocation of the 6GHz spectrum. An EE spokesman tells Mobile: ‘With 5G, speeds as high as 10Gbps aren’t unrealistic. But 4G is getting faster too, and it’s 4G that’s still going www.mobiletoday.co.uk
5G Ready
to be connecting the vast majority of people in 2020. 5G will really be about businesses and industrial usage first, not consumers – today 5G is all about research, because the technology is far from defined.’
‘Entrepreneur in residence’ Adrian Braine, local councilor Clive Sanders and University of Surrey 5G Innovation Centre COO Keith Robson show off their 5G signal at Basingstoke’s SETsquared Hub
Mid-term The next 5G phase would be Massive Internet of Things (MIoT) capability, perhaps starting on the launch of 3GPP Release 16 specifications in 2021. Qualcomm aims to ship its first 5G modem chips for phones in the second half of 2017, with follow-on chips targeting the IoT. If fixed 5G to homes works well in trials, Verizon says it will pursue a commercial rollout city by city in 2018 and 2019. With applications such as asset tracking, smarthomes, agriculture and cities, utility monitoring and connected shopping, MIoT is indeed transformative, but mobile industry body the GSMA argues that there are only three commercially viable 5G applications not achievable with LTE, LTE-A, and other 4G improvements: augmented/virtual reality, tactile internet, and autonomous driving. Many of these use cases are already being addressed by existing IoT technologies, but MIoT requires improved low-power requirements, operability in licensed and unlicensed spectrum, and improved coverage. IHT expects this market to be mature by 2035.
industry sectors such as transport, healthcare, mining and exploration, utilities, agriculture, aviation (drones), entertainment, factory automation, etc. We cannot expect them to come to us, we must be prepared to go to them and to meet them on level terms.’
Long term
Control mechanisms
IHT anticipates a third stage of 5G development by 2035. Mission Critical Services (MCS) such as autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, remote patient monitoring and smart utility grids require extremely high reliability, ultra-low latency, widely available networks and strong security. The main driver for MCS is the automotive industry, which needs it for autonomous vehicles. The 5G Automotive Association was recently joined by Chinese giant ZTE, which claims ‘breakthroughs in channel coding, massive [multiple-input/multiple-output], network virtualisation and slicing, and accurate positioning’. ‘All these achievements will make a fresh user experience possible for the smart internet of vehicles,’ says Bai Gang, ZTE’s GM of 5G product. But James Atkinson, editor of Wireless magazine, says: ‘Until there’s a concrete business case and real consumer demand for products such as autonomous vehicles, there doesn’t seem to be a great hurry to introduce full 5G.’ And Adrian Scrase, CTO of ETSI, says the real demand for 5G will be to connect things, not people. ‘The telco industry must engage with
3GPP, which has just launched an official 5G logo, plans a Phase 1 release of specifications sufficient to enable early 5G launch in 2018, and a Phase 2 release containing a complete 5G system description to enable full 5G launch in 2020, but this timetable may be somewhat optimistic. Atkinson notes: ‘UK operators are pretty much wait-and-see. Some want to see an ROI on 4G before thinking of investing in 5G. If any UK operator might look to go early, it would be EE, because of its interest in the Emergency Services Network.’ Companies such as Nokia and Ericsson in Europe, and Huawei and ZTE in Asia, are competing to establish the all-important patents that will form the lucrative backbone to 5G, but are partly constrained by the development of the specification. Meanwhile, with expertise provided by the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey and technology specialists such as GemaTech, the 5G emulator at the Basing View innovation hub in Basingstoke provides a chance for SMEs to work with 5G-like performance through digital hubs located in Basingstoke, Farnborough, Guildford and Woking.
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Doubting voices The real question is whether the speed of 5G is a consumer requirement, and whether anyone is willing to pay for it. One potential 5G customer blogged: ‘What good is all this speed, if it only means I reach my monthly limit in two minutes instead of two weeks?’ 4G occupies frequency bands of 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2600MHz, while 5G is likely to take up the 6GHz band, and these higher frequency signals do not travel so far, so thousands of expensive multiple input and output antennas (MIMOs) will be needed to boost 5G signals. And William Webb, president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, argues in The 5G Myth - When Vision Decoupled From Reality, that current visions of 5G are inherently flawed. ‘The key underlying rationale for previous generations and for 5G has been to meet ever-growing user requirements for more data and faster connectivity. This trend is coming to an end. Current mobile data speeds are more than adequate for all foreseeable uses,’ he says. One possible scenario in investment-starved Europe is that there will be no real 5G deployment – the industry may push 4G as far as it can, then call it 5G. It could become a label rather than a technology, possibly applied to the IoT market. This, Webb says, would be a terrible missed opportunity ’to spend money where it is really needed, in improving network reliability rather than speed.’ February 2017
15
Special feature
Countdown to 5G: innovation & intervention Cloudstreet founder and CTO Mika Skarp explains why Europe needs an intervention in the countdown to 5G When a good friend or family member falls into an observably self-destructive pattern, we rally around them with love and support; in the more extreme cases, we stage an intervention. Here in the business community, however, that united family scenario is unavailable, so I must use these pages to make my case. I would like to express my deep concern, not for a colleague or member of the family, but for the continent. Europe needs an intervention. We’ve all watched its steady decline over the past decade: the falls, the fails, the break-ups and the horrendous hangovers. It was not, necessarily, all Europe’s fault – when America sneezes, Europe catches a cold. But in the ensuing years that cold has come to look more like a cancer. We may look at the ‘lifestyle choices’ that contributed to the disease – poorly orchestrated fiscal austerity or the deep character flaws that led to Brexit, for example – but I am not here to denigrate our once proud and high-performing continent. Rather, my mission is to make a last-ditch plea to all of you that can, to join with us to help save Europe ... from itself. The suggestion is a simple one found somewhere between rehab and a silver bullet, and conveniently summed up by a single number, a single letter, and one stratosphere-sized promise: 5G.
What is 5G?
A better question would be what is 5G not? From the Internet of Things (IoT) to autonomous vehicles, from wearable health monitors to every appliance in your house, it’s very nearly everything. As the backbone for a brave new world of all things IP (Internet Protocol), 5G is the single most important technological project in human history to date. Call me a geek, but I’m all for it. Economists get very excited when talking about the dryly-named innovation category of ‘general purpose technologies’ (GPTs) – think of the steam engine or cotton gin. Economic historian Gavin Wright defines it as ‘deep new ideas or techniques that have the potential for important impacts on many sectors of the economy’. That they just so happen to quickly, constantly and unfailingly drive innovation and economic growth makes them the technological determinist’s knock-out punch. In The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee take GPTs as a launch pad for a fascinating flight into the categories of modern innovation that fit this bill. Impatient readers will appreciate how early in the book they bring ICT to the table, providing a most compelling case for it as a dyed-in-the-wool GPT: ‘Are we alone in thinking that information and communication technology (ICT) belongs in the same category as steam and electricity? Absolutely not. Most economic historians concur with the assessment that ICT meets all of the criteria given above, and so should join the club of general purpose technologies.’ While ICT naysayers contend that the value of these technologies has already been extracted, they haven’t yet seen the truly mindblowing use cases to come with 5G. As the ICT of the previous generation shape-shifts into an ether of ubiquitous intelligent connectivity, we can say that we have strong evidence
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February 2017
Mika Skarp (centre) accepts WCA award forBest IoT connectivity solution
that 5G is essential to global economic growth, and is critical to the EU’s survival.
Europe and the ‘even greater’ depression
No amount of quantitative easing or negative interest rate loaning has proven enough to mount the massive, concerted stimulus programme that 5G deserves. Instead, the EU is taking a ‘wait and see’ approach that will fail to deliver 5G by its 2020 global rollout date – but it will be everywhere else. The only thing that this approach will achieve is a guarantee that wealth, innovation, jobs and growth will continue to elude Europe for decades to come. Consider for a moment where we’ve been, and what that might mean. In macro-economic terms the euro crisis has been worse than the Great Depression. Into the 1930s, countries generally saw their GDPs return to pre-depression levels within four or five years. In the case of the euro crisis, this has still yet to happen nine years after the crash. Global economics are a dicey affair, and it’s hard to pin the blame of the ‘even greater’ depression now happening in Europe on one single thing. Still, most observers point to the uniquely poisonous recipe of fiscal austerity, structural reform and expansionist monetary policy – a noxious cocktail that has left Europe floundering at 10% unemployment (which quickly doubles in southern Europe) and an annualised growth rate of just 1.6% this past year. If we compare the EU response to the crisis to that of the United States, with its combined stimulus and infrastructure spending and much better-choreographed period of austerity, we see a radically different outcome. The US is now enjoying healthy rates of productivity, employment and investment, with a GDP that is more than double that of the EU.
Introducing Cloudstreet
As a telecom engineer and entrepreneur – and not an economist or a fiscal policy expert – I will try to bring the argument home with the help of some real-world examples of 5G innovation. My company, Cloudstreet, recently had the good fortune of winning a European Commission Horizon 2020 SME Instrument grant of roughly €2.6m, which helps to provide the operating capital needed to bring Cloudstreet’s Application-Aware Network/Mobile Bandwidth On-Demand solution to market. This is a very hot space right now as it is central to the requirements of IoT, machine to machine (M2M) and countless other high-value use cases for 5G. Recently
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Special feature
recognised by the World Communications Awards (WCA) as the Best Connectivity Solution for IoT, Cloudstreet is by definition a disruptive technology as it so radically changes the manner in which telecom services are created and delivered. Cloudstreet identifies the precise data need for each mobile internet-connected device or application, and enables instant and fully-automated network optimisation to serve each end user’s exact data requirements at any one time without affecting other network users’ connections. This not only means much more efficient use of the finite resource of mobile bandwidth, but more importantly, and for the first time, it allows operators to deliver rock-solid, SLA-assured connectivity for everything from mobile OTT video and AR to life and death applications such as health monitors and autonomous vehicles. This also provides a platform for the nearinstant creation of new telecom services thanks to the Software Defined Network (SDN)/Network Function Virtualization (NFV) framework we employ. We are already showing how this simple shift dramatically cuts costs and time to market for new high-value services. Our solution provides an instant framework for an array of application-aware 5G services, and drives differentiated revenue tiers from user-demanded premium connectivity. What’s more, our platform fully complies with and supports the principles and practices of net neutrality.
Why Europe desperately needs an intervention
There’s just one problem. There’s simply no case to be made for launching it in Europe. Neither the will nor the liquidity seems to be there. When we looked at the market-by-market numbers, the opportunities in the EU appear meagre at best and, more accurately, completely un-compelling. There are no strings attached to the
investment, so there is no risk in not including Europe in the plan. But as a European telecom professional who has spent a career working to build our continent’s networks, it’s a decision that comes with a deep displeasure and regret. Is it too late to turn things around, dig deep and launch the world’s best 5G network here in Europe? I don’t think so, but it certainly won’t happen without the collective will and the courage of all of us in the business community. We may see it as a bold step, but it takes considerably more bravado to delay and deprioritise something so essential to the health of our failing economy. Massive investments in 5G buildout, new spectrum, country-wide pilots and use case demonstrations are what we need. The good news is the standards are coming together. We know this because we are helping to write them. Even though Europe is an economic laggard, it is also home to at least two telecom superpowers in Scandinavia and some of the most brilliant new technology innovations we’ve seen for decades. It has been good to see the European Central Bank finally loosen fiscal policy and work to get more capital and investment flowing. In truth, many interventions are now in play across our bedraggled continent. It’s now up to us in the technology space to get all the stakeholders in the same room and get them excited about the incredible growth opportunity that this GPT can bring. 5G will create new, innovative businesses, inspire new ideas, bring more, better and higher-paying jobs, and help restore an environment in which business can thrive. That’s the dream, and I sincerely hope we can see it through to realisation. Mika Skarp Cloudstreet Oy +358 50 582 9809 mika.skarp@cloudstreet.co www.cloudstreet.co
www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017
17
Tech Guide
Battery packs
From the field
Call them battery packs, or power banks, or portable rechargers, these handy accessories are the solution to the built-in battery dilemma. While most smartphone batteries will last a day, battery packs have an obvious appeal to heavy video consumers and games players, and the market will grow as 4G data consumption drives consumer demand for portable power
Hottest devices Aukey PB-N15 From £24.99 The PB-N15 may be bulky at 15.2 x 1.8 x 8 cm and a weight of 445g, but it packs plenty of capacity, with 20000mAh allowing devices to be charged five to eight times. Output is 2.4A maximum for each USB port and 3.4A in total, so you can charge a cellphone and a tablet or two cellphones at the same time, though it doesn’t offer a quick-charge function. It has 2A Lightning input and 2A Micro Input, so it can be recharged quickly with either an Android cable or iOS cable, and safety functions include automatic deactivation on full charge of the battery or device.
RAVPower Universal Power Bank Travel Charger From £109.99 This is the one to choose if you want to charge both a smartphone and a laptop, as it features both an AC output for use with your laptop charger, and a USB socket for your phone. Its 65W AC output means it could also power GoPros, drones, printers, table lamps, vacuum cleaners, and small fans, and its 20,100mAh capacity means that it will charge your devices several times before needing to be recharged itself. Type-C and iSmart USB allows for the fast and simultaneous charging of two devices including a MacBook and an iPhone 7, and safety features include current surge protection and a dust cover.
Maxoak K2 From £115.99 With a massive capacity of 50000mAh/185Wh, the K2 is compatible with most popular laptops and notebooks, and can charge an iPhone 6 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S6 about 11 times, and an iPhone 6 about 17 times. It has six output ports, including one 20V/3A for laptops, one 12V/2.5A for digital cameras, and two 5V/2.1A and two 5V/1A for smartphones, tablets and other USB devices. Constructed with Lithium-ion polymer battery cells, it claims 1000+ recharge cycles, and has four Intelligent LED indicators showing remaining power capacity.
Source:
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Power hungry ‘In the past year, power bank sales have increased 17%. Driving the trend are power-hungry devices and draining apps such as Pokemon GO. In fact, the week following the release of Pokémon GO in July last year was the best-performing week of power banks sales since Maplin started selling them, even outperforming Christmas. When shopping for a power bank, customers should look at the mAh capacity, as this determines the output power. The higher the output, the quicker the charge.’ Andy Fairweather, category buyer at Maplin In the game ‘Since the launch of Pokémon Go, we estimate that our overall charger sales have doubled on Amazon. For our larger capacity power banks such as our Ace 22000mAh, sales increases are even more significant, as consumers have recognised that they need a largecapacity charger to keep the Pokémon Go game running.’ Allen Fung, general manager for battery maker RAVPower On demand ‘The global lithium-ion battery market is expected to generate revenue of £36 billion by 2022, with a growth rate of 10.8% during the forecast period 2016-2022. Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable batteries and are used as a source of power supply primarily in portable devices. Key factors that drive the growth of this market are the growing demand for smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices; stringent government regulations aimed at reducing the increasing pollution levels; and enhanced efficiency of lithium-ion batteries.’ Allied Market Research, World LithiumIon Battery Market: Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015-2022 At capacity ‘There is a vast variation in quality of battery (the main expense) in power banks and solar chargers. You very much get what you pay for. Lithium-ion Polymer batteries should not be “cheap” if they are going to be worth having. The best are Samsung, Sanyo, LG – reliable, safe and low loss on DC transfer, giving more charges per capacity. Mobile Solar Chargers, Somerset
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Sales tips
patterns, travel routines, software use, inventory management and routes of communication within the business. All of this can become a guide to internal methods of boosting performance and detecting issues before they become critical.
7.
By adopting a BYOD policy, dealers can reduce low-margin device sales, and substitute high margin services. With reduction in airtime and device costs, expenditure can instead go into higher-margin MDM servicing. The risks of BYOD can be managed with security solutions such as Sophos’ Mobile Control, which establishes and enforces mobile security policies, monitors device status and secures corporate data.
10 ways to sell BDM How unified comms packages can promote the benefits of business device management (BDM) Data security is
timesheets, downloading documents and equipment lists, checking vehicle use, monitoring health and safety compliance, generating alerts, and taking action should a device cross a specific boundary. BDM can also ensure compliance with regulations covering personal data, and intellectual property such as software installation.
1. financial security Financial cost, reputational damage and, it’s been proposed, even criminal liability could result from corporate data loss, and there’s a trend towards data leaks originating from unsecured mobile devices. BDM allows remote control, so if a device is lost or stolen, vital data can be blocked or deleted, or the phone returned to its original state, removing sensitive settings such as Wi-Fi passwords, configuration settings, and sensitive or protected documents.
2.
Singing from the same hymn sheet BDM reduces issues caused by incompatibility. With the growth of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), it’s even more important to control devices through software upgrades, app upgrades, installs, uninstalls, and remote updating of contact information. Smart device monitoring can eliminate unnecessary data transfer and administration costs associated with device verification – for instance enterprise customers with large-scale tablet enclosures operating in kiosk mode can rely on MDM to save the costs of manual updates.
3.
4.
Automate red tape Workforce monitoring via mobile devices can save time and paperwork by allocating jobs, recording
5.
8.
Killing time Controlling which apps can be installed and which websites can be accessed could have a positive effect on working practices. A survey by CareerBuilder says two out of three employees use their smartphones several times a day while working, and that for 20% of full-time workers, using apps such as social media sites means they work less than five hours a day.
9.
Remote control BDM allows software issues to be dealt with remotely, without losing working time by taking devices out of service. All-too-common requests for lost passwords can be resolved using a remote unlock feature to reset the passcode, a particular timesaver when onboarding new employees.
Performance
6. enhancers
Data collected remotely from employee devices can be used to examine trends such as working
Bring your own security
10.
Speed and agility Businesses can enact changes quicker with BDM, ensuring all employees receive new systems and procedures at the same time, with the same message regardless of role and location. Business customers can now add corporate-owned iOS devices to O2’s mobile device management systems, and benefit from the time efficiencies of Apple’s Device Enrolment Programme (DEP).
Save and protect A study by the British Chambers of Commerce found that 93% of businesses that suffer data loss for more than 10 days file for bankruptcy within a year. MDM allows all device information to be backed up and maintained without any additional effort or cost to the client. The loss of a device or failure of a data storage system can have catastrophic results, particularly for small businesses.
Build a backbone BDM allows the implementation of systems such as VOIP, cloud, virtualisation, call redirecting and business process integration, without the company having to do the work itself. As the backbone of a complete UC package, it’s the best way to make a unified comms proposition hassle-free for the customer.
www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017
19
Interview
Beyond the launch
Conor Pierce, VP of IT and mobile at Samsung
Exclusive Samsung’s VP of IT and mobile Conor Pierce and VP of enterprise business Graham Long discuss securing customer engagement beyond the point of purchase, a new ‘scientific’ approach to partner relations and ‘bridging the gap’ with b2b devices
A
fter rationalising Samsung’s range of products and distributors, the UK portfolio in both the consumer and b2b space is much reduced from previous years. Discussing the reasoning behind this, Pierce told Mobile: ‘I think the breadth of our portfolio is an asset, but in the past it has potentially been a disadvantage. We used to have such a massive range that it was difficult to position it in a compelling way in the channel. That’s why we made the decision to reduce our focus on low end. I think that has really helped us to focus all of our investments and our portfolio into where we see consumer demand.’ According to Pierce, this demand lies in the top end of the market: ‘We’ve seen massive growth in the premium segment – if we say the UK market is 18-20 million units a year, we see about two-thirds of the market where value is premium. There are two juggernauts in this space and the key is to really listen to consumer demand.’ The value isn’t just volume increase either. At O2 in February 2016, an S6 on contract was 60.10% of the launch price. This February, an S7 sells for 80.71%. 20
February 2017
So is premium device devaluation slowing? Pierce commented: ‘In the past we’ve been more focused than we should be on the sell-in, so driving volume into the market, which by default brings about challenges post-launch. What we’ve done now is be more careful, be really scientific about channel stock, sell through plan, activation plans and the value this brings to our partners and the end user.’
Bridging the gap It’s a trend that pervades both consumer and b2b, with both Pierce and Long agreeing that the differences between the two markets are decreasing. Last year, while several players exited the enterprise handset market, Long and Samsung bucked the trend by predicting that the Galaxy S7 would ‘bridge
the gap’ between consumer and business handsets, as well as between Samsung’s focus on the consumer space when it comes to mobile devices. Looking back at how well its flagship achieved this, Long told Mobile: ‘We positioned the S7 as the device that was ‘Rethinking what a phone could do’ and I believe in the b2b sector it has absolutely done this. It includes business apps built for the Cloud to help customers stay in sync with what matters to them and their business; while also having expandable storage and improved battery endurance.’ Explaining why others may have failed to maintain a presence in the enterprise space, the Samsung enterprise VP said: ‘The divide between business mobile devices and consumer mobile devices is growing ever smaller.
I think the breadth of our portfolio is an asset, but in the past it has potentially been a disadvantage
The challenge for any brand is to adapt to a rapidly evolving market.’ He continued: ‘You could also look at this from a historical perspective. As little as 10 years ago, technology at work far exceeded the tech people had at home. Now, that situation is reversed, and personal technology including mobiles is often far more advanced than the tech you expect to use at the office. People expect the same seamless technology they use personally to permeate their work life, and we at Samsung are in a great place to deliver that.’
The battle for engagement Samsung’s upgrade programme was an important step in ensuring launch sales, but that’s not all. Pierce told Mobile: ‘What’s important is not just driving handset sales – and this is a learning point for us – it’s how to bring our ecosystem to it. How to add value around it through insurance or some kind of premium care package.’ He added: ‘What we’ve learnt and what we need to do more of is to build a bridge either with our channel partners if need be or directly through our e-store to build that relevant and www.mobiletoday.co.uk
Interview
continuous engagement with our customers.’ While Samsung’s battle for engagement aims to better leverage its market share, for newer players in the UK the aim is market share itself. Commenting on this, Conor Pierce stated: ‘It’s great when new players come on board, but a word of warning to these newcomers – the UK market is a lighthouse market globally, success in the UK resonates across regions and globally so it’s incredibly competitive and there’s so much noise from so many different industries in the average person’s life, it’s really hard to cut through this as a new brand, especially in premium.’ It’s not just in the consumer space that market trends are affecting the role of the device, either. Though still the root of many b2b communications offerings, as a revenue stream, mobile devices are falling down the list, replaced by the services that surround them such as cloud and security solutions. However, according to Graham Long it’s a change that Samsung is comfortable with: ‘Samsung is behind unified comms (UC) as a strategy as it gives us further opportunity to collaborate with our partners to deliver even more bespoke and relevant solutions for our customers. Our partners’ landscape is changing and we have to evolve with them.’ Elaborating on the role of dealers in Samsung’s IT and mobile business strategy, the enterprise boss added: ‘We sell exclusively through the channel, which makes our channel partners an enormously important part of our success. We see them as true partners: people we work with to achieve our goals, and with whom we discuss targets and plans. To this end we are therefore delivering joined-up solutions to dealers, which make offers more compelling and understandable to dealers and, of course, their customers.’ Part of this will also include changes to Samsung’s online
Graham Long, Samsung’s VP of enterprise business
The divide between business mobile devices and consumer mobile devices is growing ever smaller
humbling, and that means a lot of introspection as to how this could happen.’ He continued: ‘Internally we’ve built new bridges and relationships across multiple functions because every day for the duration of the Note7 issue we had an 8am task force, 20 people in the room, every day, even at the weekends. We’d come in and work on how we can work through this. It was a tough way to learn, but it has made us stronger.’ Describing the enterprise space, Long added: ‘The lessons of the past several months are now deeply reflected in our processes and in our culture, and we look forward to moving ahead with a renewed commitment to safety. Note7 devices never got to launch over here, which was of course a setback, however, due to the strength and breadth of our portfolio we were able to offer alternative products. For those customers that specifically required a stylus, our relationship with our third-party solution providers meant that we were able to provide a fullyfunctioning solution.’
Next big thing sites for its channel partners. Long explains: ‘We’re always evaluating and improving our programmes and portals to ensure we’re delivering the best possible experience. The b2b purchase funnel is increasingly digital and we need to be where our customers are.’
VR focus Selling 150,000 VR headsets in the UK in 2016, Samsung is the best-known player in the space. Building on this, Conor Pierce said: ‘This year our focus is to continue owning and shaping the market, but also to work closely with partners and customers to deliver relevant content across B2B and B2C.’ By giving away VR headsets with flagship purchases, the brand both bolsters its reputation as a market leader of the emerging technology and, of course, drives
handset sales. However, Pierce believes the two advantages can be antagonistic. ‘It’s not just about “how do we leverage this category”; there’s a fine balance between using it to drive our premium aspirations in market share, because it is a great lever to pull on, and the more you discount it, the more you potentially take value out of the proposition.’
Note7 impact Both vice presidents discussed the impact of the Note7 recall, with Pierce stating: ‘I’ve been in this business for 20 years now, and last year was definitely an extraordinary year, with highs and lows. Highs being the success of the S7 and the low being the Note 7 – it’s an issue I’ve never experienced before on this scale and I don’t think this industry has either. It was very
Asked about the big opportunities in the mobile market, Conor Pierce speculated: ‘There’s something missing in the market; it needs a big catalyst and in my view there are probably two big items that excite me outside of what I do every day. One of these is the connected home; whoever brings a compelling, accessible proposition on the connected home will really drive and re-shape the market. The second part is that although the device has always been the driving force of the industry, there will be a moment in time where we expect quadplay to be the major driving force behind it. There’s a lot of movement in the market with players trying to introduce this, but whoever is successful in bringing a compelling quadplay service will help to reshape the market.’
www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017
21
Explores
Flexible working, rigid security A new way of working requires a new way of protecting businesses from online threats. Here’s how the industry is responding. Chris Jenkins
Last issue’s look at flexible working and mobile solutions emphasised the advantages on offer to businesses, but there are of course also challenges attached, cybersecurity being one of the most significant. A recent survey by Cyren indicates that 71% of US small-medium businesses (SMBs) were hacked in the past year, with 71% suffering a malware-related security breach, 43% a successful phishing attack, 36% suffering a virus or worm infection and 23% falling victim to ransomware. ‘These findings fully debunk the frequent misconception that “my organisation is too small to attract cybercriminals”, ’ says Michael Osterman, principal analyst at Osterman Research. ‘It’s not surprising to see that SMBs increased their IT security spending 23% over the past year.’ ‘Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting mobile devices with threats such as malicious apps, phishing schemes and ransomware,’ says Dan Maier, VP of Marketing at Cyren. ‘In 22
February 2017
response, we’re seeing an explosion of new mobile threat defence solutions combining a lightweight, always-on approach with intelligent machine learning and cloud-enabled defences. These next-generation services give mobile operators a significant opportunity to provide additional value-added mobile security offerings for their B2C and B2B customers.’
BYOD threat Scott Millis, CTO at mobile-enabled enterprise security and attack detection company Cyber adAPT, says: ‘A major security implication of flexible working is the lack of mobile security in correlation to the rise of employees using personal devices for work. Mobile security tends to be an afterthought – and where it does exist, it is woefully behind the curve. Typically, just 24% of people are likely to have internet security on mobile devices, and only 5% bother to encrypt the data on their mobile.’ As more workers use personal mobile devices when out of the office (the BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device policy) they will continue to be a
key point of entry for malicious activity. Scott Millis says: ‘I predict that at least one, if not more, major enterprise breaches will be attributed to mobile devices in 2017. A Ponemon Institute report found that the economic risk of mobile data breaches can be as high as £21.17m for enterprises, and 67% of the organisations surveyed reported having had a data breach as a result of employees using their mobile devices to access the company’s sensitive and confidential information.’ Al Sargent, senior director of Product Marketing at OneLogin, says: ‘The rise of the remote worker has been vital in helping organisational productivity. However, this growing percentage of the UK’s workforce are also the weakest links when it comes to information security. ‘Many remote employees have security software set up on their devices, yet most are bypassing the simplest of security procedures – password protection and sharing. ‘While it’s apparent that constant connection to www.mobiletoday.co.uk
Flexible working
work can cause security concerns for business, the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to remote working. Those organisations looking to get access to control and ensure they aren’t putting data at risk should implement an Identity Access Management (IAM) solution and single-sign-on technology to ensure they are the only ones who can access sensitive corporate data.’
Cloud solutions Sargent’s top tips for mobile enterprise cybersecurity include integrating your IDaaS (Identity-as-a-Service) system with HR. ‘In the next year, HR will place a high importance upon IDaaS to ultimately simplify the on-boarding and off-boarding process, closing a door that was previously wide-open for cyber criminals and disgruntled ex-employees to exploit.’ Stefan Widing, president and CEO of HID Global, forecasts a shift in the use of identity technology, leading to increased adoption of mobile devices. ‘Particularly in industries focused on regulatory compliance, such as government, finance and healthcare markets,’ says Wilding. ‘This shift will precipitate the move from legacy systems to NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy and advanced smart card technology to meet the evolving needs of enterprises and governments worldwide.’ ‘New capabilities for managing and using trusted IDs will be driven by the increase of temporary offices, mobile knowledge workers and the evolution of the workplace.’
Locks and keys But there’s another aspect to digital security which may have wide implications for the mobile workforce, and that is physical access. Jaroslav Barton, product marketing director, Physical Access Control Solutions EMEA with HID Global, quotes an IFSEC Global report revealing that 80% of security managers fear that integrating mobile access solutions into
their physical access control architecture might increase system vulnerability. But in the light of increased interest in cloud-based solutions and mobile-enabled platforms, more security managers are considering a mobile physical access system. ‘There are multiple aspects to consider for security managers, such as whether the digital credential is as safe as a physical badge, can it be copied easily, or could an employee manipulate the data on their private phone within a BYOD strategy? How secure is the wireless transmission of the keys? Can the communication path between a phone and reader be captured and used for fraudulent purposes? The overarching question is whether we are sacrificing security for convenience.’ Barton’s conclusions are that mobile access systems are often more secure than legacy building access cards, so concerns over whether mobile access is secure are unfounded. But, he argues, ‘It is paramount that encryption methods have met stringent security criteria.’ Mobile security solutions can be updated far more quickly than card-based systems, and Barton emphasises another advantage of mobile-based security solutions: ‘An employee feels attached to their mobile devices, so if a phone is lost or stolen, it is reported right away and the mobile ID can be immediately revoked, thus preventing unauthorised access.’ With the potential for biometric technology such as fingerprint, facial and voice recognition, mobile systems offer robust device security, so a stolen phone is useless for gaining unauthorised access. Barton concludes: ‘Being able to offer multiple security layers, dynamically responding to security issues, inspiring employees to better protect physical architecture and being on the cusp of new security developments, mobile access is a secure choice for any business’ building access control system.’
Key drivers ‘We find customers are realising the threat to organisational data is very real as their employees log in to their CRM systems and email platforms daily, more likely than not from unsecure devices. Yet uptake can be slow for additional services such as VSDM and insurance, starting from just £1.25 per device, which is worth every penny when you comprehend how severe a mobile security threat could be. ‘Connect Telecom offers Vodafone’s full security solution – Vodafone Secure Device Manager (VSDM) ranging from Secure Device Management, to email, application and content management. Add-ons such as anti-malware and antivirus as well as advanced support is available.’ Scott Ritchie, director, Connect Telecom Threat response ‘Migration to the cloud is driving digital transformation, and is the number-one priority for many businesses all over the world, and mobile working is a significant factor that solves a lot of problems. But security is often a second priority, despite the combination of threats from the inside and outside, such as identity theft and malware. Efficiently managing a dozen apps, all rendering data to the cloud, calls for better ID management than just passwording – after all, most of us can’t remember more than a couple of passwords. ‘With app-based authorisation providing a second layer of security, if a device is lost or stolen the user can be suspended in the Cloud, so the load of password confirmation, onboarding and offboarding is taken off the administrator.’ Thomas Pedersen, CEO, OneLogin Stop the leaks ‘Security solutions are primarily a mobile requirement, though there are others – but at the moment the demand is very much driven by business transition to the Cloud. It’s not a hard sell – our partners are certainly aware of security threats, and a mobile device management platform such as our MaaS360 gives you a powerful suite of tools to handle the management and security of all your mobile devices, all from a single screen. It prevents the bad things from getting in, and the good things from leaking out of corporate network. This will become a more significant part of unified comms as the move to the cloud continues.’ Sarah Delap, marketing manager, Activ Telecom
www.mobiletoday.co.uk February 2017
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Shop Idol – Meet your rivals About the competition With only two weeks left to enter, Shop Idol is well under way. Once it closes, the real challenges begin. Every candidate who qualifies for the next stage will be mystery shopped and marked based on their sales skill, customer service and product knowledge, using an industryleading and unique criteria, before facing a panel of industry experts. Why do your colleagues put themselves through it? Because Shop Idol
What the supporters say: ‘Hafiz is a powerhouse of energy and he has reinvigorated and turned around a series of store teams. He is a positive influence on a wider level and the customers simply love him.’ Adil Chaudry
Hafiz Miah, Vodafone, London I’m Shop Idol because: ‘I want to create a change in how the technology industry delivers service to the end customer. It’s not just a job, it’s an invaluable skill that everyone can attain through hard work, dedication and an appetite for success. All you have to do is just tap into your passion and deliver your personality through the service provided, which should be unique to you. I love the mobile communication industry, without it the world will come to a halt. I believe Vodafone is the global leader of them all and sets the standards for the technology of tomorrow. I believe that I have the likeability factor, hunger and appetite for success. I do not stop until I have achieved what I set out to do. You are going to love me! My commercial track record is outstanding and my Net Promoter Score reflects the blended service I provide to my customers. I am the next shop idol.’
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‘Hafiz is the best brand ambassador a company could have. He is dedicated and comes to work with a positive attitude that can be seen by clients and co-workers as well every single day. He is driven by results and very competitive when it comes to commercial performance. He gets things done quickly, follows up on results and always takes positive and constructive feedback.’ Larry Jitaru
is the only independent challenge of its kind for shop staff and offers a whole range of opportunities, not just to win prizes, but for self improvement and career progression as well. As the iSellMobile saying goes, ‘Know more, sell more’. Here’s what some of this year’s entries had to say about why they think they can be Shop Idol 2017.
year would be mine. I’m a professional customer consultant who utilises my personality to help customers feel at ease, making sure they always get what they want. I have built loyalty in my area with a magnitude of customers not just coming to see me personally but also bringing their friends along. With experience from Phones4U, Vodafone and now finally staying at Carphone Warehouse. I know physically and mentally I am in the best position to represent my store, my region and Carphone Warehouse.’ What the supporters say: ‘Josh consistently delivers world-class service. Good luck!’ Ranjit Birk ‘Go JoJo! You’re a star!’ Karen Tuzylak-Maguire ‘What can I say negative about Josh? Nothing, because he is absolutely brilliant, completely unrivalled anywhere else!’ Dan Thomas
Joshua Higgins, Carphone Warehouse, Kettering I’m Shop Idol because: With almost five years of experience within the mobile industry and seeing Shop Idol year after year, I knew that this
Imogen Smith, Three Retail, Lincoln I’m Shop Idol because: ‘I was working for Three part time while training to be a teacher, and in October 2015 I decided to drop out of my studies at university to pursue a career with Three because I have such a passion for my job. I then won the title of “Most Customer Centred Advisor” in the company for 2015. This made
me realise I have a real talent for this profession and I want to showcase that to the world, and demonstrate to those who doubted me that leaving my studies behind was totally worth it.’ What the supporters say: ‘Imogen is one of the most hard-working and dedicated young people I know. She also really knows her phones and is always keen to gain as much knowledge as possible to ensure she can give the greatest customer experience every time. She is extremely bright and creative and a talented singer too. I’d be tempted to buy anything from her if she sang me the specs!’ Deborah Demoll ‘I’ve worked alongside Imogen and she’s not only a cracking sales lady but she’s genuine. She’ll go above and beyond for the customers and she reshaped the whole sales philosophy in the Lincoln store. She loves her job and made every day I worked with her a joy.’ Jake Sales www.mobiletoday.co.uk
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what I needed – all shop staff should be like Harvey.’ Debbie Fielder ‘Harvey has managed the shop alone at very busy times. Still manages to keep 100% customer service and goes the extra mile.’ Chris Pollard
‘As his manager I can honestly say you couldn’t wish for a better team member! He achieves huge success through his ability to combine his knowledge and people
Harvey Nicholls, Tesco Mobile, Sunbury I’m Shop Idol because: ‘I am entering because of the thrill of the competition and I believe I provide the best customer experience and phone knowledge within the mobile business.’
www.mobiletoday.co.uk
skills into a great experience for the customer! I’d happily send any member of my family to him without telling him and know that they would get the best deal for them and the best service. Great to see you’ve entered again! Well done and good luck :)’ Darrielle Ryan ‘I always recommend Anthony to my friends and family, easy to talk to, always willing to go thay extra mile to help, brilliant member of staff, thank you for all your help, hope you win!!’ Moreen Carcary
HOW TO ENTER Go to isellmobile.co.uk/shopidol
What the supporters say: ‘Harvey was very friendly and polite and provided unbiased feedback on different handsets available that matched exactly
mystery shopping video because of a schoolboy error. I’ve learned from my mistake and developed. I’m hungry for success and I have the drive to succeed. On the shop floor I give 100% attention to the customer and give 100% service, ensuring the customer has a 100% experience.’ What the supporters say:
Anthony Liptrot, EE, Southport I’m Shop Idol because: ‘I’m entering again this year as last time I didn’t make it past the
Sign up and add your details Get colleagues to endorse you online
February 2017
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Advice for new starters
There are few other retail gigs that demand the same level of product knowledge, customer care, patience and sales knowledge as mobile retail. Coupled with a range of KPIs and training tasks, it can be a daunting acclimatisation for new staff. To help, we’ve spoken to store managers across the different retail estates to find out their advice for new starters.
O2 store manager Rohit Khanna says that the secret is what you know: ‘Knowledge is power, continuous improvement is key, and treating others how you would like to be treated is essential; make sure you always continue to learn anything and everything about all the devices you sell, your competition and the role above you in the hierarchy. This is the formula to success.’
Over at Tesco Mobile, experienced manager Dan Jipa explains: ‘I have always asked my new starters to work as a team, to integrate in the team, to be friendly, natural and welcoming and also to put customers and colleagues at the heart of whatever they do, I’ve asked them to take their time to listen and understand customers’ needs and to build strong relationships with co-workers.
‘As a “newbie” nowadays, it’s much easier to learn about new products and gain new skills than it was 10 years ago. GSM Arena, Mobile Today, Google and so on became our new knowledge books. ‘I once was a “newbie” and I had this hunger to gain knowledge and new skills; as long as you too are passionate about technology you’ll never regret making the decision to work in mobile.’ As much as it’s about knowing the answers, it’s also about knowing the questions, according to Carphone Warehouse’s Christopher Cunningham, who says: ‘Be sincere and NEVER mis-sell. Ask your customer lots of questions about what they want and cater to their taste. Always provide support; get the customer to buy into you as a person and you’ll be able to sell anything.’
WIN your team a coffee break! iSELLMOBILE knows that some days you just need a boost of caffeine to stay on your toes! We’ve got five £10 Starbucks vouchers to give away so you can keep yourself and a few colleagues in the game on those days when you really need it. TO ENTER: pick out a member of your team and drop us a message telling us why your colleague deserves a coffee break! email editorial@isellmobile.co.uk with the subject ‘coffee break’ to enter.
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WIN!
Pictured: Laura Vernall
Coffee break winners Company: Tesco Mobile Store: Swindon Winner: Dean Hall Nominated by: Josh Mildenhall ‘I would like to nominate Dean Hall for his commitment to our customers. Dean has a handful of regulars that love his service and advice. He is honest and understanding, always willing to help anyone with any issue. He works well with the team here and enjoys helping customers find the right phone for them!’ Company: Carphone Warehouse Store: Cardiff Winner: Ashley Davies Nominated by: Nicole Stock ‘I think Ashley Davies deserves a coffee break. He is our assistant manager, when he is on break he doesn’t bother the staff, so a break for him is a break for all of us.’ Company: Three Store: Newcastle-under-Lyme Winner: Laura Vernall Nominated by: Rich T ‘The reason I nominate her is that she is always cold! She complains all day every day that she needs warming up, so much so I swear she is cold-blooded! We all have to endure the shop being super hot and maybe what she needs is just a good cup of green tea.’ www.mobiletoday.co.uk