Data over 4G is not new; most of us use it every day via our Smartphone to get emails, browse, access Apps and even to make video calls. However, it is often too quickly dismissed as a ‘connectivity’ option for businesses.
In many cases 4G is not appropriate for primary office connectivity; there are much better options that utilise fixed wire connections to provide the bandwidth and performance that your business needs at the right price point. But this is not always the case. There are a number of situations where 4G provides the best option and here are 4 of them:
Business Continuity
Most businesses rely on a single connection to the outside world providing them with internet access and in many cases access to cloud-based applications. What happens when this fails? How long can you live without connectivity before this becomes business-affecting and what is the cost impact?
A secondary wired circuit is not always viable. For small offices or stores the cost of a physical connection is disproportionate and in many cases, this would be delivered over the same fibre or utilises the same exchange as the primary and as such is prone to the same points of failure. 4G provides the solution here with the ability to automatically fail over your site connectivity to 4G when your primary circuit fails, keeping your business functioning and only paying for the fall-back connection when you need it.
Temporary Locations
If you have temporary site-offices or pop-up facilities you need connectivity, you don’t want to be tied to a physical connection that often have long lead times and requires to be disconnected when you vacate. With 4G you can get started immediately, have no physical wiring and what is more, if this is something you do regularly, then you can simply take your 4G connectivity with you when you move to your next site, power without wire.
Office Moves
When moving office the lead time on new connectivity often delays relocation or contract migration prevents you from having an operational overlap of your existing and new office. The solution to both challenges is 4G. You can connect a new location with 4G in hours and utilise this cost effectively while you migrate your existing fixed-wire connectivity to your new facility.
Rapid Deployment
You just need connectivity now. You are unable to access your building, your existing connectivity is down and is likely to be down for some time, you need people to work from a new location – whatever the reason you need to move quickly.
As mentioned previously, 4G provides the option for rapid connectivity with solutions able to be delivered and configured within days or even hours rather than the weeks and months required for fixed-line connectivity.
So how easy and effective is 4G?
Regardless of what existing connectivity you have, 4G can be an attractive option for either your primary or secondary fall-back option. Here are 4 key reasons:
Coverage: According to Ofcom, 96% of UK premises now have indoor 4G coverage and this is set to be as high as 98% by then end of 2017, and what is more, Ofcom project that UK land-mass coverage of 4G will also reach 98% by the end of the year.
Performance: With the average 4G download speeds in the UK at 15.1Mb, this is comparable and in some cases better than existing fixed-line broadband connections and more than adequate to serve as a full-time viable option for small workgroups or as a fail-over solution for larger office environments.
Flexibility: Plans for 4G connectivity are highly flexible; there are no connectivity fees and no extended contractual commitment, and many operators offer monthly rolling contracts or pay-as-you-go deals. In addition, the service is not location-dependent so can be redeployed from site to site.
Setting up a 4G data connection for your business could not be easier. If used as the primary circuit, then you simply utilise a 4G router or place a SIM card in your existing router if it supports 4G. If you are looking to utilise 4G as your secondary (back-up) circuit, then if you are already using amatis for your primary circuit we can configure this for you as an automatic fail-over. If your primary connectivity fails, then your router will automatically utilise the 4G connectivity; there is no action required by end-users who will just see a continuity of service. If you are not utilising amatis at the moment, we can still set you up with 4G as your hot standby with a simple manual switch-over.
If you can see the value that 4G can offer your business and would like to explore the options in more detail, please give the amatis networks team a call on 0118 321 9944 or visit our website www.amatisnetworks.com.