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Boxx Communications Ltd

Boxx Communications Ltd

Simplifying telecommunications for businesses large and small!

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UK Comms: Where do we stand?

20th July 2018 by admin

UK Comms: Where do we stand?As a company now entering its teenage years, Boxx Communications has bared witness to many of the biggest and best changes in the telecommunications industry.

The notable movements include faster and more reliable broadband, the rapid growth of IP voice solutions and, of course, a steep fall in pricing.

To put into perspective the scale of these changes we have some statistics accumulated over 6 years, between 2011 and 2016.

In this period, the number of Fixed (Phone) Lines has remained steady; rising from 33.3 million to 33.7 million between 2011 and 2015 before falling back slightly to 33.5 million in 2016. This stability derives from the infrastructure that we adopt here in the UK: in order to have a broadband connection, a fixed telephone line is required.

The changes in numbers appear when looking at the activity on these lines;

The number of broadband connections increased by 22.2%; starting at 20.7 million connections in 2011 and rising to 25.3 million by 2016. The increases year upon year were very steady with jumps of 1 million give or take a couple of thousand.

What’s more staggering is 1 million of those 20.7 million connections in 2011 were fibre, yet by 2016 that figure has grown to an impressive 10.8 million! A growth of almost 2 million fibre connections per year and a total percentage growth of 980% in total. This really highlights the increasing availability of fibre services around the UK as well as the growing need for those ever-cheaper connections.

Broadband Connections

In similar fashion – mobile and landline minutes saw massive movements…

While the number of landline minutes accumulated each year fell by 46 billion (41.4%) to 65 billion, the number of mobile minutes increased by 20 billion (15.3%) to 151 billion.

Landline and Mobile Minutes

These statistics highlight the movement away from the traditional landline as we move towards mobiles and IP solutions as our go to platforms for making calls.

As applications, such as iMessage and Whatsapp, come to the forefront, traditional MMS and SMS see less of the limelight. In 2016, 54 billion fewer texts were sent compared to 2011. Having said that, 96 billion were still sent.

In recent years, 4G has been the biggest technology to hit the mainstream. Despite this, 2016 figures show that 69% of data connections on mobiles took place over Wi-Fi. The remaining 31% of mobile data is broken down into 65% 4G, 30% 3G and 5% 2G.

2016 Data Connections

In retrospect, the number of ADSL broadband connections fell to 13.6 million – a decrease of 6.2% compared to 2015.

The movement to higher capacity internet connections has seen the volume of data consumed by user’s skyrocket. Larger files have become easier to download meaning more and more are downloaded.

In 2016 alone, there was a 36% rise in the average users download numbers, a number that is expected to continue rising at a similar, if not faster, rate.

Now that we’ve covered how the UK looks, how do we compare to our fellow nations?

• We ranked 4th behind the US, China and Japan when it came to the revenue generated by voice and data services.

worldwide voice and data revenue

• Surveys shows that 98% of the UK has access to speeds of at least 10Mbps which puts us back in our favourite position: 4th.

• 92% of us can receive speeds of 30Mbps or greater but unfortunately, there’s a large drop-off in number that can receive full fibre services at just 2%, placing us 18th out of 20 on the list.

• 51% of us have used our mobiles to purchase a product online. In the U.S, 57% have.

Mobile Purchases

• 9% of us have made social media our primary location to find the latest news compared to 16% in Australia.

News on Social Media

• Only 59% of us are worried about the affect mobile ads have on our phones compared to the 71% in Spain.

Mobile Adverts

• Surprisingly, only 51% of us compared to the 75% in Sweden use our phones to check our balance.

Bank Balance

So it’s clear to see how the communications landscape has changed in the 6 year period of 2011 – 2016. A lot can happen in just 6 years. We’re excited to see what the next 6 years brings… 5G and Gigabit Internet are already making waves, but what next?!

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Connectivity – It’s all about options!

4th July 2018 by admin

Connectivity - It's all about options!It’s 2018 and you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to connectivity solutions. This is great, but the vast array of technology these days can leave you in a bit of a quandary when it comes to choosing your services, often leading to no decision being made at all.

With big differences in pricing, this can be a deciding factor in the services you opt for. In many cases this can lead you to taking out contracts in services that fall short of the mark, which is why we feel it’s important that you understand the options available before you sign on the dotted line and have no way out.

Generally speaking, more expensive means better quality but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best option for your business. So to make sure that you know exactly which connection you need, we’re here to outline some of the main features of each type.

Over and above the most widely available ADSL broadband and FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet), there are faster and more resilient offerings available and Direct Internet Access (DIA) is a term often thrown about to describe them. In broad terms DIA is an internet connection that offers significantly faster speeds. Although this is true, the term is an umbrella and encompasses specific connection types that vary.

So, what are the options?

EoFTTC (Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet) and GEA (Generic Ethernet Access) use existing fibre or copper wires to connect to the street cabinet and then fibre connects to the local exchange, before (unlike FTTC) handing data over to the ethernet network. Think of it as an entry level form of ethernet connectivity. This solution has the shortest install lead times (circa 18 working days) compared to some of the other options. It is a cost-effective choice for businesses looking for reliability, as it comes with SLA’s to protect you in the event of any issues.

Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) is an affordable alternative to a leased line. It provides speeds determined by the number of bonded copper cables in the line. A box is installed on-site that ‘bonds’ the individual wires into a single service. 2 cables gives twice the former speeds, 4 cables provides quadruple and so on, regardless of whether it’s uploading or downloading. The speeds are lower than of a leased line, but it has much shorter installation lead times and offers the same reliable SLA’s. For smaller businesses using cloud technology, this is a great option.

G.fast is BT Openreach’s 330Mbps capable hybrid fibre technology. It was initially piloted in 20 locations around the UK and then rolled out to another 26. It works in a similar way to FTTC but is fitted with an extension ‘pod’ that houses the G.fast technology to increase speeds for the final leg of the connection – short loops of the copper wires to the premises. You need to be situated in one of the trial locations to benefit from this, but BT Openreach are planning to roll out further over the coming years.

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) employs fibre optic cabling from the exchange right up to, yes you guessed it, the premises. The upload and download speeds of FTTP are significantly faster with some areas able to receive up to 1Gbps (or 1000Mbps if you wanted to compare) – the fastest speeds available anywhere in the UK.

A Leased Line offers uncontended bandwidth (i.e. they are occupied only by the customer, rather than sharing with others) and therefore consistent speed: even during peak times. You will also benefit from symmetrical upload and download speeds, fault thresholds and SLA’s for resolving any issues. Additionally, you can have built in resilience by opting for 2 leased lines on separate networks. One operates as a back-up for the other, to offer the most robust protection against downtime. Whilst this is the most expensive option, for commercial operations relying heavily on connectivity it is the most reliable solution.

Direct Internet Access

If you’re struggling to find motivation to upgrade your internet connection, it is worth bearing in mind that by 2025 internet-based voice solutions will be the only available option as ISDN will have been phased out by BT Openreach. This along with the rapid movement to cloud-based services demands the need for better, more reliable, internet connectivity in all businesses, whatever their size or requirements.

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iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S9 – Which is better?

20th June 2018 by admin

iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S9 - Which is better?It’s fair to say that it’s difficult to find someone in the UK who doesn’t own either an iPhone or a Samsung. They dominate the market!

Their grip on the market looks set to stay firm now that both companies have released their latest flagship phones.

But, which of their phones is the better option and are there better options out there?

Apple’s flagship phone, the iPhone X, was released in November of 2017 and it was met with… mixed reception.

Many have praised Apple for it’s big change in design and quality, with the edge-to-edge OLED screen offering Apple’s best quality image to date.

The introduction of Face ID has been very popular too! The camera’s ability to detail the owners face has resulted in greater security and new developments in apps, such as animojis and Apple Pay.

All this teamed with the iPhone’s usual super-fast processors has made this a premium product, but it comes with a hefty price tag!

For the base 64GB model, the asking price is £999 and the 256GB model retails for £1,149, if you wish to buy the phone outright! Is the phone worth this price?

The price jump did not sit well with customers!

Though the initial pre-order numbers for the phone were large, the hype around the phone seems to have died off with the X not meeting Apple’s sale targets.

Samsung also recently released their flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+ phones in March. Their pre-orders and initial sales haven’t wowed the competition either.

iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9

So, what is new in the Galaxy S9?

Just looking at the S9 and S8 side-by-side, it is hard to spot any differences in the design of the phone.

A change to the placement on the fingerprint scanner and a slightly bigger screen are the only real changes to the design.

This was to be expected though as the jump from the S7 to the S8 was big and very popular. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

The biggest change to the phone is in the camera technology!

Advancements in super slow-motion capturing at 960fps and the ability to perform well in high and low light are selling points of the phone.

However, to really benefit from the jump in camera technology, you’ll have to dig out some extra cash for the plus model with the dual-camera setup, much like what the iPhone X has.

Apart from these changes and general enhancements to the performance of the phone, not much else has changed from the S8.

Based on general comments from users and reviewers, the S9’s photography performance in low light isn’t all singing, all dancing like it’s hyped up to be.

To make up for the lack of light and colour, areas of an image are brightened or saturated with colour, which can sometimes leave an image looking unrealistic.

The iPhone X seems to perform better when optimising images, offering more detail and realism.

Don’t get us wrong, the Samsung still takes very good images and the issue probably won’t matter that much to the average consumer, but that creates a dilemma.

The S8’s camera is still very good quality, so you could argue what exactly about the S9 makes it appealing to the public?

With a drop in S8 prices now as well, is it worth spending around £250 more for a phone that isn’t that different from it’s predecessor?

It’s difficult to justify the price increases for both phones, especially considering their ‘cheaper’ siblings perform perfectly well in comparison.

So, whilst the latest flagship phones from Apple and Samsung are definite improvements on their current range, they both come with a major question:

Do they offer value for money?

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The Gigabit Voucher Scheme

6th June 2018 by admin

The Gigabit Voucher SchemeHere at Boxx, we are excited to be helping businesses grow by providing access to super-fast 1Gbps internet connectivity!

Equal to 1000Mbps and multiple times faster than most businesses currently operate with, it is a massive leap forwards in terms of connectivity speed which can benefit businesses, both now and into the future.

For businesses looking to move to cloud-based applications, or for those who already do, this dedicated business grade offering brings vast opportunities to improve productivity and intensify growth.

In parallel with the availability of 1Gbps fibre in cities across the country, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport have launched a ‘Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme’ whereby businesses can apply for a grant of up to £3000* to upgrade to gigabit capable infrastructure.

The scheme has been given a budget of £67m to drive forward their vision of a full fibre Britain.

The Government recognise that gigabit speed is a key step for most businesses and demand for greater digital connectivity is set to accelerate in future years.

Businesses eligible for the ‘Gigabit Voucher Scheme’ include those who employ fewer than 250 people and have an annual turnover not exceeding 50m Euros.

For businesses with a growth strategy, gigabit internet connection yields many benefits including supporting symmetrical connections, meaning upload and download speeds can be the same – making cloud-based applications much more efficient.

If you have a large or growing team, use cloud-based applications or simply require faster, more reliable connectivity, we can advise whether 1Gbps connectivity is available and/or most suitable for your business and we can assist you in an application for the Government’s ‘Gigabit Voucher Scheme’!

Just get in touch!

*As of November 12th 2018, The DCMS have reduced the amount given out from £3000 to £2500.

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GDPR has arrived!

23rd May 2018 by admin

The Gigabit Voucher SchemeHere at Boxx, we are excited to be helping businesses grow by providing access to super-fast 1Gbps internet connectivity!

Equal to 1000Mbps and multiple times faster than most businesses currently operate with, it is a massive leap forwards in terms of connectivity speed which can benefit businesses, both now and into the future.

For businesses looking to move to cloud-based applications, or for those who already do, this dedicated business grade offering brings vast opportunities to improve productivity and intensify growth.

In parallel with the availability of 1Gbps fibre in cities across the country, the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport have launched a ‘Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme’ whereby businesses can apply for a grant of up to £3000* to upgrade to gigabit capable infrastructure.

The scheme has been given a budget of £67m to drive forward their vision of a full fibre Britain.

The Government recognise that gigabit speed is a key step for most businesses and demand for greater digital connectivity is set to accelerate in future years.

Businesses eligible for the ‘Gigabit Voucher Scheme’ include those who employ fewer than 250 people and have an annual turnover not exceeding 50m Euros.

For businesses with a growth strategy, gigabit internet connection yields many benefits including supporting symmetrical connections, meaning upload and download speeds can be the same – making cloud-based applications much more efficient.

If you have a large or growing team, use cloud-based applications or simply require faster, more reliable connectivity, we can advise whether 1Gbps connectivity is available and/or most suitable for your business and we can assist you in an application for the Government’s ‘Gigabit Voucher Scheme’!

Just get in touch!

*As of November 12th 2018, The DCMS have reduced the amount given out from £3000 to £2500.

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Filed Under: Office News

CDSMA Awards – ‘Best PR Campaign’

8th May 2018 by admin

CDSMA Awards - 'Best PR Campaign'On Thursday 3rd May 2018, we attended the CDSMA Awards and we were up for two awards; ‘Best Company to Work For’ and ‘Best PR Campaign’!

We went into the event with low expectations as the competition was so high!

‘Best Company to Work For’ was won by the team at Lily Comms, so huge congratulations go out to them!

However, we won ‘Best PR Campaign’ for our involvement in the Herd About MK event!

CDSMA Awards

For those of you who don’t know about this event, here is a brief overview of what happened…

Herd About MK was created to not only celebrate Milton Keynes’ 50th year, it was also created to raise money for three charities; Willen Hospice, MK Dons SET and the MK Community Foundation.

We had the opportunity to sponsor 1 of 50 life-size cows and come up with a name. We decided to name our cow ‘Moopheus’… get it?

Moopheus’ first appearance was at Middleton Hall alongside the rest of the herd for the opening event!

Moopheus and the herd stayed there for a weekend in March 2017 so that customers could come and have a look.

MK 50 Opening

From there, 27 members of the herd went to the MK Stadium to support the MK Dons in their penultimate match and support the runners of the MK Marathon.

The Woburn Abbey Garden Show marked Moopheus’ next appearance, providing attendees with a free Wi-Fi connection!

Woburn Abbey

Moopheus also joined us at our fun day at The Navigation Inn, keeping all the kids entertained.

To end the year of events, there was a gala dinner at the Arena MK and all the herd attended. There was a three-course meal, live music and entertainment and a charity auction!

Gala Dinner Arena MK

All of this led to us being able to win the CDSMA Award for ‘Best PR Campaign’ and we are so thrilled to have even been nominated!

This also marks our first award for the marketing team which is a huge accomplishment considering that our marketing team is very small!

We are so proud to have been a part of this magnificent event and if you ever want to come and say hi to Moopheus, he resides with us in the Witan Studios Courtyard!

Witan Studios Courtyard

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