Fidelity Energy FluidOne pulls in West powers ahead to to lead ambitious £100 million p26 channel campaign p30 VOL 23 ISSUE 5 OCTOBER 2018 www.comms-dealer.com record | report | integrate oak.co.uk/call recording Delivered your way oak.co.uk record | report | integrate ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT THE HEARTBEAT OF THE UK COMMS INDUSTRY powering your potential 020 8614 9090 The experts in telecom billing & provisioning solutions unionstreet.uk.com 3-19 Industry News Catch up with events in comms 22 Business Matters Q3’s big themes: Daisy and fibre channeltelecom.com 24 Dowden to open Business Profile Pragma evolves as service provider Comms Vision ‘18 32 MINISTER for Implementation Oliver Dowden CBE is to deliver the opening Interview keynote at next month’s Comms Vision Convention at Gleneagles Hotel. Ambition displayed with a Mirus twist SPECIAL REPORT delegates a strategic sense of create more commercial oppor- what Digital Britain means to tunities and make it easier and Dowden was appointed as Par- the channel following the Gov- cheaper to roll out the infra- 40 liamentary Secretary at the ernment’s full fibre switchover structure for 5G. Cabinet Office on 9th January plan which is expected to be According to Government Comms Vision this year and elected as the MP mainly completed by 2030. figures the UK has only 4% How to get it right for Hertsmere in May 2015. “To meet those timescales full fibre connections and lags in Digital Britain He is responsible for Gov- the Government has an essen- behind many key competitors ernment technology including tial part to play in helping to – Spain (71%), Portugal (89%) the Government Digital Serv- remove the roadblocks that hold and France (28%). 48 ice, Infrastructure and Projects our industry back,” stated Neil Adam Williams, Head Of Authority and the Crown Com- Wilson, Head of Products & Direct Sales at KCOM, stated: Comms People mercial Service. Marketing at Virtual1. “This is an exciting time for us This month’s Dowden’s keynote on Nov- The Government intends to to influence a digital strategy movers and shakers ember 7th will kick off a high increase competition and inv- that will make the UK a global calibre agenda that will give estment in full fibre broadband, competitive force.” See p40 ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS WITH 9 www.comms-dealer.com A BPL BUSINESS MEDIA PUBLICATION CD Strip_01.18.indd 1 18/12/2017 11:23 £199* for 100/100Mbps ETHERNET? YES, MAKE THE MOST OF OUR AUTUMN OFFER We’ve created a fantastic opportunity for you to win great margin Ethernet business. Until the end of November, we’re providing maximum bandwidth on our CityFibre 100Mbps Ethernet product at an incredible monthly rental of just £199. What’s more, with the current voucher scheme giving up to £3,000 off the total cost of ownership, monthly rental could effectively be as low as £116*! What an opportunity to take a compelling offer to customers wanting blisteringly fast, full capacity access at an amazing price from day one. *Subject to availability, Ts&Cs apply. Orders placed by close of 31st November. Prices excl VAT. Register your interest: enta.net/100-100 INDUSTRY NEWS EDITOR’S COMMENT Solar snared plan.com TO SAY that the UK comms sector is entering leads fast a ‘transformational’ new epoch – perhaps the most disruptive and auspicious in its by Wavenet boomers history – would be to greatly understate the significance BEECH Tree Private Equity ISLE of Man-based plan.com of comms infrastructure backed Wavenet has acquired was crowned the UK’s fastest developments outlined in the Solar Communications Group growing tech firm in The Sun- for an undisclosed sum, signifi- day Times Hiscox Tech Track Stuart Gilroy Government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR) cantly boosting its capabilities 100 league table last month. published in July. In a clear reflection of the industry’s and presence in the UC market. The ranking measures the targeted shift away from legacy technology, telco giant BT The deal adds on-premise sales growth performance of has stated its intention to adopt a disruptive challenger engineering skills to Wavenet private technology companies brand position as the nation gears up for a full fibre and and accreditations in SD WAN over the last three years. 5G future. Its message, now seen in bold type across the and UC services. The group will plan.com also notched up the industry, is that the concept of Digital Britain is core to now service nearly 10,000 UK Bill Dawson highest sales rise figure in the today’s strategic thinking and extremely powerful and business customers. last ten years. It sells through a transformational, and now is the time to act appropriately. The deal comes soon after tion services to direct customers network of 650 partners across BT’s change of tact turns traditional perceptions of the Wavenet refinanced its bank- and resellers. the UK which helped grow sales incumbent operator on their head. The move redefines the ing facilities and raised a £75m The company has a par- an average 364% over three Group as an agile and disruptive contender as it seeks to acquisition war chest. ticular specialism in Cisco’s years to £35.4m in 2017. nimbly evolve from its extant network infrastructure. It’s Both companies have pur- BroadCloud solutions support- Commenting on the rank- symbolic of the new generation of connectivity provider. sued a buy-and-build strategy, ed by a range of connectivity, ing co-founder Keith Curran The FTIR effectively levels the infrastructure provider each acquiring four businesses security, cloud, voice and data enthused: “This is the combina- playing field and clears the decks with an emphasis on and integrating them over the offerings which it supplies on tion of everything we’ve worked full fibre and 5G, which plays straight into the hands past two years. its own managed network. for over the past four years.” of the altnets. But, ironically perhaps, Openreach Solar is a Mitel Platinum “Solar has been success- plan.com employs over 100 has become the biggest altnet with its Fibre First Partner, a Microsoft Silver Par- ful in developing the platform, staff and is developing a new approach and, it claims, the biggest posse of fibre tner and a Summit Partner of people and services required for seven floor hi-tech HQ with broadband engineers in the UK (see page 4). Silver Peak. growing the business,” added living walls, suspended meeting The changes we have witnessed at two of the “The combination of Wave- Dawson. “This has accelerated pods and a roof-top bar. biggest telco organisations – BT and Openreach – are net and Solar brings the benefits its transition to a fully managed mirrored by similar strategic repositionings industry- of scale, broader geographic cloud service provider.” wide, and they send a clear message: We share a reach, a stronger management Solar CEO John Whitty will common goal, which is a full fibre and 5G future – and team and significant enhance- remain with the business and most, if not all comms and IT providers should consider ments to the portfolio of servic- join the executive board. He a strategic rethink at this time. Small wonder ‘Digital es and solutions the group can stated: “Following 30 months of Britain, let’s make it happen!’, is the key theme at this offer customers,” commented growing our business the time year’s Comms Vision Convention (see page 42). Wavenet CEO Bill Dawson. is right to take the next step and Wavenet operates its own allow our customers to benefit Stuart Gilroy, Editor automated platform that pro- from our joint capability and vides cloud-based communica- experience in the UC market.” Keith Curran www.comms-dealer.com COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2018 3 INDUSTRY NEWS COMMENT: SEEING IS BELIEVING 31,000 BT workers A NEW era in communication is about to dawn following the UK’s first live holographic call, casting doubt on the age-old adage that shift to Openreach seeing really is believing. Vodafone conducted APPROXIMATELY 31,000 BT the ground-breaking call Group employees have moved using 5G technology to Openreach in what is thought which is being hailed as to be the largest people transfer a significant milestone in UK corporate history under in UK communications. TUPE Regulations. The com- pany hailed the transfer as the Richard Carter The landmark event at its Manchester office featured ‘final major milestone’ in creat- England and Manchester City Women’s Football Captain ing a more independent legally Steph Houghton MBE. Using 5G technology Steph separate business. appeared as a live 3D hologram on stage in front of an Openreach Chairman Mike audience at Vodafone’s UK headquarters in Newbury. McTighe stated: “Openreach Mike McTighe Her hologram gave footballing tips to 11-year- now has its own board, greater old fans and demonstrated the exciting possibilities strategic and operational inde- He also noted that BT Group on the transfer with unions and new technology can bring not just to sport but much pendence, a separate brand and and Openreach worked closely employees since July. an independent workforce, and with partner unions to ensure wider applications, as the 5G bandwagon begins to Got a news story? email: we’re ambitious for the future. a smooth transition of people, build. The call follows the announcement in June this [email protected] year that seven cities will become Vodafone 5G trial “We’ve set out a clear plan including a formal consultation areas and that it will have 1,000 5G sites by 2020. to invest in new, more reliable future-proof broadband technol- Exciting times are clearly ahead across the whole A BPL Business industry with the latest mobile-based technologies ogy and we’re in the middle Publication already inspiring a retail revolution.