Let’s talk about telecoms…

Telecoms in business, and in the home for that matter, has become less focussed on the voice in recent years, and increasingly more focussed on video, text and data. High-speed Internet access, which delivers computer-based data applications such as broadband information services and interactive entertainment, has rapidly made its way into businesses and homes all over the world, making the globe a much smaller and better-connected place.

The main broadband telecoms technology is Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), from which the fastest growth has been derived from services delivered over mobile networks. In the home, there is a greater reliance on the big telecoms companies as the most important aspects of the phone in the workplace tend to be broadband, TV and, to a lesser extent, these days, line rental for calls. At home people tend to use their mobile phones to contact family, friends and services probably because it’s more convenient but also packages cost less and less these days, thanks to the big telecoms brands fighting over the packages they offer.

At the opposite end of the scale are the huge multinational corporations and the public sector. These spend heavily on telecoms infrastructures to support far-flung operations and bespoke requirements. They are also happy to pay for premium services like high-security private networks and video conferencing. In these cases, the big telecoms companies are less forgiving and can charge a great deal more because, they know that corporations and the public sector can afford it.

In small to medium sized business, it’s a different matter because the operations are not so big and they need more flexibility and cost-effective services. In any business, no matter the size, the internet and business systems are all connected and rely on each other for the business to function efficiently, it’s also become so important to have data security built-in to any network. However, nothing is standalone anymore. IT and telecoms are inextricably linked to anything on a network from PCs, printers, the Internet and all the various accounting and logistics systems.

What has happened, over the last 10 to 15 years, has been the emergence and solid growth of the small independent IT and telecoms service providers who do a great job because they are usually local, reliable and have a flexible approach. What is more, being independent, they offer greater choice when it comes to the equipment they supply. They are also highly manoeuvrable because they have to move with the technology and, as we’ve seen, wireless and cloud technology are having a profound effect on the future of telecoms.

Wireless communications is a very fast-growing sector within telecommunications; more and more communications and computing methods have shifted to mobile devices and cloud-based technology. The sector’s biggest challenge is to keep up with people’s demand for faster and more reliable data connectivity, higher resolution, quicker video streaming, and the growing onslaught of multimedia applications.

Through the pandemic, many independent IT and Telecoms companies have struggled to supply physical office equipment such as multi-functional print devices and their consumables, due to manufacturing issues in the Far East, but because of the heightened need to link workers at home with their business head offices and branches, demand for telecoms installations has increased. In the last 2 years, local IT and Telecoms service suppliers, have seen more of the inside of people’s homes than they have office buildings, as the need to get home workers connected to VOIP (Voice Over IP) phones, Microsoft Teams and Zoom became the priority.

At the end of the day, local providers are able to ensure they provide their customers good quality service, cost-effectiveness and reliability and, now, as world economies start to stabilise, local IT and telecoms providers are getting back to being the ultimate ‘one-stop shop’ for local businesses.

For more information about Telecoms Solutions, contact us on 01283 735300 or email: hello@wdslimited.com or visit our website: wdslimited.com