5G, or fifth generation, is the next generation of wireless technology following 3G and 4G. 5G is faster than its predecessors, with a much larger capacity. This means that more devices can access more data within less time.

How does 5G compare?

3G allowed for the launch of smartphones, while 4G improved browsing speed allowing us to do things like stream videos and browse the internet on the go. 5G is the next step on from this with improved speed, capacity and responsiveness. 5G can operate up to 100 times faster than 4G technologies. For example, if you were to download a film using 4G, it could take an average of 50 minutes. When using 5G, this process would take approximately nine minutes, significantly decreasing the download time.

Source: Raconteur

What does 5G mean for business?

5G can be used across of a range of sectors for a myriad of different tasks and is set to revolutionise the way we do business. A report from IHS Markit estimates 5G to enable over $12 trillion in global economic output by 2035.

While 5G can enable a number of highly skilled industries with advancements in automation, robotics, and virtual reality, it can also improve more basic operations and day-to-day tasks. With 5G, many machines and devices could become truly wireless, allowing for more flexibility and reducing costs. 5G technologies can also be used to aid developments with smart cities and autonomous cars, with uses in connected road sensors and smart highways.

5G can be used across all sectors in some way, here are some examples of 5G possibilities in different industries:
• Farming – 5G can be used in autonomous machinery using connected sensors and video cameras to monitor and carry out tasks.

• Transport – 5G technologies can be used to monitor and improve efficiency of services such as traffic management and street lighting.

• Healthcare – 5G can be used to facilitate virtual reality learning for medical students to provide a more realistic mock surgery.

• Energy – 5G will aid the energy industry in the development of new smart grid features as well as helping to create solutions to production and distribution.

• Retail – 5G can enable a whole new way of shopping on your smartphone, this could include features like trying on clothes in virtual reality.

5G in manufacturing

When it comes to the manufacturing industry, 5G can play a major role in Internet of Things technologies. These new technologies and devices that make up IoT factories will rely on 5G to enable the fast paced, improved efficiency models that will truly make up the factories of the future.

The increased connectivity needs of IoT will need to rely on the improved speed and capacity of 5G. The network needs to be able to keep pace with the new devices and connectivity needs, and 5G will be able to handle these developments.

A great example of this is Ericsson’s smart factories in Sweden, China and Estonia that fast-tracked the implementation of 5G to jump start a new generation of manufacturing. The factories implemented 5G in the very early stages of its life alongside new industrial IoT technologies to create an integrated factory, allowing the new tech to develop simultaneously in a manufacturing environment. This allowed it’s factories to be ready ahead of the curve.

Many have already adopted 5G now and, as we start to see its uses being implemented across industry, the benefits will be reaped in the form of reduced costs, improved connectivity and increased productivity. It really is an exciting time for businesses, especially those who are willing to embrace the changes and adopt these new technologies.

If you have any queries about what 5G means for your business’s IT, get in touch with a member of our team here.

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The current uncertain times have made fundraising challenging for many charities, but Gordon Maclean, co-founder of Probado saw an opportunity to support local charity and client, Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire and fulfil the needs of another client, local 3D printing manufacturer, Wayland Additive.

Gordon Maclean said: “We’d just completed installing a new phone system at Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire and Victoria did an amazing job recording the voice prompts, so when Wayland approached us to install a phone system with voice prompts, I immediately knew that Victoria would do another great job.

“It was an absolute pleasure to facilitate this collaboration between Wayland Additive and Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire. Both organisations do fantastic work for the local communities and it is vital that we are able to collaborate to better Yorkshire’s businesses and charities. It is now more important than ever that we help each other out by sharing skills, resources, and expertise.”

Speaking of the project, Victoria Stratford, Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire’s locality manager, said: “I have never done any voice recording before, until I was asked to provide them for our own system that Probado fitted, where I was asked merely on the premise of being ‘a bit posh’.

“We are a charity, so any money raised goes towards helping provide care services to local families that need it. Being able to lend a hand and help bring in additional funds is a wonderful bonus, and an enjoyable experience for myself personally!”

In these difficult times, many charities are diversifying their fundraising methods to help bring in additional funds, Victoria added: “There are charities out there doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things to generate financial support. Wherever there are ways to help support charitable income it is so important to grab hold of those opportunities.”

In return for Victoria’s voice skills, Wayland Additive donated to Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire, helping to support them during these challenging times. Will Richardson, co-founder and CEO of Wayland Additive, continued: “First impressions are vital in business, so having a professional voice at the end of our new phone system was important for us.

“Collaboration, dedication and integrity are the core values of Wayland Additive, so when Gordon pointed us in the direction of Victoria at Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire, it was a perfect fit. We like to work with local partners as much as possible, and the idea of supporting a worthy cause at the same time made it even better.

“The new system which features Victoria’s voice offers a presentable front-end to our system, providing a professional output to our customers, suppliers and collaborators.”

Probado manages the phone systems for Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire and all IT system support, servers, and phone systems for Wayland Additive.

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What is VoIP?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and basically means using the phone service over the internet. An increasing number of businesses are finding themselves in a situation where working from home is essential, or are incorporating more flexible working patterns. With this shift towards non-office-based work, many are having to upgrade their phone systems to VoIP. Where setting up everyone within a team with a traditional telephone sounds like a mammoth and expensive task, all this can be easily avoided by making the switch to VoIP.

Is VoIP right for my business?

VoIP has many benefits for businesses, not least because operating over the internet allows for reduced setup and operational costs, reduced hardware and increased connectivity.

• Be flexible

VoIP allows businesses to set up remotely and with more firms incorporating flexible working, employees can simply connect their device to the internet. As well as allowing for staff flexibility, VoIP allows for flexibility within your business. Whether you are expanding or downsizing, VoIP systems can grow with your business and can be deployed quickly to suit your needs. The need for arduous and time-consuming installations is removed.

• Cost-effective

VoIP systems are cheaper than traditional phone lines. With reduced installation costs and hardware, it’s easy to get set up with VoIP quicky and cheaply. Using the internet to make calls means the cost per call is a fraction of traditional prices.

• Keep connected

VoIP is now very well established, and with newer internet connections, reliability has significantly improved. It is worth noting that traditional BT POTS and ISDN circuits will cease in December 2025, making VoIP the only choice. Switching over sooner rather than later will ensure your business is ready for the future of telephony. Here at Probado we have been delivering VoIP services for over ten years meaning our team is fully equipped to help build resilience into your telephony requirements in line with your budget.

At Probado we offer a free initial site visit to make sure your internet system can support VoIP phones. Our telephony service is tailored to your business and includes either the purchase or rent of handsets, call handling and recording services, and maintenance. We see your phone system as a central part of your company’s branding and day-to-day operations; therefore, it will be dealt the respect it deserves. If you have any questions or need a helping hand with the process, get in touch with a member of the team.

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Flexibility

With more and more businesses incorporating flexible working patterns, being able to work from home and on the move is essential. A VoIP phone system can help those who wish to work remotely, as additional call capacity can be added in minutes rather than the traditional week-long wait. VoIP systems will unify both field and office operations to ensure your business can operate as a whole.

Affordability

As they use an internet connection, VoIP systems are cheaper than traditional telephone lines so are an affordable option for businesses, even when calling overseas. As there is no need to purchase equipment and hardware installation from the start, VoIP significantly cuts the costs.

Another benefit of the reduced amount of hardware is the servicing and maintenance cost. Businesses won’t require as much support on the ground as most issues can be dealt with remotely.

Scalability

Due to the ease of flexibility with a VoIP system, an expansion in office space or total relocation would not be the chore it once was when it comes to transferring your phone lines. Unlike traditional phone systems, VoIP systems do not require extensive set-up, they just need to be plugged in and connected to the internet.

This means that VoIP systems can be easily transferred to a new location, allowing for growth and expansion of your business.

Connectivity

As VoIP systems are powered by an internet connection it eliminates any previous issues that extreme weather and power cuts once caused. A large concern for most businesses when considering switching to VoIP is the connection. What would happen if the internet connection was disrupted for a long period of time? In instances such as these, calls can be forwarded to other devices, allowing operations to continue smoothly until a connection is restored.

VoIP systems really are the future of our phone systems. As more and more businesses are introducing flexible working and moving away from traditional office set-ups, it is vital that our technology is adaptable and flexible in the same way to allow for these progressions. And, with VoIP being much more efficient and cost effective than traditional phone systems, making the switch should be a no-brainer.

At Probado we provide a free initial site visit to ensure your internet connection can support a VoIP line. Our completely tailored service incorporates purchase (or rent) of handsets, call handling, recording capabilities and maintenance.

To find out more about how VoIP can work for your business, get in touch today.

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It’s fair to say, digital communication and unified communication has come a long way in the past decade. Virtually all our daily tasks can be done at our fingertips.

In late 2015, mobile web traffic skyrocketed and surpassed desktop for the very first time. Since then, mobile technology has continued to evolve and adapt, rendering us increasingly dependent on our mobile devices, not just within our personal lives, but also in our professional lives.

A study carried out in 2017 by Asurion found that the average person checks their phone once every 12 minutes, this includes checking work emails and communicating with colleagues and clients alike.

Thanks to the introduction of clever applications, online communication has been streamlined and adapted to bring work to our fingertips. This integration is known as unified communications and more and more companies are seeing the undeniable benefits.

Unified communications nowadays are limitless. Voice, email, chat, video and web communications are brought together and accessible from almost anywhere using nothing more than a simple internet connection.

Whether we’re on the train or sitting in the comfort of our own home, we can participate in web conference calls, check emails and access work documents at the touch of a button without having to fire up our computers.

For business, this technological flexibility brings with it several advantages. Firstly, integrating unified communications allows tasks to be streamlined between locations and resources to be utilised to their full potential.

Unified communications mean a reduction in commute time which leads to greater productivity. There is also a significant increase in employee motivation as fewer distractions lead to reduced stress, and in turn lower sickness levels. Flexible working also has a positive impact on finances due to savings on office space and other facilities.

For employees, the main advantage to accessing work outside of the office is the increased work/ life balance. Employees with children can balance work with childcare and other home commitments. Calls, emails and important work documents can be seamlessly transferred to mobile devices and accessed anywhere.

Whilst to many of us, this seamless technology and working from home is a relatively new notion, the idea of unified communications has actually been around since the 1990s. However, as technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today, communications weren’t as streamlined and convenient. Everything had to be done via desktop with a wired internet connection.

Implementing unified communications into company policy doesn’t require much work. Firstly, every main email service provider used in business has an application that can be downloaded from both Apple and Android app stores. Once downloaded, all employees need to do is log in using their work credentials.

Secondly, work documents and filing systems can be accessed using remote cloud applications. The convenience of cloud storage cannot be underestimated, the amount of desktop storage is greatly reduced which is beneficial for the overall health of computer devices and employees can access work files from wherever they are.

It is clear to see that as technology evolves, we gain more and more flexibility in both our home lives and our professional lives – everything we need is at our fingertips, in our pockets and even on our wrists.

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“Probado discussed our options in plain English, at the time broadband performance was limited and our working environment did not lend itself to sensitive computer equipment.”

David Fielden, Director, explained ‘Probado discussed our options in plain English, at the time broadband performance was limited and our working environment did not lend itself to sensitive computer equipment. The proposed cloud solution addressed both concerns. In addition given the need for robust counter solutions we choose terminals rather than more expensive PC’s’.

Probado met and worked closely with Syrinx, EPS’s plant hire software provider and delivered the solution with minimum disruption in a timely manner. Further enhancements followed and the system now supports signature capture and barcode recognition. David commented ‘Paper is kept to a minimum, processes are quick, simple and accountable, helping EPS provide the best customer experience from start to finish.

Probado now provides EPS with a Voice over IP Telephone system to reduce costs. Gillian Fielden, Director, comments ‘The cloud solution has really brought the team together, I can work from either office or at home in the same way, Probado are friendly, helpful people that have made a difference!’

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