5G is now here and we can’t wait for you to experience all the benefits it brings

But what are the big benefits of 5G? These are our top three reasons to get excited.

A better connection in busy places

If you’ve ever struggled to get online while at a music festival or in a stadium, even though you appear to have a full signal, you’ll know how frustrating it is when your content eventually uploads much later, or sometimes not at all. This happens when too many people try to connect in one place at the same time – networks reach their limit, and everything slows down.

With 5G, our network will give you a more reliable connection in the busiest places and at the busiest times. That’s because 5G has a greater bandwidth than 4G and can support more devices. So you can stream sports in a stadium, download videos at a busy train station and share photos while partying at a music festival.


Faster speeds, better quality

5G gives you faster mobile speeds than ever before, making everyday tasks on your smartphone feel super-quick.

You’ll be able to download large files or attachments onto your phone in seconds instead of minutes, so if you’re out in the field you’ll be able to work without constraint. 5G can hit speeds of 1GB (1000mbs) per second and given that most home broadband connections average 50mbs its seriously fast.

Not to mention that EE already has the UK’s best and most capable 4G network with the highest speeds and widest coverage. 5G adds an additional layer to our network.


Instant connection

5G gives you an almost instant internet connection. So whether you want to play a video, load an app, or control smart devices in your home, everything feels super-quick with 5G.

The faster speeds at which our 5G network responds to your commands is really important for gamers, because it responds even more quickly to your button commands. What’s more, 5G opens up exciting possibilities for new augmented and virtual reality experiences, which could transform the way you play games on the move.

If you would like more information about 5G and how it can help you and your business then give us a call on 01785-286666. 

A new OFCOM regulation called the Digital Economy Act came in to effect from 1st October 2018. The regulation states that communications providers for mobile services must not enter into a contract with a new or upgrading customer without giving them the option to set a monthly spend cap to cover certain types of charges over and above their standard price plan cost. As ‘Digital Economy Act’ is not exactly self explanatory…….EE have called it a spend cap.

And how does it work?

  • New and upgrading customers must now be offered the option to set a Spend Cap in all channels as part of the sales conversation / journey –all sales journeys will be updated to reflect this.
  • Customers can choose to opt-out and not have a Spend Cap.
  • Customers will be able to add, remove and change their chosen Spend Cap in-life via Customer Services, and via digital self serve capability where available.

The thing is, our circumstances change. Our family life, our work situation, our socialising, they constantly morph. And all these changes impact, sometimes very subtly, on how we use our mobile device. Plus the freedom of unlimited can come at an unnecessary premium.

How much can I set on a spend cap?

You can set up a Spend Cap for £0, £5, £10, £20, £30, £40 or £50. Please remember your data is already capped with EE. This prevents most cases of bill shock already! So, if you do not wish to further restrict any use of your mobile phone then that is okay too! You can simply opt-out completely.

Can anyone set a spend cap?

At the moment only pay monthly customers that have joined EE or upgraded with EE on or after 1 October 2018 can add a Spend Cap to their number.

If I add a spend cap to my number, what does it cap?

You can add a Spend Cap to your number on some chargeable services.
Charges that you can cap:
  1.  standard out of allowance calls, texts and picture messages
  2.  calling abroad
  3.  roaming
  4.  access charges for premium calls and texts to numbers beginning with 09, 118, 084, 087, 070
Charges that aren’t capped:
  1.  monthly recurring charges e.g. plan charges
  2.  add-on charges e.g. data or call passes, BT Sport, Apple Music
  3.  service charges for premium calls and texts to numbers beginning with 09, 118, 084, 087, 070
  4.  add to plan products and phone insurance
  5.  admin charges / late payment fees

If you would like more information about setting up and managing a spend cap then give us a call on 01785-286666 or click HERE to find out more. 

Here at M-Viron we are on countdown to GDPR day. It’s the hot topic in the office and the main talking point with customers who pop in to see us or we speak to over the phone.

Although there has been a 2 year transition period for the new directive, many small businesses are still bamboozled by its meaning and overwhelmed by what it means to them and for their business.

Many of our customers we have been speaking to over the past few months were not aware of the impact the new GDPR regulations, enforceable from May 25th (next Friday), have on their business mobile phones and devices.

In particular this week we have been busy helping business owners who were allowing members of their team to use their personal mobile phones for work thinking it keeps costs to the business lower and was less hassle than supplying them with work phones.

As a business owner do you allow any of the following by your employees?

  • Receiving work emails on their personal device
  • Storing of customer contact details on their personal device
  • Access to a company CRM via their personal device
  • Send/Receive messages to/from customers from their personal device

If you do, then you need to ensure you have a number of measures in place with your team members to keep your business safe and mitigate the risk of non-compliance fines.

The steps you need to take include HR provisions, access control codes and installation of mobile device control software that allows for the device to be remotely wiped if the device is lost or stolen.

These steps, in the main, are free to do and even the biggest ‘technophobe’ should not struggle to implement.

Of course, if you need any help, further advice or support we are here to help.

Contact us today or pop in to the store.

The Samsung Galaxy S9|S9+ on EE

Today, business is more agile than ever. People need to switch on anytime and anywhere. So, to meet these ever-changing demands, Samsung have rethought the phone. M-Viron is proud to introduce the Samsung Galaxy S9|S9+.

Security reimagined

With advanced iris scanning and facial recognition, Galaxy S9 recognises you, and only you. Defence-grade Knox means you can access sensitive files and business data wherever you want, in complete confidence.

The office reimagined

Dual stereo speakers, tuned by AKG, make every conference call crystal clear. DeX technology allows you to turn your phone into a desktop experience, so whatever your surroundings, you can meet the day’s demands.

Reimagined working day

With Bixby, your new personal assistant, you can manage your day so you’ll be able to perform at your best.
The Samsung Galaxy S9|S9+ is available on the network that goes further to give your business 4G in more places than any other UK network. Get it on a EE Business Extra plan with:

  • Calls, texts and data in the UK and EU
  • Access to the BT Sport App
  • WiFi Calling
  • Six free months of Apple Music

Contact us today or pop in to the store to experience the Samsung Galaxy S9|S9+.

M-Viron Business Broadband

Our biggest shout out this month is we can now offer BT products and services.

This includes landline, broadband and cloud voice – internet based calling which displays as a normal landline to the person you are calling.

The benefit to you as a customer is that it is highly flexible, offering services from the office and also your mobile while out and about. PLUS it can work out highly cost effective and offers enhanced products such as call recording and call transfers.

Like our mobile packages, BT’s products and services can be tailored to your needs, so whether you’re a sole trader who requires a landline number on the go or you have a large office requiring a fast internet connection we now have it covered!

We can help you to stay connected to your customers and people with the best connection, collaboration, and security solutions, whatever the size, sector, or ambitions of your business.

Even if you work from a home office we can supply business grade broadband. It costs a little more than home broadband but you get a lot more in return: priority fault repair and 24/7 technical support, plus options for Microsoft Office 365, static IP addresses, and IT support for computers and servers.

If you’re serious about business then take a look at business-grade broadband. Give our team a call to set your business up 01785 286666.

How the iPhone is still pushing the frontiers of technology 10 years on

Ten years ago the mobile phone-using public had been used to ever reducing handsets – folding right down to the fashionable clamshell.

Calling and texting were king, and the smaller the phone model the better.

That, of course, was before Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s iPhone on June 29, 2007, delivering a new dimension in digital technology.

Phones no longer existed solely in the realms of calls and texts – high-functioning cameras, apps, data optimisation and touch screen very quickly came to be taken for granted as part of the package.

One thing is for sure, whether you are a fan of the Apple brand or not, there is no denying the huge impact the iPhone has had on the mobile phone market.

How Apple kept innovating through 10 years of the iPhone

The original model featured a 2 megapixel camera and came in 4GB and 8GB models, costing $499 and $599 respectively.

But…you couldn’t cut and paste, it was 2G – and there was no app store!

One year later and storage had doubled, costs had halved and the iPhone 3G heralded the true start of the smart phone internet revolution. GPS also allowed location services to be used.

Costs continued to be driven down, while speed and storage capacity increased – to as much as 64GB.

Facetime was unleashed with the iPhone 4 in 2010, making video chats an easily accessible option for smart phone users.

It was the iPhone 5s that saw a return to pushing the functionality of mobile technology, bringing in touch ID and movement data capabilities to allow health and fitness apps to track movement.

This was followed by digital payment technology and improvements to speed and usability in the following two years.

The focus shifted to wireless technology in 2016 as Apple phased out the audio jack and provided wireless headphone ear buds.

iPhone 8 – Highstreets hot topic or massive FLOP?

All eyes were on the announcement of the 10th anniversary iPhone keynote. It saw the launch of 3 new models, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X models.

The key design changes have been injected in to the iPhone X , but with a later launch date of November for this particular handset, the buzz around the lesser iPhone 8 has taken a hit and definitely not mirrored that of previous years and previous models.

As they arrived in store this morning we were eager to see the all-new glass design and examine the new space grey, silver and gold finishes in the flesh. They are very nice indeed and the wireless charging is impressive.

However, customer feedback is the increase in price for the iPhone 8 versus the specification enhancements do not stack up. Many less die-hard apple fans have reverted to the iPhone 7, refusing to pay the excess for little in terms of improved particulars.

If you would like to examine the differences for yourself and give us your opinion, pop along and see us in store or check out our iPhone comparison page.

Pre-order your new iPhone X

In reverse, the iPhone X has whet the appetite of the masses. Even with the hefty price tag, circa £1K, people have not been deterred.

With official pre-order not available until late October here at M-Viron the enquiries are already coming thick and fast.

If you don’t want to miss out on bagging the 10th anniversary edition of this iconic piece of technology, act fast.

Make sure you are at the front of the queue when Apple releases its 10th anniversary model iPhone X – pre-order with M-Viron today, call 01785 286666 and secure yours in advance.

Why festive phone dilemmas shouldn’t get you down

We’ve all been there. Hospitable drinks at the neighbours’ house, a tipple at the pub, a meal with friends. The festive period is a well-earned chance for many to wind down and relax, but it also brings the prospect of more breakages and accidents involving your mobile phone!

It’s true. Mobiles get dropped in all sorts of places when we’ve… um … had a drink or two! On the tiled kitchen floor, on the pavement, in a puddle, in snow, in mud, in the freezer, from the top of the stairs to the bottom and in a watery place that’s perhaps best not mentioned!

Phones also get trodden on, sat on, and left in pockets to only go and venture in to the washing machine of all places! We’ve seen them covered in jam, cake mix, glitter-glue and batter. And we’ve lost count of the number of phones we’ve seen that have made great chew-bones for man’s best friend and even been nibbled by the pet rabbit.

Yes, our personal gadgetry gets somewhat of a pounding on a regular basis and even more so at Christmas time.

When something causes damage to your phone, it’s natural to think that your piece of highly technical engineering is ruined beyond repair. Circuitry, microprocessors, ports and accurately manufactured screens are delicate items aren’t they? And dog food isn’t good for them … right?

Well, you’d be surprised at what we can do with a damaged phone, so don’t give up on it. What you need is a dedicated, specialist repair service. A team of trusted professionals who can work wonders with your favourite device and bring it back to life.

Repairs are as diverse as the number of ways a mobile can be damaged, so think carefully before deciding that it’s come to an untimely end. There’s a lot that can be done to resurrect it!

By taking your mobile to a repair service, you’ll be able to talk through what happened to it and get an expert opinion on whether it can be saved and restored back to its previous pristine condition.

What we can do?

Tech-savvy experts will not only render first-aid, but will perform methodical and thorough cleaning and testing, whilst fully investigating the possibility of returning your phone to you, negating the need to replace it before it’s ready!

Their skills are boundless (well, nearly). They frequently carry out in-house screen repairs, battery replacements and charging port replacements, all at a very competitive but realistic price.

The market price of parts can affect repair charges, and using cheap or copy parts, or parts from scrap devices is just not an option. Parts are sourced from manufacturers with no compromises. Quality is paramount!

Some repairs which are not possible in-house are sent to our trusted repairers. And don’t worry about a huge unexpected bill popping up. We always advise you on the anticipated costs beforehand so there are no nasty surprises!

And it’s not just hardware that may need attention.

We are masters at resetting lost cloud-based logins e.g. iCloud, Gmail and Windows accounts, in order to retrieve data from handsets which are beyond economic repair or which are severely water damaged.

We can also set up exchange servers or email on devices and ensure that they are synchronised correctly; a real advantage which assists you if you should ever lose or damage your handset. Working alongside I.T. and server companies, we make sure that all angles are covered.

Don’t despair!

Your mobile is tougher than you may think. A repair is often a strong possibility and if your handset is insured, you may even find there’s very little you’ll have to pay towards its return from death’s door.

Need a repair or service? Any handset on any network? That’ll be M-Viron.

Whatever happens to your phone, never despair. Visit the M-Viron mobile phone store, just off the High Street in Stone and speak to us about our repair service.

We’d love to hear about any disasters your mobile has lived through, or any strange situations that no phone should ever have to encounter!

Need repair advice? Talk to us on 01785-286666. Don’t despair. Repair!