INTERVIEW
Powering mobile connectivity
Pangea has solved connectivity issues across many industries this year. Comms Business caught up with Dan
Cunliffe, the company’s Managing Director, and Dr Arslan Usman, System Architect, to find out more
Comms Business Magazine
(CBM): How has your Channel
been affected by the
pandemic?
Dan Cunliffe (DC): “When the
pandemic began, we shifted
our focus and worked fast
to support partners and key
workers however we could. We
still saw demand for our rapid
deployment, multi-network,
and on-demand backup
solutions; but we used them to
connect key facilities and equip
workers across industries to
deal with the pandemic.”
CBM: Has Pangea been able
to help partners or customers
through this period?
DC: “We built innovative
solutions and worked to the
wire to meet the new needs
of our partners and their
users.With the home becoming
the new oce, our home Mi-Fis
played a big part in keeping
workers connected to projects,
colleagues, and loved ones—
especially for those facing
broadband installation issues, or
battling with family members
for bandwidth.
“We also connected one
of the pop-up Nightingale
hospitals for COVID-19
patients; we drove the solution
across the country to our
partner, so the hospital would
be ready for an inux of
patients.And we helped a
partner deploy 65 COVID-19
testing stations across the
UK, using enterprise-grade
connectivity and static IPs; all
delivered on the same day they
were requested.
“e biggest challenge we
tackled was keeping children
connected to their education.
When schools closed in March,
education moved online—but
many kids had insucient
or no connectivity to access
their lessons and learning
resources.at impacted as
much as 24% of the student
body for some schools.
“We designed a solution
combining a huge shared
data pool, our Multi-network
connectivity, and 55,000
devices for students to use at
home. But to win the deal, our
partner needed to meet the
government’s safe-browsing
regulations—so we launched
our new mobile content
ltering solution to secure
the deal for our partner and
protect vulnerable students
from web-based threats, like
malware and adult content.
CBM: Where do you see the
opportunities for partners to
help move customers into a
digital world?
DC: “Partners: the nation
is looking to you to lead
society into the new normal
with back-to-work IoT and
connectivity solutions.Mobile
connectivity is more important
than ever right now—as
shown through the healthcare,
education, public, and private
sector solutions that kept the
world turning despite xedline
trac bottlenecks and
broadband installation delays
in the pandemic.
“And IoT is keeping
employees safe from harm with
tech like remote temperature
scanners, social distancing
monitors, crowd control apps,
and fully automatic robots. It’s
also saving money for businesses
on tight budgets; and in some
cases, businesses wouldn’t even
be able to stay open without IoT
solutions like ePOS.
“If you’re a futurist, the
arrival of Gigabit LTE is
your chance to capitalise on
the newest, most powerful
4G solutions and devices
without having to wait for new
networks to rollout. And if
you’re providing 4G services,
mobile content ltering is
an easy value-add for your
portfolio. Your customers will
thank you for protecting their
devices from malware and
phishing, keeping harmful
content away from their
end users, and helping them
meet Internet compliance
regulations.
“Lastly, for ISPs, mobile
L2TP is a massive opportunity
to monetise your network.
You’ll expand your solution
oering, get more value out
of your LNS, be ready to
provide 5G services, and most
importantly tap the lucrative
mobile market; all without
changing your any of current
equipment or services.
CBM: What is your take on the
Huawei announcement and
the impact on 5G rollouts?
Dr Arslan Usman (DAU):
“It’s hard to deny Huawei’s
importance in 5G progress
so far, as one of the leading
5G powers. And the timing
isn’t ideal either, with the UK
operators having invested
plenty into Huawei-related
equipment—which they’ll now
face the time and monetary
cost of replacing.
“As UK operators rethink
their 5G strategies and rollout
schedules, it’s a given that
there will be an impact on
the Channel; but it won’t be
a massive one. e market for
Gigabit LTE (called 4.5G or
pre-5G by some) is growing
fast, along with the number of
new, compatible devices. is
is a signicant opportunity
that will keep savvy Channel
players busy with new
business opportunities in the
meantime.”
CBM: What does this mean for
the future of 4G?
DAU: “4G has a bright future in
store. With Gigabit LTE as the
new kid on the block, there are
plenty of devices like enterprise
routers, cellular routers
and user handsets hitting
the market. It’s an exciting
opportunity for stakeholders
in the 4G playing eld to
really stake their claim, while
operators take the time to sort
out their 5G strategies.”
12 | Road to Full Fibre 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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