Gradwell Communications has been at the forefront of cloud communication technology for over 20 years, constantly evolving and advancing their technology. We spoke with CTO and Co-Founder, Peter Gradwell, about their connectivity options and how they can help you choose the solution best suited to grow your business.
What connectivity options do you offer?
We offer a complete suite of high-speed broadband, super-fast fiber and dedicated business leased lines.
How are your Broadband packages structured?
Our Broadband packages are determined by the combination of speed and service levels. We figure the connection speed needed based on the number of employees, number of VoIP calls, video calling, etc. We then determine the service level required, e.g. do they need a 4-hour response, a backup connection, etc. Based on that information, we can choose the relevant fast/super/ultra-service.
What is the difference between a leased line and a broadband connection?
A leased line, or dedicated fiber, is when there is a physical fiber optic connection installed from your business premises to your local telephone exchange, allocating a dedicated path and reserving you the required “speed” all the way to the nearest internet exchange point. As a result, you get dedicated bandwidth and a very high service level.
A broadband line, typically “fiber to the cabinet” is a copper wire from your premise to the end of the street and then fiber optic back to the exchange, and beyond. In this model, the available bandwidth is shared across all users on the same cabinet.
Finally, in the UK & many parts of the world, there is a rapid roll out of fiber to the home connections, where a fiber is installed to the premise, but again on a shared bandwidth model, making it more cost effective for consumers and small businesses.
What Voice Services do you offer?
Gradwell offers cloud-based voice services for business, which includes our Hosted PBX service, SIP trunking, and services like 3CX phone systems and Microsoft Teams Direct Routing (bring your own calling plan to the Microsoft Phone System).
What is a cloud-based phone system and what are its advantages over an onsite PBX?
Our cloud-based system is one large centrally managed phone system where customers all over the world can connect their phones by plugging in to their local broadband connection. The advantages are increased scale & reliability (a large cloud-based system, not a single on-site device) and a broader feature set (the system is constantly being developed and improved). This works well for employees in an office or working remotely as it allows multiple locations to be connected into a single system. Additionally, this type of system is usually more cost effective.
What is 3CX and how is it different than other phone systems?
3CX is a popular phone system for small and medium sized businesses. It contains a lot of advanced features and packages a web meeting solution, mobile apps, call center functionality and phone system features in one simple piece of software.
We’re one of a very select number of 3CX approved solution providers, meaning we help customers with everything from licenses and hosting to SIP Trunks and support.
What is a SIP trunk?
A SIP trunk is a method for connecting a phone call to or from the public phone network over the internet to a customer’s own dedicated PBX/phone system – either in their office, or increasingly, in an internet datacenter.
Can an existing phone number be transferred to Gradwell?
Yes, we a part of “number porting” programs in the UK and many other countries which allow customers to migrate their phone numbers to Gradwell.
How can your customers access your support services?
Our support team is based entirely in the UK from our head office in Bath, Somerset. They are available by phone and email and we’re constantly working to give our customers the best possible experience.
Gail is a Technical Editor and Interviewer for Website Planet. Her first PC was a TRS-80 which required a cassette tape to boot up. Producing websites, emails, and banners combines her love for design, technology, and of course, writing.
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