Connectivity
Mobile 4G and 5G data
Mobile data for staff on the move, 5G fixed wireless for sites that need a connection quickly, and a backup router that takes over automatically when a fixed line goes down.
Who it is for
Businesses in Teesside and the North East whose people work from vans, sites, homes and customers' premises, and any office that runs on a single internet connection: when it fails, so do email, Microsoft 365, card payments and, increasingly, the phones. Also a new site that cannot wait for a fixed line to be installed.
What you get
SIMs and routers supplied, set up and supported by our own team: data plans sized for how each person works, 5G fixed wireless where it serves a site as well as a cable, and a backup router beside your main connection that switches traffic to mobile data within moments of a fault and back again when the line is restored, with the phones and card terminals carrying on.
The problem
Your people work from vans, sites, homes and customers' premises, and your office connection is a single point of failure. Both need a connection that does not depend on a cable.
Most broadband outages are not the provider's fault and many take days to fix. A contractor digs through a duct, a vehicle hits a roadside cabinet, flooding gets into an underground chamber, a component fails in the exchange. Repairs that need civil works, permits or traffic management take days, not hours, and the cable outside your building is shared with the rest of the street. For a business that runs everything over one line, that is a long time to be offline.
A backup router with a 4G or 5G SIM sits alongside the main connection. When the line drops, traffic switches to mobile data automatically, usually within moments, and switches back when the line is restored. Email keeps arriving, cloud applications stay connected, hosted phones keep ringing and card terminals keep taking payments. Mobile data does not share the cable in the street, so it is not affected by the same fault.
The same connection serves staff who are never at a desk, and it can serve a site outright: 5G fixed wireless is a fast alternative to wired broadband where coverage is good, installed in days, and often the right answer for a new site while a fixed line is on order. Signal varies building by building, which is why every order starts with a survey of which network performs best where the router will sit.
To see what your connection gives you now, run the speed test: download, upload, latency and jitter in under a minute, with no name or email needed.
What Odyssey provides
- 4G and 5G data SIMs for staff working away from the office, with plans sized to how each person works
- 5G fixed wireless access as an alternative to wired broadband, or as a stopgap while a fixed line is on order
- Backup routers that fail over automatically from your fixed line to mobile data, and back again
- A coverage survey of which network performs best where the router will sit, and whether an external antenna is needed
- Secure access to company systems from anywhere, over the same policies as the office
- Hardware, SIMs, set-up and support from our own team in Stockton-on-Tees
What is included
| Included | Detail |
|---|---|
| Survey | Which mobile network performs best at the site, measured where the router will sit, and whether an external antenna would help |
| Data plans | 4G and 5G SIMs for staff and devices, sized for how each is used, including a backup plan sized for a few days of full use rather than a few minutes |
| Hardware | Routers for fixed wireless or backup use, and antennas where the survey calls for them, supplied and configured by us |
| Failover set-up | The backup router configured beside your main connection so traffic switches automatically on a fault and back when the line returns, with hosted phones and card terminals carrying on |
| Testing | The failover tested at handover and again after any change to the network, so it works the day it is needed |
| Support | Faults, changes, SIM swaps and plan changes handled by our team, answered within three rings |
Not included, or sold separately
- The main connection
- Business broadband or a leased line is a separate service; the backup sits beside it
- Mobile phones and the calls on them
- Handsets and voice plans for staff are supplied through business mobile phones and SIM cards
- A guarantee of coverage
- Mobile signal varies building by building and the survey tells you what the site can expect; where coverage is poor, broadband, ethernet or a microwave link suits better and we will say so
- Priority between applications on the backup
- If the backup is smaller than the main line, we agree with you what runs first (phones and payments) and what waits (large uploads and updates); the design is part of the set-up, the applications are not
- Cabling and Wi-Fi inside the building
- From the router onwards is networking and cabling, by the same engineers
How it is delivered
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Survey the signal
Which network performs best where the router will sit, measured on site, and whether an external antenna would help. Coverage varies building by building, so this is never assumed.
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Size the plans
For staff, a plan for how each person actually works. For a backup, a plan sized for a few days of full use, because a backup is idle most of the time and then carries everything.
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Install and configure
SIMs and routers supplied and configured by us, the backup router connected beside your main line, and the failover rules set: what switches, what takes priority if the backup is smaller, and what switches back.
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Test the failover
The main line is pulled, the switch is timed, the phones and card terminals are checked, and the line is restored. The test is repeated after any change to the network, because a backup that has never been tested may not work when you need it.
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Support it
SIM swaps, plan changes, new starters and faults handled by our team, answered within three rings.
Why trust Odyssey with this
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1987
Supporting North East businesses since 1987
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3
Calls answered within three rings, and a director is always reachable
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In-house
All work completed by Odyssey employees, never subcontracted
- Delivered alongside our own business-only core network
Questions people ask
Can mobile data keep us online if our fixed line fails?
Yes. A backup router with a 4G or 5G SIM switches traffic over automatically within moments of the line dropping and back again when it is restored. For most offices the switch is barely noticeable, and hosted phones and card terminals carry on.
Can 5G replace fixed broadband?
It can, where coverage is good. 5G fixed wireless access is a fast alternative to wired broadband and can be installed in days, which also makes it the usual stopgap for a new site while a fixed line is on order. The survey tells you whether your site qualifies.
What is the difference between 4G and 5G?
5G offers faster data transfer, lower latency and more capacity than 4G, which means quicker downloads, better video calls and support for more connected devices. 4G remains a dependable backup where 5G coverage has not arrived.
Will 5G fixed wireless work at our site?
It depends on the mobile coverage at your site, which varies building by building. We survey which network performs best where the router will sit and whether an antenna would help; where coverage is poor, business broadband or an ethernet or microwave link suits better, and we will say so.
How much data does a backup need?
A backup is idle most of the time, but when it is needed it carries everything. We size the plan for a few days of full use, not a few minutes, and agree what takes priority if the backup is smaller than the main line.
Can staff reach company systems securely over 4G or 5G?
Yes. Staff working from vans, sites, homes or customers' premises reach company systems over a mobile data connection under the same security policies as the office, with their devices under management.
Do you test the backup?
Yes, at handover and after any change to the network. The main line is pulled, the switch is timed and the phones and card terminals are checked, because a backup that has never been tested may not work when you need it.
Is a backup enough, or do we need a second fixed line?
For most small and medium businesses, mobile backup gives most of the protection for a fraction of the cost. For a business that cannot tolerate any downtime, a leased line with a contracted fix time, or a second fixed connection by a different route, may be the right answer, and we will do the sum with you.
Challenges this helps with
Related services
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