Cellhire – Mobile News

Cellhire partners get better EE access from BT Wholesale’s new suite of services

Staff Reporter — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:33:30 +0000

Cellhire is adopting BT Wholesale’s new Complete Mobile proposition to give its channel partners enhanced access to EE with contract flexibility, pricing improvements, and bespoke branding.

Complete Mobile is BT Wholesale new project that provides the wholesale channel with portfolio of tariffs designed for mobile resellers to access to EE. It went live last month for new business and migrations from legacy EE contracts.

Offerings to partners include 30-day SIM-only contracts alongside 12-month and 24-month terms to overcome objections from business buyers over longer-term lock-ins wholesale channel.

Complete Mobile allows resellers to brand the mobile service to their own organisation and tailor commercial support. The idea is to help partners move beyond commoditised connectivity and build deeper customer relationships Planned portal integration for SIM management, billing, and reporting will also be available to partner operations.

Cellhire MD Matt Bennett says the initiative will unlock new revenue streams and extend reach and help partners deal with demands partners face in competing with rival wholesale offerings.

Bennet: “unlocking new revenue streams”

“Demand for EE’s network capabilities has surged, and this partnership empowers us to provide more future-ready offerings. This isn’t just about better connectivity. It’s about creating opportunities for partners to unlock new revenues, reach broader audiences, and drive sustainable growth.”

Cellhire claims to be the only company in the UK with wholesale agreements with Vodafone, O2, EE, and Three networks, and is a network provider for the eSIMSmart brand.

Cellhire wins Broadcast award for election night vote count tech

Staff Reporter — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 21:13:37 +0000

IoT and eSIM specialist Cellhire’s ‘Count Cam’ technology has won Best Tech Innovation in Live Production category at the Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards.

The solution enabled the BBC to broadcast real-time results from 369 vote-counting locations during the General Election.

The Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards were established in 2019 to promote creative and innovative uses of technology in TV and broadcast production.

Count Cam Kits

Cellhire’s Count Cam kits comprised adapted iPhones mounted on tripods with extended battery packs. The devices were connected by Cellhire’s multi-network IoT SIMs, which provided connectivity to all UK mobile networks through a single SIM. This produced uninterrupted live streaming from every voting ocation, including remote areas. The kits also featured pre-installed apps and intuitive functionality, allowing quick setup and easy use by crews.

Cellhire UK Managing Director Matt Bennett (left) and Cellhire Group Marketing Manager Anthony Pulsford.

“During the General Election, our Count Cam technology showcased Cellhire’s ability to deliver dependable and scalable services for live broadcasts of national significance. With the BBC, we set a new standard for live election coverage, offering a level of transparency not seen before.,” said Tony Guerion, CEO of Cellhire.

“This award highlights how technology can enhance transparency and accessibility during elections, where uninterrupted broadcasting is critical. Our IoT connectivity is now a cornerstone for a wide range of industries and applications. Customers rely on us for reliable, scalable solutions in high-stakes situations where there is no room for error”.

Full case study HERE

Cellhire appoints Vodafone IoT leader Tony Guerion as CEO

Staff Reporter — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 15:52:24 +0000

International mobile comms connectivity provider Cellhire has appointed former Vodafone IoT sales chief Tony Guerion as its new CEO.

Guerion has more than 27 years of experience in the communications industry. He joined Vodafone in 2010 and become Global Head of Sales for IoT in 2016.

Cellhire provides mobile communications, M2M/IoT services and data connectivity to enterprise clients and indirect partners worldwide.

Tim Williams business ambitions

Cellhire Chairman and Founder Tim Williams said “Tony’s extensive experience in the telecoms industry and his knowledge in the IoT space perfectly align with our business ambitions.”

Said Guerion: “Cellhire has developed a powerful IoT proposition, powered by its MVNO on Orange France. The significance of IoT devices in 2024 is greater than ever before. However, their effectiveness is entirely dependent on consistent connectivity. Cellhire’s IoT connectivity solutions provided resilience and cost-effectiveness”

Established in 1987, the group serves EMEA, Americas and APAC with offices in the UK, USA, France, Germany and Japan.

It has provided comms for global events providing a range of voice, data and device solutions at landmark events including the Olympic Games, the FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cup and the Rugby World Cup and will be a provider of connectivity for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

Cellhire and OV partnership extends IoT SIM offerings to clients

Staff Reporter — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 23:20:27 +0000

Mobile connectivity specialist Cellhire has teamed up with Manx Telecom IoT company OV to give Cellhire’s clients and channel partners access to more than 600 direct roaming agreements.

The multi-network partnership allows Cellhire to deploy tens of thousands of SIM cards remotely to provide more reliable IoT connectivity to devices being used in different countries.

“Many businesses use traditional voice and data SIM cards for IoT connectivity that were not designed for this purpose. This often results in high roaming charges and can cause abrupt SIM disconnections and disruptions to services without any prior warning. Our partnership with OV addresses these challenges” explained Cellhire MD Matt Bennett.

Cellhire’s IoT offering includes global roaming through more than 40 mobile network operators and services across Europe through its full being an MVNO on the Orange France network.

OV Chief Revenue Officer Paul Donaldson said, “The partnership brings together both the technical and commercial strengths of both companies to deliver exceptional IoT connectivity solutions to customers worldwide.”

Cellhire secures investment from LDC

Staff Reporter — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 13:20:13 +0000

LDC has provided more than £1.3 billion of investment to over 130 businesses in the UK technology, media and telecoms sector

Global provider of mobile voice and data and IoT communications services Cellhire has secured a significant minority investment from mid-market private equity firm LDC.

The investment will support the Cellhire management team to expand its products and service offering and develop its Internet of Things further

Cellhire offers ways for businesses and partners to stay connected worldwide and has built partnerships with Vodafone, O2 and EE through ISP agreements.

Globally, it has worked with 40 MNO’s and partnered with China Unicom at the Beijing Winter Olympics and Qatari MNO Ooredoo for the FIFA World Cup.

Its turnover increased by 42 per cent between 2019 and 2022 to £27.1m, possibly due to its recent investment in its proprietary Billing and SIM Management Platform- Atlas and expanding its M2M, eSIM and IoT capabilities.

Cellhire Chairman Tim Williams said: “Our team has worked incredibly hard over the last couple of years to strengthen our range of products and services.

“With LDC’s support we’re now at an exciting stage of our journey to broaden our proposition through technology and service.”

LDC partner and head of Yorkshire Dan Smith added: “We are excited to be backing Tim, Martyn and their team.

“They are at the forefront of innovation in the sector and we see there is huge scope to grow the business particularly as the business develops its IoT offering and the market opens up to a growing number of use cases.”

Samsung leads trophy haul at Mobile News Awards 2022

Staff Reporter — Thu, 19 May 2022 23:30:02 +0000

600 guests turn out for the biggest UK channel post-Covoid awards night

At the Mobile News Awards held last night, Samsung was the big winner at a sumptuous black-tie gala dinner and party at the Intercontinental Park Lane packed with 600 mobile industry guests.

Samsung took three trophies (Manufacturer, Online Retailer, and Innovative Product ( Galaxy Z Fold 3).

Double winners were Juice Global (Accessory Manufacturer and Environmental Sustainability), Uplands Mobiles (Reseller Under 50 Employees and Customer Service) and Sky Mobile (Covid Response Initiative and MVNO).

Warming up at the champagne reception

Other winners are:

EE (5G Application)

Satya Tech (Accessories Distributor)

Plan.com (Airtime Partner Portal)

Vivio (B2B Reseller Over 50 Employees)

Virgin Media O2 (Community Care)

BT (Converged Solution BT Halo 3+)

Exertis (Device Distributor)

Bastion Insurance (Gadget & Phone Insurance)

Tango Networks (Innovative Service – Mobile Extend)

Cellhire (IoT Service National Vaccination Programme)

Union Street Technologies (Mobile Billing)

Mazuma (Secondary Market Provider)

iSmash (Service and Repair

Gareth Turpin (Motivator of the Year)

Click HERE for photos of the night

Cellhire appoints former BT employee Griffiths

Staff Reporter — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 12:36:51 +0000

His previous role was head of sales- M2M and IoT Connectivity at BT

Cellhire has hired former BT employee Duncan Griffiths for the newly created role of Head of Sales- M2M & IoT Connectivity.

He has 35 years experience in mobile, including 10 years at BT in the head of sales position where he worked with various MNO’s and service providers while developing an understanding of the M2M and IoT connectivity market.

Griffiths responsibilities include leading the M2M and IoT sales focus for Cellhire in the UK and across Europe to drive strategic growth, and help shape business identity and bring new products and solutions to market.

Griffiths said: “Cellhire’s capability aligns to what customers demand in deploying critical M2M and IoT solutions, including technology and network choices on a local and global basis.

“With my deep and extensive experience in the market, I’m looking forward to shaping Cellhire’s M2M and IoT sales strategy, and further advancing the company as a global M2M and IoT mobile data specialist.”

Cellhire Group CEO Martyn Stevens added: “The M2M and IoT space in telecoms continues to grow rapidly. And with 2G/3G sunsetting, PSTN switch off and continued 5G rollouts, the opportunities will open up even further as businesses look for a connectivity upgrade path.

Duncan’s specialist knowledge will support the business globally, but his main focus and remit is to drive sales in the UK, France and across Europe.

Mobile companies announce connectivity support for Ukrainians

Staff Reporter — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 11:46:35 +0000

Three UK has removed roaming charges anywhere in the Ukraine and Cellhire will also provide satellite phones to media customers in Ukraine

Three UK and Cellhire have announced new support for Ukrainians as a way for them to stay connected in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Three UK will provide Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK with a free 30-day preloaded Pay as You Go SIM card, including unlimited domestic calls, texts and data within the UK.

Preloaded SIMs are available for free to Ukrainian refugees in the UK via Three’s 311 stores.

Three UK and Ireland chief commercial officer Elaine Carey said: “As a mobile network, the best way we can support is to ensure refugees arriving in the UK from the conflict and customers currently in Ukraine can stay connected to the people who matter to them.”

Support for journalists and customers

Cellhire will use its eSIM based mobile network ‘eSIMsmart’ to provide mobile connectivity over-the-air to journalists and news media customers in Ukraine.

Cellhire group CEO Martyn Stevens said: “The eSIM based mobile connectivity is essential to ensuring individuals are contactable and have a communications lifeline.

“Cellhire is supporting many companies, broadcasters and media journalists that are already on the ground or heading to Ukraine to report and broadcast on the situation.

“Our eSIM solution is an essential lifeline in these crucial times, keeping users on the ground connected.”

Cellhire unveils white-label SIM management & billing portal

Staff Reporter — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 08:00:01 +0000

The white-label approach to all alerts and emails allows reseller partners the chance to send alerts directly to the customer chain

Global mobile telecoms provider Cellhire has launched phase one of its white-label version of its Atlas SIM management & billing portal.

This will enable indirect partners and resellers to offer a branded portal to its customers and features SIM control, SIM status, data usage and billing information and spend cap control.

Phase two will be introduced later this year and will add enhancements of SIM control such as setting spend caps and alert levels and giving partners greater control.

Cellhire UK Managing Director Matt Bennett said: “The portal puts indirect partners and resellers back in control of their SIMs, usage and billing information, and alerting and spend cap, across multiple networks.

“The white-label approach will be a real aid when onboarding new partners and further enhances why UK Resellers who want to provide IoT and voice and data services to their customers, choose Cellhire as their preferred partner.”

Cellhire Group Chief Technology Officer Peter Whelerton added: “The white-label version of the portal will provide an infinite number of tiers, allowing every level of the supply chain to offer a portal in their branding to their customers with all the main SIM control functions, billing, and usage information.”

Cellhire scores 11,000 at Winter Olympics

Staff Reporter — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 14:10:17 +0000

Cellhire plans to keep providing mobile data connections for other global entertainment events in the future

Cellhire provided 11,000 mobile data connections at this year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing China.

Alongside data, the mobile and IoT communications specialists provided a voice service activated on request to the organisers, media, athletes and attendees.

The service enabled the global media to broadcast and report in real-time at the event through data bundles supplied via SIM cards, as well as mobile hotspots, smartphones and other telecoms services.

EVENT PROVIDER

This comes months after Cellhire provided a similar service at last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, via 12,000 mobile data connections.

Cellhire will offer the same suite of services at the 2022 Fifa World Cup later this year in Qatar, partnering up with local network provider and event supporter Ooredoo.

Commenting on connecting up events, Cellhire UK managing director Matt Bennett said: “Providing secure mobile data connections for use in China helped to protect user privacy and mitigate risk to personal data.

“We have an excellent track record in the global sports and entertainment fields for providing secure data connections and telecom solutions through the close relationships we have with network providers around the world.”