aql Operations Director, Melissa Hendry being presented with the ISO accreditation certificate by Mr. Neil Urquhart of CQS (Certified Quality Systems) Ltd.

As part of aql's ongoing commitment to Security, we are pleased to announce that aql has gained ISO 27001 accreditation. The ISO 27001 is the internationally recognised standard for Information Security Management Systems, which is obtained following a robust audit of all Information Security policies, procedures and working practices.

Melissa Hendry, Operations Director of aql commented: "Security is and always has been at the heart of aql. We have invested heavily in both our infrastructure and staff over the past year and done so always with security at the forefront. Gaining an ISO 27001 accreditation effectively demonstrates our on-going commitment to information security and we are delighted to receive our accreditation."

To complement ISO 27001, aql will be looking to achieve ISO 9001, the International standard for Quality Management Systems in early 2012.

(Right to Left) Dr Adam Beaumont, Anne Oldknow, Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Reverend Alan Taylor, Neil Charlton and Roger Garnett (Leeds Civic Trust)

We've put together a pdf brochure to celebrate the unveiling of our Civic Trust Plaque which occured on Thurs November 17th..
Click here to download.

Over 100 attendees gathered round as the plaque was unveiled by The Worshipful Lord Mayor of Leeds - the Councillor Reverend Alan
Taylor.

The attendees included representatives from Leeds Corinthians RUFC whose
club was borne from the Leeds Salem Rugby Club.

aql's MD, Dr Adam Beaumont talked about the past uses of the Church and past ministers, including the work of the Reverend href="http://www.sihr.org.uk/Guntrip.html" target=_blank>Harry Guntrip whose important work in understanding Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) included holding mass counselling sessions in the great hall at Salem. href="http://www.raceto100.co.uk/"target=_blank>Simon Buckden a PTSD sufferer also spoke about his plight to raise awareness of the
disorder by running 100 marathons in 100 weeks.

Photos of the event can be found here

We're often asked about the history of our office building, the Salem Chapel, which is one of the first landmarks as you approach Leeds
Bridge and Leeds city centre.

The original chapel dates back to 1791, with schoolrooms being added some 60 years later and an additional 'wing' in 1908. The additional
wing was known as 'Charlton House' after the Reverend Norman Charlton. Neil Charlton, the son of Norman was also present at the unveiling
and spoke about his memories of Salem.

The full story is a piece of Leeds history - Leeds
United football club was formed at the Chapel in 1919.

After all the dust had settled Salem Chapel was left with its very own blue plaque.

Bob Tyrell (Leeds Civic Trust) with Anne and Frank Oldknow (church elders) enjoying a chat with aql Managing Director Dr. Adam Beaumont

Dan Ray (aql Marketing Officer) and Samantha Hogg (aql Credit and Risk Manager) prepare home-made mulled
wine for the ceremony, behind aql themed cupcakes generously donated by Charli Ward of
Cupcakes Leeds.

aql are now a member of the datacentre alliance, a professional association comprising of industry leaders from across the data centre industry.
The Datacentre Alliance (DCA) aim to set an industry wide standard in data centre quality and management, as well as promote
their “best
practice” ethos across the entire UK datacentre industry.

The DCA was formed by a group of industry professionals to clear up confusion around the classification and rating system that was apparent
in the industry, this confusion led to many long fruitless journeys to visit a data centre that didn’t live up to expectations. The DCA
believe that the design of a data centre should meet the purpose it is intended for, however this is much easier if there is a
trusted resource with
knowledge, expertise and insight, based on trial and error, innovation and experience. The DCA aim to be this resource.

The DCA code of best practice concentrates on the key factors of running a successful data centre, things such as robust operational
procedures to minimise human error (which is the leading cause of data centre failures) as well as to ensure that any member data centre
complies with its energy efficiency guidelines which they believe should be incorporated into the very fabric and design of any data centre operational
plan.

aql will lead by example, we share many of the same core beliefs, values and principles as the RDC, including the promotion of industry
standards, best practice and continued improvement across all aspects of data centre design, build and operation.This partnership
will bring
together all sectors of our industry and achieve a reliable industry standard that will continue to grow and serve the data
centre community
as a self-regulating industry in the future.

To Learn more about the DCA click here!

aql HQ, Salem church was the chosen host for the formation of IXLeeds (a neutral, not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point (IXP) based in Leeds).



The organisation was made official at a meeting held at aql (which is also the site of the IXP) on 12th September 2011 when the 12 founding members signed the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association to incorporate the newly formed organisation.



The IXP brings to fruition, many years of work by many organisations, and was born from a group set up in 2008 to promote the collaboration of
network operators in Yorkshire.

The organisation is supported by Communications Minister Ed Vaizey who said “I'm delighted to hear of the success of IXLeeds. The project
is a prime example of the industry cooperating for the benefit of all parties and it will help put Leeds and Yorkshire on the 'Internet
Map'.”



aql MD, Dr Adam Beaumont added “We're excited to support IXLeeds and to play our part in making it happen. It's a success story of
co-operation between all the significant regional operators and will bring benefits to both the ISP's and the end users".



aql are one of the founding members and host of IXLeeds, which will streamline web traffic in Yorkshire by allowing data to be sent directly
without having to go via London IXP’s. This will result in more efficient internet access and an improved end user experience.



Official IXLeeds site.



Read our Press Release HERE!!

Left to Right : Will Hargrave (Director, LONAP), Mike Hughes, Adam Beaumont, Managing Director (aql, Thomas Mangin (Director EXA Networks), Mark Fordyce (Managing Director, York Data Services), Emma Frost (IXLeeds), Daniel Piekacz (EXA Networks), Rob Evans (JANET(UK)), George Taylor (Digital City Region). The 'photographer' was Andy Davidson (Director, Hurricane Electric))

The meeting of members of the leeds-based peering point, IXLeeds, was held on the 22nd of July at aql's Leeds head office. Present were representatives of the industry from companies including Netsumo, Digital City Region, EXA Networks, York Data Services, Hurricane Electric, JANET(UK), LONAP, Sleek and others.



The meeting was to acknowledge that the exchange requires a more formal constitution as it grows and starts to play a more critical part in West Yorkshires internet infrastructure. It was agreed that a formal incorporation would be pursued immediately and all members would sign up to a constitution and governance framework.



This was a great day for IXLeeds - all the members round the table have supported the aims and objectives of Leeds' first internet exchange for over two years and all were excited to be part of the formation decision process. Dr Adam Beaumont, MD of aql commented "We're excited to support IXLeeds and to play our part in making it happen. It's a success story of co-operation between all the significant regional operators and will bring benefits to both the ISP's and the end users".

Benefits of IXLeeds - a Comment from aql's MD



I've been doing the 'circuit' with a talk entitled 'IXLeeds - Putting Leeds on the Internet Map'. The talk is intended to de-jargon the concept of an internet exchange point. What's most important is that the region understands what it is and why they need it..



The benefits of a regional exchange are several-fold :

• Reduces the cost of ISP's getting data from their end users to the content providers (eg iplayer) - and vice versa.


• Increases the quality of the links between regional ISP's - Did you know that most regional ISP's send your traffic all the way to London if they need to access another network in Leeds? This is bad for service quality - particularly if the traffic is 'VoIP' or streaming.


• Reduces Leeds dependency on London. This is possibly the most important point. By connecting regional ISP's and international carriers locally, it's possible to ensure that traffic is sent out of the UK 'sideways' - ie without hitting London.

Why is it Important for Leeds to be less dependent on London?



Leeds is the home of the second largest financial centre in the UK and is either the primary or secondary site for the financial institutions upon which the entire economy is dependent.



Many of these firms choose Leeds as a second location outside of London, believing that this gives them a good disaster recovery plan should there be an issue affecting the capital. However, without a regional peering point, it's very possible that an internet incident in the capital could affect both the Leeds and London based offices of these insitutions.



IXLeeds will provide the forward-looking strategy to minimise the impact to regional infrastructure of any non-regional issue and to ensure that Leeds connectivity is both competitive and reliable.

aql IXLeeds Data SIM Lanyard

And... the rest.

IXLeeds members enjoying the round table discussion

On an unrelated topic.. we couldn't resist providing personalised lanyards on 3G data SIM cards. The 3G data cards provided were kindly sponsored by EXA networks who are an aql partner, operating the 3G data cards on their own static IP addresses.

A Lancaster Bomber paying tribute to injured soldiers

The winning Men's rugby team (TSG Rhinos)

The MPS Ladies rugby team

aql help to Raise £20,000 for Help For Heroes

aql recently sponsored the "Commissioners Cup", an event for the metropolitan Police that raised £20,000 for Help For Heroes.

The event was a rugby match between TSG Rhinos and Trojans, which was a bit of a whitewash with the Rhinos taking home a 38-0 victory. In
the ladies match the MPS Ladies Rugby Team drew 10-10 with Hampstead Ladies (which was very hard fought match).

As well as the rugby, there were other events to entertain the spectators such as a Lancaster Bomber performing a stunning fly past to pay
tribute to injured soldiers. There were also demonstrations from The Firearms Unit, Mounted Section and The Dog Unit among others. Making
the occasion a treat for everybody involved.

A cheque for £14,00 was also presented by Assistant Commissioner, John Yates at the MPS Canteens with the rest of the contributions still to be collected.

Event Organiser, DS Ian Vickers said "It was a great day out. We'd like to thank everyone who gave up their precious time and money for Help
For Heroes. The final total will be somewhere in the region of £20,000, which is great. The Met is proud to help our injured soldiers in any
way we can" He continued "Special thanks go to the event sponsors ...aql who made it possible"

aql are also currently sponsoring Simon Buckden, an ex soldier who suffers from PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) who is running 100
marathons in 100 weeks for Help For Heroes. Get more info on his Twitter

For more information on Help For Heroes, visit HERE!

Team aql AKA Indiana Jones and the Temple of BOOOM!

Saturday, 25th June, aql took part in the Leeds WaterFront Festival Dragonboat Race.



The festival was a fun family event, which included 11 teams, taking part in 3 dragon boat races against each other. The top 4 placed teams
would meet in the final showdown (unfortunately our 11th placed finish didn’t quite make the grade).



The event took place over 2 days (25th and 26th June) at Clarence Dock in Leeds, the festival included live music, arts and dance,
facepainting, canal boat trips and of course the dragonboat races (did I mention that there was a fancy dress theme with a prize for best costume?)

The dragonboats are around 40ft long and had 16 rowers from each team with 1 drummer (to try to keep everybody in sync). aql found
ourselves 2 rowers short and had to recruit some assistance from some soldiers from a local army stall to fill in.



After the races had finished the event continued at Brewery Wharf where there were barbecue’s, salsa/ swing dancing lessons and a dj to
continue the party on into the night.



The event is a lot of fun and games, but there is a serious side, the annual festival which beagan in 2008 is to celebrate the revival of
the river aire (which has recovered from being 70% sewage to be a thriving source of wildlife in the past few decades, the revival has been so
successfuul that there are talks of creating a "fish pass" to allow salmon (the ultimate test of a healthy water supply) to swim upstream to return to
their breeding grounds in Malham, for the first time in around 200 years.




The whole event is organised to raise money for Leeds
based initiatives such as this, for more information on this or to get involved contact Amanda Bennett at Leeds Community Foundation on 0113 242 2426 / or email
amanda@leedscommunityfoundation.org.uk.



A programme of the event can be found here.



For more information regarding the Leeds WaterFront Festival look here.

aql posing with our new recruits before the final positions were announced

aql mid-race, giving it everything we had and still finishing last

aql posing with the Carnegie Challenge Cup

16 Year Old Paige Martin (Keep an eye out for her in the future)

19th June, 2011, Either Essex or Hertfordshire (depending on what mood they are in)



aql were proud to sponsor this years Hatfield Heath Festival, the event was a great success and the crowd enjoyed all of the events, including:

• Classic Cars Show


• The Church Flower Festival


• Irish Dancing Exhibition


• A Fun Run


• And of course the Annual Music Festival arranged by the Travelling Jam Band.











All of this in addition to fancy dress competitions and plenty of stalls and games for the town to enjoy.


There was also a falconry and ferret event???, Mr Marvels Magical Fun Show and fair ground rides.




The music festival (sponsored by aql for the past 2 consecutive years) showed some real talent with both young and experienced acts entertaining the crowds.




Some exciting new acts to keep an eye out for include:



Paige Martin, a young female artist who writes her own music. Check out her facebook page




Alfie Tobin, a male singer who wowed the crowd with his act. Check him out on Myspace




De-Railed, a young band who won the 2010 Square Rock contest. They have a Myspace as well as a Youtube account.




Some of the older more established acts included, The Jamie Fallon Band and Sax On Fire, a 6 piece SKA band.





Andy Beet (Hatfield Heath Festival Organiser) said “A big thank you from the organizers of the Hatfield Heath Festival 2011 . aql sponsored the music element of the festival for the second year which attracts young and old to enjoy a day of free music . This year there was an eclectic mix of new exciting youth and older established bands.”




Dr Adam Beaumont (managing director of aql) stated ”We're excited to be involved with such a buzzing community event for the second year and look forward to next years line-up…”

The Travelling Jam Band (organisers of the festival)

Alfie Tobin, a young acoustic performer

A cool young semi professional band named De-Railed

aql have launched a new URL shortener.



Back in 1998, aql started business as a domain name registrar. As a result, we have quite a few domains centred around the aql and aq brands. We were rummaging through our 'domain name drawer' and found we had aq.be. They don't get much shorter than this!



aq.be gives us our own way of making our news stories and releases "Twitter worthy" by shortening our URL's and links to only a few characters long.



The service is also useful for sending links via SMS, where the number of characters permitted is restricted.




Try it out HERE!

aql have signed a porting agreement with Kingston Communications, the Hull based operator will now allow customers to have their geographic
numbers, on their mobile phone (MVNO).



This is a step towards breaking down the monopoly of the areas incumbent operator.



aql’s Paul Greaves (Sales Director) stated "We see the Kingston porting
agreement as likely to act as a catalyst to competition in the Hull area and I'm
sure we'll see new specialist operators cropping up".



Read the full press release HERE!



Check out some of our press coverage:

• ISPreview


• Pre-paid MVNO
  
  
• Think Boadband
  
  
• Yahoo
  
  
• Finroad
  
  
• Surrey Broadband
  
  
• SiloBreaker
  
  
• Cable.co.uk
  
  
• Top10.com
  
  

June 8th is World "IPv6" day. This is the day that many ISP's and internet access providers make the 'compatibility pledge' or actually
'turn on' IPv6 services. The day is all about sharing the challenges that IPv6 will bring – from customer support, billing and security as
well as the opportunities – the ability to give every person and every connected 'thing' a unique internet address. To get all these
devices online, more internet address space is needed. IPv6 is the answer.



Globally, the number of connected users and devices is set to explode. This is being experienced by aql's wholesale 3g broadband platforms
supporting many of the UK ISP's as they go mobile in order to address the 'Internet of Things' also known as the machine-to-machine 'm2m'
marketplace.



Earlier this year, mobile visionary and CEO of Ericsson, Hans Vestberg, predicted the growth in the number of connected devices to rise from
5 billion to 50 billion by 2020. Much of this connectivity is fuelled by innovative new devices in areas such as e-health and logistics.
The new IPv6 scheme is essential to allow this level of expansion and the benefits it will bring.



aql are also the providers of JANET 3G, the 3G mobile data service for research and innovation, available via the UK's academic connectivity
provider (JANET (UK)). The mobile data service is uniquely placed to offer support to UK research projects that need mobile internet
connectivity.



aql's pledge to ensure scalable support for connected devices is to provide IPv6 mobile connectivity before the end of 2011. aql are already
working with leading strategic network operators and ISP's to achieve this. Internet Minister Ed Vaizey states "It's great to see
proactivity and collaboration to keep Britain on track to support next generation access and the 'Internet of Things' which will drive the
UK technology industry forward".



There's support from other aql partners - Andy Davidson, Director of European Operations (Hurricane Electric) adds 'Hurricane Electric are
the world's largest IPv6 network backbone, with 1500 connections to other IPv6 networks and are working closely with aql. We believe IPv6
enabled services are essential to facilitate the mobile m2m business models and services of the future, and we look forward to assisting aql
shape the new face of mobile internet.'



Dr Adam Beaumont, MD of aql stated "As the preferred connectivity supplier for the academic community, we're keen to support
connected-device projects from inception. aql are also dedicated to innovation and to working with government initiatives such as 6UK. This,
coupled with our relationship with JANET UK to provide JANET 3G, who offer an industry-beating m2m tariff, means we can support from
prototype to commercial rollout and be able to fulfill any opportunity".



aql's unique relationship with 3G networks allows aql to enable any ISP or network operator to layer their own internet addresses onto aql's
rebrandable SIM's. This means that the UK's fixed line ISP's can go mobile, providing innovative solutions to fixed line customers. aql are
dedicated to ensuring that as the fixed line ISP industry rolls out IPv6, they can do this in the mobile domain without any problems.



Adrian Kennard, Managing Director of ISP Andrews & Arnold "We've been providing IPv6 to customers for 9 years and we welcome the chance
to extend that to mobile data services this year thereby making all of our services IPv6 and future proof."

World Leading IPv6 Training Company (Erion) Colocate Servers With aql In Preparation For World IPv6 Day





June 8th 2011 is World IP Version 6 “IPv6” day. This is the target day for many ISP’s and other internet access providers to make their network compatible with the new future-proof internet addressing scheme.





Wholesale telecoms and data network operator, aql, are launching their commercial IPv6 colocation offering on June 8th. This is not just a
toe-dip, but the day that the doors open at aql for any customer or enterprise to install servers in aql's datacentres and to be assigned
IPv6 internet addresses.





Early adopters of the service, such as IPv6 specialists Erion, have been operating IPv6 on the aql network for a number of months, providing
useful feedback to ensure aql's service is fit for purpose. David Holder, MD of Erion states “As one of the world's leading IPv6 training
companies, we are delighted with the native IPv6 service from aql. We have been users of aql colocation and voice services for many years.

Now with aql’s deployment of native IPv6 we will be able to decommission our IPv6 tunnels to our aql servers. The switch over to IPv6 at aql
took only a few minutes and we were successfully operating over native IPv6 almost immediately."





Dr Adam Beaumont, CEO of aql explains more on IPv6 and the bigger picture - "industry research has predicted growth in the number of
connected devices to rise from a current 5 billion to a staggering 50 billion devices by 2020"... He continued "In order to get all of these
devices online, more internet address space is needed and only IPv6 can deliver this scalability. This is proving a huge technical
challenge to many organisations, both fixed and mobile operators. However - aql are committed to delivering IPv6 and are supported by
massive proactivity and enthusiasm from the community including industry experts and longstanding aql partners such as David Holder of
Erion, Adrian Kennard of specialist IPv6 ISP AAISP and Andy Davidson of Hurricane Electric, the largest IPv6 global network provider. All their help and insight is invaluable to achieving this goal."



View Press Releases HERE (IPv6 Day Pledge) and HERE (Erion Colocation)

Asteroids Galaxy Tour lead Vocalist Mette Lindberg

Back in December 2009 aql launched an on hold music service with ie:music, the service allowed unsigned music acts to upload a snippet of
an new or upcoming song to be listened to by our customers whilst on hold.



One of these featured bands “The Asteroids Galaxy Tour” are currently featured on the new Heineken advert.



Watch it HERE!



Congratulations guys!



Asteroids Galaxy Tour facebook page



You can buy their album now on iTunes!

JANET 3G, powered by aql has definitely hit the news. The unique service which allows users to get a 3g SIM, Dongle, or 'myfi' unit has captured the imagination of the press!



The service also includes a machine-to-machine 'm2m' data solution, allowing JANET 3G to support innovative research services and spin-offs which need mobile connectivity - such as e-health and telemetry.



A summary of the coverage so far is listed below ...

• PrepaidMVNO - Network access on the move with new JANET MVNO



• Wireless Federation - Janet Partners with aql



• Virtual College - Universities to get e-learning remote access from aql



• TelecomPaper - Janet Teams with aql for 3G mobile data service



• Mobile Today - JANET launch mobile broadband MVNO



• Broadbandchoice - 3-Mobile powered network to offer Universities remote access



• Yorkshire Evening Post



• JANET UK Coverage



• Techwatch - JANET 3G announced for mobile learning



• IWR - Academics get network access on the move



• MCLEAR - eduroam goes 3G in the UK



• Guardian - JANET 3G to go live in June



• The Research Centre - JANET UK enables network access on the move

From left to right: Tom Gardner (Wholesale Sales Manager Hutchison 3G), Tim Kidd (Operations Director JANET(UK)), Dr Adam Beaumont (Managing Director, aql)

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey supports new aql partnership

aql and JANET (UK) have teamed up to provide a new service to education organisations across the UK.



The service will allow academic and support staff to access learning resources on the move and allow students to “remote learn”.



Communications minister Ed Vaizey thinks the service will push the UK towards it’s goal of having the best broadband in Europe. He
said “I am delighted that the education sector is putting in place plans to provide wireless broadband for the academic community.
This is a really exciting development and will help us achieve our goal of having the best broadband in Europe by 2015."



The service will combine aql with JANET (UK), Three and MDS.
Our MD, Dr Adam Beaumont said “This is a partnership where we have taken best of breed to create a unique product. aql is bringing
together MDS, providing a scaleable billing solution and Three, offering high capacity network access, on one platform to provide a
seamless service.” He continues, “In order to be able to provide a service to education and research, we need to be scaleable and cost
effective. We believe we’ve achieved this and are keen to be rolling out JANET 3G to the JANET community.”



Full Press release can be viewed HERE!


JANET 3G will be available from June 2011.

Matt posing pre-race with his aql lanyard

One of aql’s own ran in the London Marathon this weekend, finishing with a very impressive time of 04:04:36 (4 hrs 4 mins 36 sec).



aql Office Administrator/ Credit Controller Matthew Kitchen (Matt to us) impressed us all with his commitment and determination in his training, taking part in many aql sponsored park run’s in preparation for the big day.



For those of you who aren't familiar with Parkrun - it's an (inter)National weekly running event - open to all - meeting at many parks at 9am on a Saturday. Where runners can register and print off a barcode that is scanned at the beginning and end of each 5k run to record your times.

You do not have to race against anybody, or you can race against everybody! (if you're the competetive sort) The choice is completely up to the runner.



aql will soon be enabling Parkrun with an interactive text messaging service, sending race information and "personal best" txts to parkrunners nationally and internationally.

Sandra Bras (RIPE Trainer)

The event focussed on IPv6 training presentations. IPv6 is the future of networking, creating an additional 3.4 x 10 to power of 38 (a HUGE number) IP addresses. aql have recently incorporated this into our own systems and are now “future proof”. The former system IPv4 is becoming dated and can no longer match the continued demand for more devices to be connected on a global scale. IPv6 solves this and is seen in the industry as the “present” as well as the “future”.



The IPv6 for LIR training course, aimed to ease fears related to IPv6 deployment(through the use of examples and practical exercises), allowing businesses to focus on their IPv6 deployment plan. Attendees received a CD copy of any course material as well as a printed copy of any slides used.



The event covered:

1. The Internet Registry System

2. IPv4?

3. Business Case

4. IPv6 Basics

5. Addressing Plans

6. Getting IPv6 Address Space

7. Deploying IPv6



It was assumed that anybody in attendance will have had prior knowledge of IP terminology as well as practical experience running an IP network.



For further information, please visit RIPE

Some RIPE attendees enjoying the show

RIPE IPv6 attendees

Sandra Bras presenting to RIPE IPv6 attendees

UKNOF (UK Network Operators Forum)

On Wednesday, 20th April, 2011 aql hosted the 19th event for the UK Network Operators Forum (UKNOF).



The UKNOF acts as an open forum for information exchange related to networking technologies and practices.



UKNOF aims:

• To improve technical co-ordination between IP network operators within the United Kingdom

• To enhance the efficiency and stability of the UK's network infrastructure

• To allow engineers to share knowledge and best practice for network operations and security

• To create an OPEN environment with participation available to all players in the industry: large and small, established and innovative

• A minimum of three UKNOF events will be held annually



Funded fully by sponsors and voluntary contributions, UKNOF allows free participation during meetings for anybody working in the UK network operator community. Annual operating costs are underwritten by subscriber sponsor organisations, who duly appoint representation to the UKNOF Funding Council.



"UK Network Operators' Forum is proud to have our 19th meeting generously hosted and supported by aql. An important part of UKNOF's mission is sharing Internet operations knowledge across all of the UK, and it is great to be in Leeds for the first time. Our panel on the upcoming World IPv6 day should be of particular interest, and we're looking forward to hearing more from aql's Managing Director, Adam Beaumont about the Leeds Internet Exchange project."
Keith Mitchell, UKNOF Chair


For further information, visit: UKNOF

Rev. Adrian Kennard of Andrew and Arnold ISP holding sermon

20th April, 2011, historic Salem Church in Leeds hosted its first sermon in over 60 years.

IPv6 "evangelist" Rev. Adrian Kennard of Andrews & Arnold 'preaching' about L2TP (Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol) connectivity, complete with a 'hymn' board displaying RFC's rather than page numbers!



aql have worked with Adrian and his team for years - AAISP provide business broadband and communications services and their sister company, Firebrick, provide a range of low energy consumption routers and security appliances.



Adrian's audience included some of the brightest people in the Internet world, but none of them could find a question that Adrian couldn't answer!



Salem Church - which is the only surviving 18th century dissenting chapel in Leeds, was closed in 2001 and restored by aql in 2009 as our company HQ. The last reverend to hold sermon at the church was the Rev. Harry Guntrip in the 1950’s, who is famous for his psychoanalytic therapy work following the second world war.



The talk was the warm-up to UKNOF (UK Network Operators Forum). This event, hosted by aql, was a great success. Held at both aql HQ and at 46 the calls, including an evening of dutch pilsner and sunshine on the penthouse balcony, overlooking the Leeds skyline and river aire.

aql MD Dr Adam Beaumont (right) listening to the IPv6 Evangelist

Andy Davidson of UKNOF(left)and chair of IXLeeds Internet Exchange

The Travelling Jam Band at last years Hatfield Heath Festival

aql will sponsor the Hatfield heath Festival for the 2nd consecutive year. The event is a fun day out for the whole family, has live music, irish dancing, fashion shows, fancy dress contest, dog shows, falcons and ferrets exhibition???



Alongside village presentations there will be a fair for the kids and a fun run for those with any energy left after all of that.



Hatfield Heath is a village in either Hertfordshire or Essex (they can’t seem to make up their minds) and throw the festival annually to give a fun day out for the community, last year even included a marriage.



Last year was a great success and fun was had by all involved.



I’m sure you will agree that there is something for everyone. We hope to see you there.



The event will take place on 19th June 2011, between 12-9pm.

Linx (London Internet Exchange)

aql hosted an event for The London Internet Exchange (Linx) Northern, at our Leeds offices,



the event gave Linx members a chance to tour our data centre and network with other Northern business contacts.



The London Internet Exchange (Linx) is one of the leading global IXP’s (Internet exchange points).



Membership of Linx provides access to the highest quality peers and excellent service at minimum cost.

Another recent event for aql MD Dr Adam Beaumont was the Networkshop 39 event which was held at The University of Hertfordshire on Tuesday, 12th April, 2011.



Adam presented on 3g Data Sim Service at 5.45pm in room N001.



Networkshop is a must attend event for people in the IT industry. Featuring over 45 specialist IT suppliers, exhibiting throughout the 3 day event.



As well as the event, there was also be a chance to take part in a 15 minute tour of the University of Hertfordshire data centre, which is the first European university to comply with the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres. The centre has been described as:

“an exemplar to the Sector that proves that efficiencies can be achieved no matter how small the data centre”.



For further information on this event check HERE

05/04/2011 11:56:33

Yorkshire Mafia Event a success for aql

Left to Right - Samantha (Credit & Risk), Jason (Technical Support, Ray (Head of Sales), Mundia (Senior Account Manager),
Melissa (Operations Director), Anita, Imran (Account Managers)

aql were proud to attend the Yorkshire Mafia Conference on 15th March, 2011 at the Royal Armouries, Leeds.



The Yorkshire Mafia is a business membership group that brings together executives from the Yorkshire business Community to meet, network, share experience, learn, build relationship and trade (where appropriate) in a more informal relaxed setting.



As a proud member of The Yorkshire Mafia, aql were present at the conference and were represented at our presentation stand (stand 36, for
those interested).



We'll certainly be attending the next one and thanks to "The Don" and the team for all the hard work pulling the event together.
.

Ray (aql Head of Sales)

Anita (aql Account Manager)

aql were well represented at the recent UKUUG (UK Unix (and Open Systems) Users group) Spring 2011 Conference, the event was held in Leeds on 22nd- 24th March, 2011 at 3 Albion Place.



Our very own Dr Adam Beaumont presented a talk titled IXLeeds - Putting Leeds on the 'Internet Map' on Thursday morning. A copy of the slides he presented can be found HERE.



The annual event is sponsored by some of the biggest names in the telecoms business, including Google.



The event itself consisted of social meetings, dinner at The New Conservatory, consisting of informal drinks and pub food. Giving those in attendance a chance to mingle and partake in “non-tech” chat.



Dinner at aql’s local The Royal Armouries, for a fabulous oriental 2 course banquet.



And of course the event itself, the timetable for which can be found HERE.

24/03/2011 15:00:31

BT PC FAX & BT PC Txt - Powered by aql

aql have operated the BT PC FAX and BT PC Txt services for the last 3 years on a whitelabel basis on behalf of BT.



The reason BT chose aql to operate the service is due to our large choice of telephone numbers which could be assigned in real-time over a simple web portal.



It has now come time for aql to integrate these customers into the aql.com portal so we can provide the same levels of support to BT customers as we can to existing aql customers (Dedicated account managers, escalation contacts and an auditable support tracking system).



The services have operated on aql platforms and infrastructure since they were first launched, so there won't be any changes in functionality or reliability - just a different logo on your invoices !



If you are a BT PC Fax or BT PC Text customer, please note - we're a much, much smaller company than BT and we can be very flexible and reactive - If you've got a custom requirement, please talk to your aql account manager on 011 33 20 30 40 - they'll be happy to help.


23/02/2011 15:13:03

Existing and new number portability capabilities

Another 'behind the scenes' area where we expend a lot of resource and time is in talking to other communication providers and entering into agreements such that we can move their numbers to our network and vice versa. There's a common misunderstanding that numbers can just be 'moved'. In many cases, the losing network does not have any agreements with other carriers. Many of our numbers have porting capability with most UK telco's. Below is a summary of our porting agreements - If you need advice as to whether a particular number can be ported, please contact our porting desk (porting@uk.aql.com)



A bit more information about setting up porting agreements with operators : It's a multi-stage process. First we have to approach the operator concerned and present our porting agreements. This then goes through several rounds of legal dialogue, taking anything between a few weeks and (in some cases) ...years...! Once the legal process has been agreed, we then need to complete the engineering to ensure that there is a stable and reliable path between the third party operator and ourselves for the calls to flow via. This has to be done for every single number range (every single geographic and non geographic area). This means that, prior to any port, we need to check that it's indeed possible to port the number you wish to move.



The good thing is, most of our porting agreements are bilateral. This means that you can also move most aql numbers to other operators. We believe that we're working harder than any other operator to proactively establish porting with the rest of the industry - this is a costly and time consuming process, but in the interests of you, the customer.



Below is a summary of where we are with the various communication providers in the UK.

Note: We can also port numbers from any provider which is hosted by a tier-1 with whom we have already completed service establishment. For instance, Vonage are fully hosted by Gamma, so we can port any Vonage number. The best way to check this is to use our Network Lookup portal



If you're unsure how to port numbers or who to liaise with, please log on via aql.com - the main login screen will display your account managers' name and direct phone number - just give them a call - they'll be happy to help.

Ofcom have recently proposed that all communication providers (such as aql) are charged £0.10 per number per year for all numbers held. This would result in an additional charge of £1.4 million which aql would have to recoup via number rental annually. As you can imagine, we don't want to have to charge this and I'm sure you, the reseller and customer, do not want to pay for this levy.



Our legal and regulatory liaison has written a detailed response itemising how this levy would damage our business model and that of our resellers. ITSPA, the internet telephony service providers association has also responded similarly. We're letting you know about this mainly so that you get an insight into the work we do in the background as a network operator to keep the service running smoothly and competitively.

The sinister-sounding "Yorkshire Mafia" began life back in November 2008 with a purpose to help the Yorkshire business community trade and encourage stronger and longer-lasting relationships.



This is the first conference The Yorkshire Mafia have held and we were keen to show our support. The conference is being held a few minutes away from aql's offices at The Royal Armouries in Leeds and is open to all. aql will be at stand 36 and we hope you'll stop by and say hello!



More information can be found on:http://theyorkshiremafiaconference.com/exhibitors/stand/36



If you need parking - aql has approximately 60 spaces in Leeds city centre - please let genevieve.whitaker@uk.aql.com know and we can arrange this!

This is the show where you can catch almost all of the aql team. Our poor support desk and account team are left to fend for themselves in the Leeds office whilst we make our way to the Unified Comms Expo. It used to be called the 'Voip show' many years ago. However although IP comms is still relevant, aql's wholesale mobile service is centre stage, with many of the IP telephony service providers now going mobile with an aql-powered mobile offering.



This year we'll be unveiling our remote hosted femtocell platform allowing ITSP's (Internet Telephony Service Providers) to bolt private mobile technology onto their existing infrastructure. Please come down to see us! - Ray Shephardson, Paul Greaves, Melissa Sherriff, Sam Roberts and myself will be on the stand, along with representatives from some of our partners including Provu and Dataselect.

The UK Network Operators Forum are a series of events usually held in January, April and September throughout the UK. The events act as an open forum for operational, technical and engineering information exchange related to backbone networking technologies and practices.



The objectives of UKNOF are as follows :

1. To improve technical co-ordination between IP network operators within the United Kingdom


2. To enhance the efficiency and stability of the UK's network infrastructure


3. To allow engineers to share knowledge and best practice for network operations and security


4. To create an OPEN environment with participation available to all players in the industry: large and small, established and innovative

This event is open to all interested parties, but please do RSVP to UKNOF so they can let us know numbers. It should be an informative day with a series of short talks and lots of networking opportunities. aql will be supplying high speed wireless access (50mb/s or so), which means that you can spend your day at aql and make sure you don't fall behind on any work you need to do. Contact us, or UKNOF for more information.

3GSM mobile congress is the largest annual global event for mobile service providers and network operators and is the premier event in the aql calendar. It's where we forge new relationships and find SMS and voice routes to networks which were previously
unreachable.



Swedish Beers is a party which has been running for around ten years, attracting the mobile
aggregators, mobile networks and content providers. This year aql sponsored the event in February which ran at 'Dos Trece'

We've been operating email to SMS services since 2000 and we serve around 23 of the FTSE 100 alone with this service. Email is one of the simplest and most accessible interfaces to most companies - simply add a special email address to your address book and click send - allowing the office to communicate with mobile workers instantly. Mobile replies are routed back to email too.



As information security requirements tighten, there's a need to protect communications across the internet. aql now operate a separate encrypted email gateway which upports 'TLS' - Transport Layer Security. Why didn't we do this sooner? Purely because some email systems get confused by TLS and we don't want to mess up services for existing customers. If you have a need to ensure end to end security
compliance, please contact us to find out how to send SMS to our TLS enabled gateways. They have the same levels of resilience as our existing service.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Parkrun - it's an (inter)National weekly running event - open to all - meeting at many parks at 9am on a Saturday. Parkrun have now added aql and Three to their prestigious list of sponsors.



What is Parkrun... Well.. Entrants sign up at the parkrun site and then print out a barcode to identify themselves.



At 9am, all runners depart for a 5km "race" (you don't have to race against anyone, but it brings out the competitive streak in many, old and young!).



At the finish line, you present your barcode and your result is recorded automatically. You can view your past times and personal best time at the parkrun site and compare your times with over 100,000 active participants.



aql will soon be enabling Parkrun with an interactive text messaging service, sending race information and "personal best" txts to parkrunners nationally and internationally.



See you at a Parkrun Soon??

Following our recent mailout, we've received a number of replies wanting to know more about our next datacentre build. It's not just a datacentre but also a forum for technology discussion. We're looking forward to hosting some of the northern LINX events, UNNOF, IXLeeds and similar events in the new auditorium when completed.



Similar to last time, we're now offering options on datafloor space. This is similar to buying a city centre flat "off plan". aql charge you the setup fee for the rack footprint in return for reserving the floorspace. We then give you an option to take up that space within 3 months of the facility opening and we only start billing the monthly fee once you install equipment within that 3 month window. Please drop a reply if you wish to discuss reserving space.



Although there are other northern datacentres: City centre datacentre space, with high capacity bandwidth providers, such as Cogent and plenty of on-site parking and loading are rare!



To see the datafloor design click here to download a PDF. The ground floor is a single datafloor (although we can accept advance orders for partitioned cages), quadrupling our capacity at our main Leeds site. The first floor area is partitioned from the ground floor by a secure laminated glass ceiling. The first floor is being restored to its original form - as an auditorium for 450 seated attendees.



It's our most ambitious project to date and we intend to achieve completion and commissioning of the Datacentre phase by the end of 2011, with some of the auditorium renovation continuing into early-mid 2012.

There's a fair number of questions arising from our L2TP service arising from some of the limitations within the Three UK network infrastructure. Below is a quick list of points and where we are:



• Jumbo Frames - We've completed our switch upgrades and reconfiguration to support "jumbo frames". We've also performed some end to end testing and it looks good. However - because there are quite a few connected parties, connecting via different switches in different DC's and a lot of permutations of routes across our network, we urge you to test and let us know your findings. If you find that you're not getting jumbo frames end to end, we can then make sure that we get you up and running asap.



• Subnet Support - Three are working on this and we have agreed an interim change to allow Subnets to be assigned to SIMs. They are a little concerned about rolling out this change prior to Christmas due to imminent network freezes. However, this is the first task of next year.



• From-device authentication. It seems that this can be supported, but it has not been implemented by Three in the past. It is part of the featureset of their Nokia appliances, but when it is enabled, it causes routing issues. This is currently with Nokia as a bug report from Three. We do not have any timescales yet for resolution.



• Framework agreement - just back from our lawyers - will be presented to you all just prior to Christmas - We've kept this very lightweight.



• Second point of interconnect - we're now accepting data connections from partners into both our Leeds and London sites for added resilience - please talk to Craig Hopkins (craig.hopkins@uk.aql.com) to progress this if required.

Just a reminder to our MVNO partners that there was an updated MVNO document in December - this covers off a lot of information about APIs and processes. It also has extensive information on the different types of CDRs we can provide and also our value-added billing service through our partnership with Martin Dawes. Click here to download the document.



Provu SIM management
Additionally, a further reminder - Provu can help you with your SIM stockholding / picking / packing. This relationship is going very well. We're keen to streamline the boarding process for our MVNOs and it seems that the actual requirement to deal with physical SIMs and hardware is something that most want to avoid! Darren Garland is the Managing Director at Provu and he's keen to chat with any of our partners with regards to SIM provisioning. He's available via darren@provu.co.uk // 01484 840048.



Provu can hold stock of SIMs or other devices on your behalf and dispatch them at preagreed rates. If you don't have a relationship with a hardware supplier, we recommend you give Phil Sambrook of Data Select a ring on 07813 560 004.



MicroSIMs for Apple devices
At the moment, Provu and our partners are using cutting tools to cut down sims to make them compatible. We're currently evaluating a microSIM form-factor for future SIM orders (optional).



We should have trial samples available in January. In the interim, please talk to Provu or for small quantities consider a 3g sim cutter (available online via eg. http://www.cutmysim.com/!!

There are plenty of advantages to giving children mobile phones (such as them being able to call in an emergency). However, one of the concerns surrounding the supply of mobile phones to minors is that it's an unmetered mechanism for third parties to communicate with that child. There's a solution to this ...!



We've been working with the team at Crisp for a number of years now. We've joined forces to create a service which uses the Crisp "anti-bullying/anti-grooming" engine to parse text message communications. This is available as a bolt on service to aql's Voice MVNO product at a wholesale basis billed per subscriber per month



There's two parts to the service:



• An API to transit the messaging via http://aql.com/mobile/developers/sim-api/#crisp and;
• a portal which highlights any suspicious messages: http://www.imsafer.com/



Note - this is not just a keyword detector. Crisp's relationship engine has been developed and fine tuned over the last 5 years, processing huge amounts of data for virtual worlds, gaming chat and forums for some of the largest global brands. If you'd like to know more about how you can trial the service, please contact us by reply!

For most businesses, snow and bad weather has a major impact. Staff can't make it to work on time (or at all). Sites can close due to ice, heating failures or other issues.



It's worthwhile considering what to do in advance of such impacts. Part of your strategy to minimise impact should be to ensure that your staff can work unencumbered. There are many factors. For example :



• Are they now a lone worker? Do you have a mechanism for ensuring their safety?
• Can they access the company systems securely from home?
• Do you have a mechanism for communicating with them wherever they are? (such as via SMS)?
• Can you re-divert their office phone easily elsewhere?



If the answer to any of these questions is "no", then please reply to this email or contact Ray Shephardson (ray.shephardson@uk.aql.com) - he'll be happy to advise. This Christmas has been the busiest ever for aql because we've been busy solving our customers access and remote-working problems.



Here's some more examples as to why our services become invaluable at this time of year :



• Many specialist operators use our messaging services to send texts to their engineers - including some of the largest engineering contractors in the travel and transport industries. When the snow affects the logistics of these operations - SMS text messaging allows efforts to be coordinated remotely.



• Messaging from teachers to parents - many schools route their messages via our partners systems into aql's wholesale SMS platforms. On many days we've routed over a million messages before 8.30 in the morning.



• Remote access - When many enterprise and government workers need to work from home - It's necessary to gain access via a VPN connection. For security best practice, a password is sent to each user via SMS and is changed on a daily basis. This is known as "two factor" authentication. Again - this is a busy time of year for aql. Many of the large names in two factor authentication use aql. To our knowledge, we're the only security vetted messaging provider in the UK - so we have ideal pedigree for this kind of sensitive application.



• Deliveries - Many of the UK's large retailers streamline their logistics operations via SMS. This is used both to keep the drivers informed of any last minute changes, but also to confirm and remind the customer of their imminent delivery.



• Systems monitoring - a large proportion of the UK's enterprise-level companies use aql as the mechanism to alert engineers of any systems or infrastructure failures within their own organisations. This is especially critical over Christmas.



• In addition to maintaining the operation of all of our service platforms. We're undergoing a massive amount of network upgrade work over Christmas, so please spare a thought for our engineers who will be running cables and installing routers over the festive period! This work is necessary to underpin our growth over the coming year. We hope we get the opportunity to underpin your business growth too!

Back in October 2008, a meeting of northern Internet Service Providers was facilitated by Yorkshire Forward (The Development Agency for Yorkshire). The turnout was surprisingly good and the meeting identified that there was business to be done. Representatives from Zen, NYNet, LONAP, UK Solutions, Cable and Wireless, York Data Services, Exa Networks and LINX were all present.



Following this, the idea of creating a northern-based internet exchange was created. Further meetings followed and two sites were chosen in Leeds for the purposes of hosting the peering exchange.



Representatives from JANET and LINX offered their expertise to perform due diligence on the proposed sites - aql passed with flying colours.



Plenty of time has passed, but, 2 years on, we're proud to announce that IXLeeds will be ready for peering at the end of this week. I'm presenting IXLeeds to the European Peering Forum in Cannes this week, along with Thomas Mangin of EXA Networks. EXA are a business ISP and will be one of the first to peer on-site.



What this means is... aql's DC2 facility in Leeds will offer the greatest diversity of carriers for internet connectivity and also a
mechanism for ISPs to exchange data which is independent of London or Manchester. For more information on peering, please contact
Andy Davidson --> andy@ixleeds.net.



Or.. if you just want to be kept abreast of what's happening :



Twitter http://twitter.com/ixleeds
LinkedIn Linkedin
Facebook Facebook

An interesting name for a development corporation...! However, LSD's role is to respond and contribute to sustainable development in Leeds.



Through this process of consultation, it's been highlighted that the area surrounding aql in Leeds has been earmarked to become an urban park! aql's historic buildings will become the centre of this green area within the city. The presentation makes an interesting read - Please click here to download.



If this goes ahead, it will mean that engineers visiting the datacentre will be able to relax, play football or go for a jog! Check
3g mobile hotspot.

At your request, we're constantly adding new pages and features to our site, making it easier to use or adding more functionality. A few notable links are below (for best results please log in to your aql account before following the links).



1) We've improved our network lookup. You can now identify which network a phone is on (ie whether it is abroad, in the uk and whether it has been ported onto another network. We can also provide information as to whether the handset is live or not - ideal for list cleaning - contact us to discuss pricing which will allow you to clean your lists in a cost effective manner.



2) You can now search through all your past support queries online based on keyword or phrase. This makes it simple to revisit any past advice or track multiple related issues.



3) aql operate a range of services on the three.co.uk 3g mobile broadband network. We also allow access to a coverage and congestion checker. This interface is free to use and provides information based on postcode, so that you can integrate the service with your order processes, ensuring your customers have coverage prior to shipping/ordering.



4) Nothing to do with the website - But By Customer Request ! Showers ! Because our datacentre customers often send engineers to aql at night to perform maintenance and repairs, we've introduced some 'creature comforts' into our facilities. Engineers can have access to shower and washroom facilities (as well as our excellent & free coffee). Just ask.



5) Music on hold ! - We're really sorry we've had the same music on hold for so long. The band which we featured was "The Asteroids Galaxy Tour". The next band to be featured will be "Passenger". aql use our on-hold music to help promote up-and-coming bands and new albums. Please let us know what you think.

aql are continuing to expand and to that end we're expanding our representation on the board, appointing our longest-serving and most experienced members of the Team to join Paul Greaves and myself to steer aql. Welcome Darwin and Melissa.

New Technical Director - Darwin. One of the most frequently asked questions is "What is Darwin's surname?". It's not a typo - He actually doesn't have one.. This makes filing information at Companies House quite tricky. In his new role, he's now responsible for the entire technical team and strategy within aql. And he's still smiling..!

New Operations Director - Melissa Sherriff. A logical step for Melissa, whose holistic knowledge of the aql business is encompassed with responsibility for our teams of non-technical managers and also our project delivery strategy. We're appreciating the positive effect her input is having in the business already.

Internet Services Provider Gradwell has launched Gradwell Mobile using the aql MVNO platform as the backbone to the product.



Gradwell provides "Hosted PBX" services primarily to the SME marketplace, currently serving over 10,000 UK businesses, approximately 20% of the 1-10 man business community.



Peter Gradwell, founder and managing director of Gradwell, said: “This is the perfect system for business people who are on the move, ensuring they can be contacted quickly and efficiently and avoiding the need to check both landline and mobile phone voicemail messages. It’s also valuable to small businesses and sole traders, meaning that those without a physical office can still benefit from the professional image associated with use of a landline number rather than a mobile number.



“We’re delighted to be working with the Three mobile network and their MVNO enabler, aql, to launch this new strand of the business and blazing a trail for the industry. It’s a really exciting development to be involved with and having spoken to many existing Gradwell customers I’m sure this will prove to be hugely popular.”

Since 2005, Crispthinking have been providing unique and innovative anti-bullying and internet predator detection systems to increase the online safety of big-brand forums and virtual worlds. In the UK, Crisp utilise the aql network for their online systems, with equipment in several different aql facilities.

The images show aql Sales Director, Paul Greaves and Crispthinking CFO, Brendan Doherty in their new boardroom at aql, overlooking their newly renovated office in aql's grade II listed building. The second photo shows (left-right), Adam Beaumont (me!), Paul Greaves, Adam Hildreth (Crisp Founder) and Brendan Doherty.




Crisp have now taken this one step further and moved their business into aql's Salem Chapel in Leeds City Centre. The Crisp offices consist of a beautiful 2000 square foot Congregational Hall built in 1908, providing a contrast between the historic building and the highly technical backdrop of Crisp's unique product.





aql are pleased to be working closer with Crisp and are collaborating on a joint project which we'll be announcing later in 2010.

As we gear up to support our MVNO and enterprise messaging partners expansion, there's a lot of 'behind the scenes' work, allowing us to ensure that our business processes allow us to expand with minimal growing pains. We're introducing more performance indicators, particularly to ensure our customer service and account management teams are running at 'optimum'!



We'll be texting you a business card (VCard) to your phone in the next few weeks, with your dedicated account manager and escalation details should you ever need it, including direct dial details.



Additionally - if you ever are unsure of the escalation process for any issue within aql, please log in and then click on this page. A screenshot of the page is shown here. Every customer has access to the contact details and direct dial/email for all layers of management and directors. And of course, my number is in the footer in the unlikely event that anything ever need escalating further!

As many of you will be aware, we're working closely with Ofcom and BT to produce a channel-oriented, automated interface, allowing customers and channel partners to update the location/address information. We hope to be launching this interface in October. In the meantime, we ask that all subscribers, resellers and channel partners start to ensure that they have up-to-date and accurate data for each subscriber line where possible.



So that you, our resellers, can be preparing this data in advance ready for the launch of our API and web interface, the data we will require is of the following type :



all * are compulsory

• number* : telephone number



• postcode*



• effective_date : Date on which the command associated with the listing is to be executed. Format used must be YYYYMMDD (where Y = Year, M = Month & D = Day)



• name*



• title



• forename



• honours



• business_suffix



• premises



• thoroughfare : The thoroughfare name and type Examples: Byron Close, Suffolk Lane, and High Street.



• locality : Village or an area within a town and Town if possible.



• line_type : This is for DDI/VoIP type number ranges or it basically will add a flag to show that the record which is being sent may not reflect the actual location of the caller. Options for the population of this field are EXT, DDI, FNET, or VOIP. Any of these possible mnemonics will flag to the Operator as well as an Emergency Authority who has the EISEC service. (This allows the Emergency Authority to see the name and address details we have for a customer at the time of a 999 call).



We'll be keeping you informed as our systems go live and documentation is available. If you have any questions in the interim, please don't hesitate to contact your aql account manager.

Back in 2008, aql won the ITSPA innovation award for our SMS Relay service which is now active on over 72 million numbers in the UK.



The service was created in partnership with BT Wholesale, who have now renewed the contract for the service for a second extended term,
allowing us forward facing assurance to all communications providers using the service.



Unfortunately, however, in the drive to reduce costs within BT, it is no longer possible to load additional numbers onto the SMS Relay platform because of restrictions in the core routing tables within some of the operators and the costs to expand the service further.



This means that :

• • Any existing numbers which are currently active, will remain active


• • Any new numbers which have not yet been activated, cannot be activated

aql Sales Director Paul Greaves has been a helicopter pilot for over a decade. He kindly donated a pleasure flight as a prize for the Sylvia Wright Trust, who registered their domain names with aql back in 2002.

Sylvia Wright, a Leeds nurse and Senior Lecturer at Leeds Polytechnic (now Metropolitan University), sold all her possessions in Adel in 1982 and went alone to care for the poor, sick and disabled in one of the poorest areas of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. She now runs a 220 bed hospital, a boarding school for 225 profoundly deaf children, two centres for 80 severely disabled children and a recently opened nursing college. Sylvia Wright has been awarded the MBE and OBE in recognition of her outstanding humanitarian work. More details can be seen at www.sylviawright.org

Below is a picture of the prizewinner, Harry Lee (a former Senior Aircraftsman) enjoying his trip over the North Yorkshire moors. The following picture shows Harry and his lifetime friend and Sylvia Wright supporter, Hilary Thackray along with Paul Greaves, aql Sales Director (centre). Paul Greaves stated "I'm pleased to be able to support the Sylvia Wright Trust and Harry, as a former aviator, was clearly thrilled to be back up in the air."

ITSPA, The Internet Telephony Service Providers Association, have awarded aql the ITSPA quality mark. This mark is awarded to eligible ITSPA members who demonstrate clear defined customer service specifications and adhere to ITSPA's defined frameworks for :



• Porting numbers (in and out)
• 999 Calling
• Membership of an industry standard Telecommunications dispute resolution scheme
• Operate a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for liaison with other telecommunications operators and also the Home Office and other agencies.



More information on the quality mark can be found here.

8th April 2010 - aql was host to the 5th "Leeds Interconnect", discussion, with delegates from Thales, Janet(UK), Zen, Geo, Globalcrossing, Exa, Ioko, and many other leading and influential operators. The "old billiard room", one of a suite of rooms within aql's recently restored Head office, provided a spacious meeting facility for round table discussion for the 30 delegates.




We're pleased to announce that the Summit was a success and aql intend to host the next event in approximately 3 months time.

If you're an aql channel partner and would like aql to co-host an event which has relevance to our sector, please contact Melissa Sherriff (01133 20 30 30). Our city centre site has parking for 60 and we can accomodate events for up to 70.






Click here for more event images

The main symptom of this outage is a busy or dead tone when trying to dial numbers. This will be caused by the call from one phone provider to another trying to pass through one of these unavailable routes. Although BT have been working hard to redirect calls through other sites, some calls are still experiencing this.

Initial estimates within BT suggest that this may take several days to fully assess and repair the damage caused, however we'll ensure to follow up with more as soon as it becomes available.

Update: April 6th 2010
BT have confirmed that following serious flooding in the North Paddington exchange, resulting in the serious failure of their network equipment there was a loss of service to a large number of end users in parts of North and West London and to a lesser extent throughout the UK.

Due to the severity of the flooding and the damage caused, there has been a major recovery operation, but we are pleased to confirm that BT engineers are now reporting they successfully restored all services to customers.

We have restored all our normal routes, and there will be no longer be any impact to our capacity as a result of this incident.

01/04/2010 10:00:00

aql wholesale mobile mast rollout - 3000 new sites by october

The aql wholesale mobile service operates on the 3 UK 3g network. 3 underwent an aggressive mast rollout, acheiving 10,000 3g masts earlier this year.



Following the t-mobile/orange merger, this has boosted the available network estate which 3 can leverage. A plan has been announced by 3 to roll out a further 3000 sites by 10th of October 2010 (10/10/10) bringing the total 3g estate to 13,000 masts. To find out if you have 3g coverage in your postcode area, or to integrate this into your order processes, please see our coverage API or text your postcode to 88588 (Free!).

03/03/2010 09:55:09

High Speed Internet in Leeds (and most other places).

22nd Feb - Leeds -



aql have completed the first steps in a Leeds-Centric fibre rollout, allowing high speed data access to local businesses.



The service allows local companies access to 100mb/s connectivity, providing working efficiencies and cutting transfer time for large data users.



aql's plans for 2010 are to expand the service to 100's of additional businesses following a cookie-cutter model. If you're interested in the savings your business can make by not having to wait for downloads and emails - please get in touch. All we need to know is your address and postcode and we'll advise on availability and cost/options.



Click the links below to view the current press coverage :



The Guardian
Comms Business
Yorkshire Evening Post
Pocket Lint
Broadband Genie
Public Tech
Frontline
ISP Review

ERT Online
BM Mag

Lightreading
MSN
Cable.co.uk
ZDnet
Top 10 Broadband
Techwatch
The Telecom
Discuss Broadband

22/02/2010 15:35:01

aql is appointed as 3 m2m partner

aql have been appointed by 3 as an m2m (machine to machine) MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) - Enabler (MVNE).



What does this mean? It means that aql can provide wholesale access to the 3 network to companies needing data for remote devices. aql can rebrand SIMS and allow the MVNO partner to own the customers.



It's been reported that there will be over 50 Billion connected devices on the planet by 2020. 3 have recognised aql's expertise and capability of building MVNO's on the 3 UK network.



aql intend to build 10 voice and 10 data MVNO's each quarter throughout 2010, through an unbundled approach (for more information see aql.com/mobile. This simple access approach allows aql to build more voice and data MVNO's quicker than any other operator partner in the UK.



To see the full press release click here



To view the current press coverage please see below.



MobileMarketing Mag
Mobile News
TMC Net
Euro Investor
CNBC
Mobile Today
TMCNet
Rethink-Wireless
Silobreaker
PR-Inside
FC


20/02/2010 13:47:25

3 mobiles can now be tracked via the aql location API

aql are pleased to announce we're the first mobile messaging aggregator to offer "mobile tracking" services on the 3 network. This service is available via our webservices API.



Location based tracking is ideal for putting a mobile user through to a local office, or checking which employee is nearest site. For more information or to arrange a trial, please contact us.


13/02/2010 12:48:05

aql - set for expansion - hiring account managers!

We're pleased to announce that the renovation of our offices and training rooms in our Grade II listed Leeds city centre location is now complete. We now need to fill them. We're looking for capable account managers and channel managers to help us roll out our new suite of 3G data services into our existing reseller and enterprise community. If you want to work for aql - please see our careers section.

18/01/2010 11:54:07

aql continues sponsorship of Leeds City Council webcam.

The webcam was installed by aql engineers back in 2000 and has operated fault-free for the last decade. The images are hosted in aql's secure datacentres and the camera itself is monitored every 30 seconds 24/7.



The cam overlooks millennium square in Leeds city centre, where you can currently see the construction of the temporary ice rink, which is built in the square each January.







aql are committed to many local projects and initiatives, including a quarterly local networking event for the electronic, media and creatives industries, hosted in our grade II listed landmark offices.



Please contact us to receive an invite to the next event or to find out how aql could use technology to change the way you work.

09/01/2010 17:30:55

Snow stops play? Use aql to bridge the gap.

Another record day for mobile messaging alerts! (school closures, train and bus cancellations).



If your business is likely to be affected by snow, why not try our E-Burst service. This allows you to set up a special aql number. When you text to this number, your text can be relayed to all your staff or customers - ideal to keep everyone informed.



If you are needing to work from home, why not use aql's free conference bridge, with hundreds of local access numbers both in the UK and globally, this makes remote collaboration simple and quick.



To use either service, simply log into your aql.com account and follow the link. If you need any help, don't hesitate to give our friendly support a ring on 011 33 20 30 40.

05/01/2010 11:02:51

aql offers Encrypted SMS storage service

aql's high capacity messaging platforms have always offered the ability to perform historical message searches. However, to do this, means we need to store your data, which in some instances may be sensitive.



In addition to the option to delete data after sending, we now have the option to encrypt all data with your own cryptographic key. This means that we can archive historic messaging data using high strength encryption.



If you'd like to discuss the benefits of this service, please contact Mark Lodge (mark.lodge@uk.aql.com // 01133 20 19 18) - he'll be happy to advise.

18/12/2009 11:51:33

aql Christmas Party and Housewarming

Thanks to everyone who came to the aql Christmas Party and helped to make it a success!



This year the party was held in the newly restored "Billiard Room", within our Grade 2 listed Chapel.



Around 120 guests attended and many chose to take part in a torch-light guided tour around the unrestored parts of the buildings.

We were also pleased to be able to show prospective clients the progress on our datacentre build, which is now well underway.




The event was the first that has been held on the site for perhaps a decade, but which we hope marks the first of a series of monthly events which we'll be hosting in conjunction with our event partners at the opposite side of the river - the Leeds Design Innovation Centre, 46 The Calls. We'll also be alternating venues on a monthly basis.

Presented by Geoff Lawler, himself a former MP, founder of the Company which has worked on many issues covering anything from dog welfare to the licensing of stretch limos, and including major energy questions, diabetes treatment, the regulation of chiropractors and new laws affecting landlords.




The event and the bacon butties were both a success. We pride ourselves on hosting events which are a break from the normal "technology" topics.




01/07/2005 19:26:14

Latest aql sponsored talk - Full to capacity!





aql have been sponsoring breakfast briefings for LeedsMedia, a consortium of leeds based media and technology related companies. We've been dragging members out of bed at 8am on a Friday morning each month for a full breakfast and a short talk from a guest speaker.



Past speakers have included the MD of ITV yorkshire, representatives of Xscape, Marshall ward and others.




The briefings have been growing in popularity. This months' briefing was by S W A M P, a leeds based agency who talked about their creation of the new UMBRO website and was a sellout even at our new larger venue of the SAS Radisson.



Image shows Andrew Brown from S W A M P (left) and Adam Beaumont from aql.

25/05/2005 13:02:00

New Resources for Resellers

In response to numerous enquiries from resellers, aql has created a collection of scripts which form a simple SMS website which can be re-branded by resellers and hosted on their own servers. It allows users to sign up and also for an administrator to assign credits.



The script can be downloaded from here and is offered for free distribution. An aql.com account is required in order for the script to send SMS.



This is the first version of this script and as such, we welcome your feedback. Future plans include incorporating worldpay payment pages.


28/04/2005 13:29:14

Upgraded SMS Capacity




Following significant investment in additional infrastructure, aql® now has extra routes into the mobile networks to handle further traffic and offer greater per-network redundancy.



In addition, we now have failover routes available into Hutchinson 3 giving further PSMS resilience.


12/01/2005 14:49:44

WAP isn't that yesterdays news?

A recent publication in the mobile press by aql® highlights how WAP is not past-technology, but one of the few well-developed standards available to mobile and handset operators. If you've ever downloaded a polyphonic ringtone, you've used WAP-push, the "new" WAP.



Click here to view the article as a pdf document.

08/12/2004 18:01:15

Free Broadband Phone Calls : Voice over IP (VoIP)

The aql® broadband telephony site is launched. Broadband telephony allows users to make free calls between broadband users, in addition to a host of other additional services. aql.com and sms2email.com site users should be able to log in with their existing usernames and passwords.

To sign up or log in please click here. Signup is free!


04/11/2004 12:05:06

Identex rely on aql for timely alerts

Database management specialist, Identex, uses aql.com to provide alert messages to their engineers, allowing Identex to react more quickly should any of their business critical systems need attention.

Click here to download the article as a pdf.

12/10/2004 20:05:01

Free Broadband Phone Calls : Voice over IP (VoIP)

(aq) is expanding its telephony services to land services. In less than one month, (aq) will be launching its internet based broadband phone service.
Existing accountholders can preview this service which allows inbound and outbound pc based phonecalls.



Signing up gives you a unique 0870 number. Calls to this number can be routed to your pc (you need to install some pc phone software such as the x-lite software.



You can also make low cost calls to landlines and mobiles. If you want to do this, you need to pre-purchase some call credit (Which can be topped up at any time).



Features available on your VoIP number include voicemail, voicemail-to-email, call transfer and message forwarding.



We'll be adding more features as time goes on, including geographic numbers (eg 0208 0207 0113 etc). Please contact us if you would like to trial this service prior to rollout later this month.




04/10/2004 18:02:41

New site : aql.com

As part of our expansion into fixed line telephony, we have launched a new SMS portal site. All sms2email customers can log in using their account details. The aql.com site is faster to load and easier to use.



To view the site please click here.

07/09/2004 16:52:43

(aq) sponsor Leeds Media Seminars

The following release announces (aq)s sponsorship of the 2004 to 2005 session of monthly breakfast briefings. Companies presenting a series of interesting casestudies this year include ITV Yorkshire, X-Leisure (castleford snowdome) and Yorkshire Water.

27/08/2004 11:41:59

SMS text messaging to BT landlines

Users of our Premium(uk) tariff should now be able to message to British Telecom (BT) UK landlines. This follows the release of a new service by BT which means that all BT landlines can receive texts, either via a display on a compatible handset, or, where the handset is not compatible, the recipient will receive a call with the sms text converted to speech.



Sending is the same as to mobiles - however, the numbers -must- be in international format eg :



0113 2582220 would be 441132582220.



Please contact us if you have any queries. (Note - you cannot use alpha originators - your originator must be a valid mobile number - eg +447778123456).

17/08/2004 18:07:16

" ...mobile phones, internet access, good coffee... essential business requirements..."

A short article highlighting (aq) gaining planning consent to open a high street internet cafe in the trendy Chapel Allerton area of Leeds. The cafe will, of course, have wireless access and great coffee! . To read the article click here.

21/07/2004 15:30:23

"fastest growing mobile messaging provider........"

This months INTERNET WORKS magazine kicks off a series of articles on mobile messaging. (aq) is quoted as "UK's fastest growing mobile messaging provider........".

The article advocates MMS and multimedia messaging. To read the article click here (large download).



10/06/2004 16:41:58

(aq) Sponsors Horde Project



The horde project create secure and reliable webmail portals for ISPs, schools and corporates.



(aq) is proud to be sponsoring a small development project to help the HORDE framework interface with our SMS gateways. For more information please click here.

17/05/2004 19:03:54

(aq) / SMS2email.com sponsor LeedsMedia Breakfast Briefings



(aq) has been closely involved with leedsmedia since its startup, as both a regular advertiser and Event sponsor.



(aq) is proud to be sponsoring a series of 10 breakfast briefings throughout 2004/2005. For more information please click here.

09/04/2004 13:28:21

Nagios Server monitoring recommends sms2email.com



Nagios is one of the most comprehensive network monitoring solutions available.



For more information on their network and environmental solutions, please click here

09/04/2004 12:55:59

Blogging is here!

Take a photo with your phone and send it to your sms2email.com blogging account. This allows you to display your latest images on your own website and to automatically share your images with your friends via email in real-time.



Every time you submit a new photo, your friends can log on and comment - it's a more personal way to keep in touch than simply texting.



To set up your blogging account click here

23/03/2004 18:05:32

Beep Beep ... Time to Pray....!

This is probably one of the most unusual applications of our scheduled message service that we've seen. It's captured the imagination of a few newspapers. Click here and here to view the story as a pdf document.

01/03/2004 07:54:25

Taxi Firm uses SMS to help the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

An article showing how our email to sms and sms to email systems can make it easy for busy companies such as Taxi firms to send and receive SMS. The article shows how the system lends itself perfectly to Taxi booking for the deaf and hard of hearing.



To view the article as a pdf, please click here.

06/02/2004 06:55:00

Desktop SMS : Version 1.2.1 released !

Desktop SMS version 1.2.1 released :



We're ahead of schedule again. Version 1.2.1 of our desktop SMS application is now available.



The new release can be downloaded here



Thanks to our customers feedback, version 1.2.1 offers the following new features :

o Send from address books and distribution lists

o Create/edit/delete Address books and distribution lists

o Proxy support - support for corporate internet access

o Message scheduling - queue messages for sending at a particular time

o synchronises with your sms2email.com settings



The above features are in addition to the original features (including our secure 128 bit encrypted message transmission).



21/01/2004 12:49:08

SMS works for radio ads ..

SMS is the ideal medium for interaction with your radio audience. Our radio ad says it all....



A search on google will find some of our users. Simply search for our main gateway number - 07766 404142 or click here



18/12/2003 21:12:40

Desktop SMS : Version 1.1.1 released !

Our first release of our desktop SMS software for windows (tm) operating systems, allows easy messaging from your desktop. Click here to download [5.3MB] [md5 checksum b6a0510dd5f8ba28e9c79ab38f51cfaf].



The application connects to our SMS gateway via a secure 128-bit encrypted connection, protecting your messages from being intercepted.



Version 1.1.1 Features :

1. Secure messaging


2. Remembers your password (no logging in and out)


3. Synchronises with your online address book

We're looking for customer feedback so that we can improve upon the application for release 1.1.2 scheduled for mid to late January.