Sona Business founders talk UK entry and growth ambitions

Dutch comms specialist taps Nimans vet to lead UK business to ambitious growth

Sona Business, a Dutch connectivity and communications provider, has officially landed in the UK, establishing a new office in Hull.

The move marks a significant step for the company as it seeks to expand its footprint and disrupt telecoms in the UK.

The decision to base its UK operations in Hull is strategic, founders Sonia Harjani and Walter Perris tell CRN.

Hull's geographic location offers proximity to all three mainland UK capitals, while the city's developing infrastructure provides a strong foundation for the company's ambitions, according to Harjani and Perris.

The new office, situated in the bustling Ferensway area, will serve as the hub for Sona's UK activities.

Telecoms vet John McKindland (pictured), whose career includes 12 years at specialist distributor Nimans, has been appointed as the head of partner channel UK.

In the company's announcement, he emphasises the strategic advantages of Hull, saying: "Hull is a great location.

"It has excellent communication links, is a vibrant city, and is nearer to our Dutch operations.

"As I'm now a proud adopted Yorkshireman, it ticks all the boxes on a personal level too."

A statement of intent

Sona Business's UK entry has been planned for some time, despite some delays around the pandemic.

The comms specialist may be a new name in the UK, but it arrives with a solid international pedigree.

The company has spent the last 12 years building a reputation across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Its global operations are centred in Dubai and Rotterdam, and it is supported by a network of datacentres spanning seven countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland, the founders tell CRN.

The company's portfolio is anchored around unified communications (UC) and includes services in internet, cloud, and hosted UC.

These include hosted UC, SD-WAN, and private cloud services, with ‘last mile' access and data connections across the UK and Europe, all underpinned by a 24/7 global network operations centre.

Sona's entry into the UK is a statement of intent, the founders say.

The company aims to challenge the status quo in the UK's telecommunications sector, which it views as lagging behind its European counterparts in terms of network performance.

"The UK has taken great strides forward in recent years, but in many ways, they are still lagging behind the rest of Europe in terms of network performance. We want to raise the game and provide more choice," Perris explains.

Positioning itself as a challenger, Sona's leadership see the business as agile and responsive, in contrast to the larger providers they seek to compete with.

Perris highlights this as a key differentiator: "We are a complete one-stop-shop with a global reach.

"Equally, the short lines of communication with after-sales help us stand out from the competition.

"We are reachable, caring, and professional. In many ways, we hold the same importance as a utility provider and recognise that speed of service really matters."

Positioning for growth

The founders see the UK entry as timely amid continuing demand for reliable, high-performance connectivity solutions, particularly as businesses continue to adapt to remote and hybrid working environments.

The company's wide-ranging portfolio focuses on key demand areas such as real-time data, video, and voice communication solutions over IP.

"There's a lot of untapped resource and potential based on exceptional network infrastructure," Harjani says.

"Everything is in place to make a much bigger market impact and provide customers with unrivalled levels of product and service.

"Our new base at Hull provides us with the perfect platform to move further forward, attract new partners, and attack the UK market."

The early response has been positive, the founders claim, although they are reluctant to reveal details about the solution provider's partner network and customers.

"We are a very nimble and adaptable business with high levels of availability.

"We've been very well received in the UK so far and are always there when customers need us around the world – delivering faster, more cost-effective, and profitable services," McKindland concludes.

"The future is bright, and we're all looking forward to putting Sona firmly on the UK map from our new Hull headquarters to further expand our partner base."