The New Nation - Internet Edition

BUSINESS REPORT

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is likely to issue licences to 13 individuals and joint venture companies today to open call centers in the country for facilitating trade and commerce.

The BTRC is going to issue licences to these companies under the first phase. BTRC Chairman Major General (Retd) Manzurul Alam will handover the licences to the eligible companies.

Sources at the BTRC said they had, so far received about 35 applications from individuals and business concerns for setting up such call centers.

"We have examined the applications for the call centres in order to issue licences at the shortest possible time," said a BTRC official.

He said the BTRC would issue licences for call centers following the existing laws of Bangladesh.

"We believe that significant changes to the country's socio-economic condition will be achieved through the opening of these call centers," said Manzurul Alam.

"The business expansion of mobile phone operators and foreign IT firms through call centre business will obviously benefit Bangladesh's entry into the sector's booming multi-billion global market," a BTRC official said.

He, however, stressed the need for creation of market at home and abroad for call centre business and capacity building of workforce to reap optimum benefit. The aspiring call centre companies have already taken a move to create skilled human resource in the area through imparting training.

A call centre, which is a centralised office used for receiving and transmitting a large volume of 'requests' by telephone, is a booming business, and some Asian countries, particularly India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are enjoying its full benefit with the help of a vast and cost-effective workforce of educated, English-speaking personnel, low-cost technology and state support. Of around US$40 billion global market, India alone fetches around $1.0 billion yearly. English speaking countries including USA, UK and Australia are major destinations of call centre business.

Call Centres are actually technology centres that can be used for many purposes including direct telephone answering, customers call into the center with specific issues or problems, developing potential sales opportunities, customers queries for rate quotes on products, handling sales generated from a direct mailing, television or other advertising program, email processing, answers to customers' specific problems or questions, interactive Voice Responses.

According to the guideline of BTRC, the licences for operating call centre will be of three categories - call centre, hosted call centre and hosted call centre service provider - and the licence fee will be Tk 5,000 for each category as one-time fee for an initial term of five years.

The licence shall be valid for five years, upon expiry of which the licence may be renewed for subsequent terms, each of five years' duration. The licensee will have to apply for renewal one month before expiry of the licence.

"Within six months from the date of issuance of licence one will require to start business of the call centre," another high official of BTRC said.

He said an individual could apply to obtain licence for operating the call centre with a copy of his trade licence and Tax Identification Number. "There is no restriction in operating call centres by mobile phone operators and foreign IT firms," he said.

Call centres are expected to help reduce cost of doing business by the local and foreign companies as well as contribute to the country's export earning.

He further said: "The call centres could earn a handsome amount of money even from local market by rendering services to local and multinational companies including bank, insurance, NGOs, and others."