NASSCOM lauds DoT decision

NEW DELHI: NASSCOM has welcomed the decision by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to accept recommendations of NASSCOM and the joint (government-industry) standing committee to relax the existing conditions for sharing of infrastructure between domestic and international call centers.

NASSCOM president Kiran Karnik said: “The Indian ITES—BPO industry has registered phenomenal growth over the last few years. This decision by DoT will now enable the industry to accelerate its growth in the domestic market, even as it enhances its cost-effectiveness in the global marketplace.”

As a result of the relaxation, any ITES-BPO company with more than 50 seats is now allowed to use its infrastructure for both domestic and international call center operations, thereby fully utilizing the investment.

Companies that were using their facilities only or primarily in the night shifts to service overseas customers can now use the same facilities in the day to serve the domestic market. The change in regulations is of special significance to small companies and to captive units.

Among major changes that DoT has carried through in the present amendment are: removing turnover restrictions, allowing captive users and call centers having 50 seats or more to avail this facility, and the flexibility to choose either separate and independent EPABX or logically partitioned EPABX.