Call Center and Business Process Outsourcing from Pakistan

What Does the Future Hold for the Call Center?

2008-07-29T23:03:00.000+06:00

By Anthony Mitchell

In five years, homeshoring will become vastly more popular, and Pakistan will become more of a call center hub, says ECT News Network columnist Anthony Mitchell. In addition, demand for voice services in China and India will climb dramatically, he predicts.

TRUE BELIEVER - CFO Asia.com

2008-02-02T01:36:00.000+05:00

By Karen Yap and Tom Leander

“Pakistan is resilient,” says Wattoo. “I understand [investors’] reservations, but the economic story is still robust.” He adds, “It’s a relief that many of our foreign partners can see this, too.”

Finger-thin cables tie Internet together - Y! News

2008-02-02T01:32:00.000+05:00

By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer

NEW YORK - The lines that tie the globe together by carrying phone calls and Internet traffic are just two-thirds of an inch thick where they lie on the ocean floor.

The foundation for a connected world seems quite fragile, an impression reinforced this week when a break in two cables in the Mediterranean Sea disrupted communications across the Middle East and into India and neighboring countries.

Yet the network itself is fairly resilient. In fact, cables are broken all the time, usually by fishing lines and ship anchors, and few of us notice. It takes a confluence of factors for a cable break to cause an outage.

India's booming outsourcing industry takes toll on workforce

2008-01-30T01:56:00.000+05:00

By Rajesh Mahapatra, AP

NEW DELHI -- The job came with a good salary, and good perks.

But, 26-year-old Vaibhav Vats will tell you, it was doing him no good. His weight had grown to 120 kilos (265 pounds) and he was missing out on social life as he worked long overnight hours at a call center. Eventually, he quit.

"You are making nice money. But the tradeoff is also big," said Vats, who spent nearly two years at IBM Corp.'s call center arm in India, answering customer calls from the United States.

Call centers and other outsourced businesses such as software writing, medical transcription and back-office work employ more than 1.6 million young men and women in India, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who make much more than their contemporaries in most other professions.

They are, however, facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord, according to doctors and several industry surveys.

Pakistan luring Indian BPO executives (International Business Times)

2008-01-29T00:53:00.000+05:00

By Debanjan Mullick

New Delhi - New Delhi - The success of BPOs in India has encouraged Pakistan to lure top brains from its neighbour to train their call centers' staff.

According to industry sources, people from call centers in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore are being hired by Pakistan-based BPOs to help in training, migration and integration and already 18-20 Indian BPO trainers are working in two newly-established call centers in Pakistan.

The Pakistan government is going all out to attract investment in the ITEs sector and at present there are 123 international and domestic call centers in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, with 30 more in the pipeline. On an average, these call centers employ around 3000 agents.

Cracking the Outsourcing Market

2007-05-03T19:22:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell

Successful entry into U.S. markets is difficult for outsourcing companies operating within North America. For call center and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms seeking to gain initial market entry or to expand their market share from offshore locations, it is even tougher.

The steps to market entry presented here focus on how to avoid the most common pitfalls made by information technology enabled services (ITES) companies in India and Pakistan, but are relevant to domestic companies and those from other international outsourcing destinations.

10 Tech Concepts You Need to Know for 2007

2007-01-26T22:24:00.000+05:00

From concrete that can flex to sensors that you swallow, here are the technologies you’ll be talking about.

BY Alex Hutchinson
(popularmechanics.com, Jan 2007)

Getting more from call centers

2006-11-24T02:58:00.000+05:00

Call centers are an essential part of the marketing and customer care strategy of many companies, but too many executives consider these operations a necessary expense rather than a way to generate new business. Indiscriminately moving customer traffic to a company's Web site or outsourcing call centers haphazardly can make them less rather than more effective.

Using IT to boost call-center performance

2006-11-24T02:54:00.000+05:00

Technologies that can help call centers reduce costs and increase revenues have become less expensive and more powerful.
Two such technologies—voice recognition and interactive voice response—can automate a higher percentage of phone calls because the new systems are more sophisticated and thus more acceptable to customers.

India's Latest Call centre 'scam' -BBC News

2006-10-07T23:18:00.000+05:00

India's IT industry has urged Britain's Channel 4 television to co-operate with the authorities after a sting alleging data theft from Indian call centres.

The Nasscom trade body wrote to the TV channel asking it to share its findings and expressing concern at its methods.

Channel 4, which is said to have spent a year on the report, said it was not its job to act as a "police agent".

Strikes close Indian tech capital

2006-10-07T23:15:00.000+05:00

Workers striking over a regional border dispute have brought Bangalore, India's equivalent of Silicon Valley, to a standstill.

Offices, schools and government sites were shut as activists staged a 12-hour stoppage in the state of Karnataka.

Indian BPO under siege after TV sting - Y!News

2006-10-07T23:07:00.000+05:00

New Delhi: Thursday could do a lot of damage to the Indian BPO industry. UK-based Channel 4 is all set to air a sting operation, showing two Indian middlemen selling personal and confidential financial information of UK citizens they allegedly obtained from Indian call centres.

But the Indian BPO industry is questioning the story as well as its motivation. "In the US, 148 cases of theft worth over $33 billion was reported last year. Worldwide, a French company has calculated frauds worth something like $60 billion. We are quite aware of it," an industry official said.

Pakistan agrees $43bn development

2006-10-01T01:52:00.000+05:00

Pakistan has given a Dubai property firm the go-ahead for a $43bn (£22.8bn) project to develop two island resorts.

Emaar Properties, one of the United Arab Emirates' biggest property firms, will have an 85% share in the 13-year project to develop Bundal and Buddo.

Emaar plans to develop the site near Karachi into a model city with homes, apartments, offices and theme parks.

'Free energy' technology: Irish company challenges scientists

2006-08-19T20:30:00.000+05:00

DUBLIN (AFP) - An Irish company has thrown down the gauntlet to the worldwide scientific community to test a technology it has developed that it claims produces free energy.

The company, Steorn, says its discovery is based on the interaction of magnetic fields and allows the production of clean, free and constant energy -- a concept that challenges one of the basic rules of physics.

It claims the technology can be used to supply energy for virtually all devices, from mobile phones to cars.

Man held in HSBC India scam probe - BBC

2006-07-01T19:06:00.000+05:00

Police in the southern Indian city of Bangalore say they have arrested an employee in connection with a financial scam operating from a HSBC call centre.

Nadeem Kashmiri, a data operator, has been charged with hacking the computer system which allegedly led to money being stolen from customer accounts.

HSBC said funds were taken from a "small number" of customers in UK.

Fear over India call centre fraud - BBC

2006-07-01T19:05:00.000+05:00

The Evening Standard newspaper reported that organised gangs had offered a year in wages to call centre staff in return for access to UK credit card details.

And US credit card giant Capital One pulled out of India after unauthorised credit levels were offered by call centres.

MEPs are tabling a motion on Monday at the Employment and Social Affairs Committee calling for an investigation into the issue.

Bill Miller, MEP for Scotland, who is backing the motion, says action needs to be taken before attempts to get credit card details become more widespread.

"It is a worrying consequence of the trend towards outsourcing," he said.

Powergen to shut call centres in India

2006-06-19T20:53:00.000+05:00

London, June 16, 2006

British energy giant Powergen has announced it is closing its call centres in India saying outsourcing has hurt customer satisfaction.

The company, part of the German group EON, admitted on Thursday that its use of India had a negative impact.

Indian Call Center Fraud Case Highlights Need for Change

2006-05-09T23:40:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell, E-Commerce Times

The experience of Citibank could prompt some U.S. clients to consider using smaller, better-managed facilities. It could prompt the consideration of new outsourcing locations within India, particularly Kolkata, which has an abundant supply of English-speaking talent.

Police in India announced on Thursday that they had recovered 1 million Indian Rupees (almost US$23,000) in funds allegedly stolen from Citibank customers in the U.S. by employees of an Indian call center Quintum VoIP access solutions: Integrated intelligence, nonstop call quality, easy remote management and lower TCO. firm.

The case highlights the need for a reexamination of corporate cultures and corporate ethics, as well as the sorry state of the Indian judicial system that serves as an impediment to international business and to individual safety and security there. It also emphasizes that U.S. enforcement agencies must adapt to new high-tech fraud activities conducted from offshore locations."

Dialling in....

2006-04-20T00:32:00.000+05:00

The Middle East market for call centre solutions is seeing significant business transaction and interest according to a number of key solution vendors and customers. Over the past three months, a number of key global players serving the contact centre solution market have been making their entry into the Middle East region.

Interestingly, in line with this trend, a recent Datamonitor survey predicts that the next three years (upto 2009) will see an average growth rate of contact center agent positions of 16.3% per annum in the Emirates, 7.1% per annum in Egypt, 10.5% in Saudi Arabia, 11.2 % in Oman,and 6.1 % in Kuwait."

How to Buy an Indian Call Center, Part 2: Managers and Prices

2006-04-20T00:24:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell, CRM Buyer

Establishing a solid, friendly presence as soon as possible and instituting morale-building initiatives is crucial for preserving a buyer's investment. Easing out the old managers while retaining non-managerial staff is often a delicate but necessary part of making a buyout successful."

How to Buy an Indian Call Center, Part 1: The Advantages

2006-04-20T00:23:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell, CRM Buyer

'A call center with 40 or more experienced agents can be of tremendous value for a buyer,' said Kiran Upadhya, a Bangalore-based consultant with Uni Solutions. 'At an older call center, workers will be happy to now be working for a Western firm, especially if given a 20 percent pay increase,' he said, adding, 'just give them Friday and Saturday nights off.'"

Pakistan's Seamewe-3 damaged - SeaMeWe-4 saves the day - The News

2006-02-23T12:06:00.000+05:00

KARACHI: The country’s first undersea fibre optic cable, Seamewe-3, was damaged on Wednesday morning slightly interrupting the internet and voice traffic, thanks to the recently commissioned second undersea link Seamewe-4, which save the country from an internet blackout.

A spokesman for the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) told The News that at about 8:30 am the Seamewe-3 got damaged at Gulbai area.

Reality check for Indian call centers - The Nation Daily

2006-02-08T04:25:00.000+05:00

by Muhammad Abd al-Hameed

A mountain looks so picturesque from a distance or in color pictures. When you actually land there, standing on barren earth and surrounded by stones and boulders, you wonder what is so beautiful about them. That is the difference between perception and reality. Perception is what you think you see and reality is what you actually see.

The same applies to the call centers in India. There has been so much hype in foreign and our own media that many people think it was the best thing that could happen to a poor country with cheap labor. Some recent reports from Indian sources give a reality check.

The myth is that every major company in the world is setting up its call center in India. The reality is that all call centers, according to the trade association, NASSCOM, employ 350,000 workers, which is only 3% of the world total. The next reality is that India is not the cheapest market.

World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index

2006-01-28T21:52:00.000+05:00

World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index ranks Pakistan 60th. and India 116th. among 155 countries.

Also on Ease of Starting A Business, Pakistan stood 38th. and India 90th.

Bryan Adams to perform at quake concert in Pakistan - Yahoo! News

2006-01-16T04:38:00.000+05:00

KARACHI (AFP) - Canadian pop singer Bryan Adams is to perform at a fundraising concert for quake victims this month in Karachi, becoming the first Western pop star to play in Pakistan since the start of the 'war on terror,' organisers have announced.

'Bryan is coming to Karachi to perform and help us raise funds for the October 8 earthquake victims,' organiser Salman Iqbal, who heads the private ARY TV channel, told AFP Saturday."

Pakistan heaven for investors

2006-01-05T22:47:00.000+05:00

LAHORE: Pakistan is becoming a heaven for foreign investors due to excellent policies adopted by the government.

This was stated by Vice Chairman of Dubai-based Al Ghurair Giga (Pakistan) real estate developer group Amir Pardesi.

While talking to this scribe Amir Pardesi said that investment-friendly environment was prevailing in Pakistan and maximum foreigners were rushing to invest here.

PM launches SeaMeWe-4 submarine cable for Pakistan

2006-01-04T01:01:00.000+05:00

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here on Monday launched the South East Asia Middle East Western Europe (Seamewe)-4 submarine cable system network linking the East to the West.

Speaking on the occasion, he said this cable is yet another milestone in the efforts of international telecommunication service providers to offer reliable and high-speed connectivity. The prime minister pointed out that spanning over three continents, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Western Europe, the high capacity Seamewe-4 will provide more assured and reliable linkage of 'our telecom infrastructure to the world' for which the PTCL has invested $30.41 million as its share. 'We are very proud to be part of such a diverse and ambitious cable system that will benefit millions of people in different countries and continents.'"

Pakistan's economy continues to perform strongly: Moody's

2005-12-15T06:22:00.000+05:00

LONDON (December 14 2005): Pakistan's economy has continued to 'perform strongly' and its 8.4 percent growth rate is the fastest rate in two decades, a report released by the Moody's said here on Tuesday.

'Pakistan's economy has continued to perform strongly with real GDP growth accelerating to 8.4 percent in 2004-05 (fiscal year ending June), its fastest rate in two decades, the report said.

Hilton Foundation Awards $500,000 to Islamic Relief for Shelter for Pakistan Earthquake Victims

2005-12-13T03:12:00.000+05:00

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to Islamic Relief to help Pakistan earthquake victims with short-term and long-term shelter. The Hilton Foundation grant is the first and only grant awarded to Islamic Relief by a U.S. foundation for Pakistan earthquake relief projects.

The deadly earthquake in Pakistan, which struck last October, has killed over 79,000 people, and left over 3 million people homeless. Aid workers on the ground fear casualties could rise even further as displaced people without adequate food, shelter or healthcare will soon face the harsh Himalayan winter.

The 100 Best Products of 2005

2005-12-03T04:47:00.000+05:00

When you're buying hardware, software, and services, you want the top combination of power, features, reliability, and value. That's what you'll find in these World Class Award winners--starting with the Product of the Year.

The Editors of PC World
From the July 2005 issue of PC World magazine

New submarine cable operational by next month: PM

2005-12-01T05:10:00.000+05:00

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that the second submarine cable of Pakistan will become operational from the next month, while a fibre-optic line link being taken from India.

Pakistan prime minister addressing general assembly of the Asia Pacific Tele-community here said the second submarine cable would end possibility of any future Internet crisis in the country.

Singapore is top location for outsourcing

2005-11-28T01:43:00.000+05:00

Singapore is now the world's top location for outsourcing, a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit said.

The Republic's 22.6 offshoring projects per million people beat 59 other countries, the study showed. EIU looked at data gathered by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Pakistan: Mobile phone subscribers's digit crosses 18m

2005-11-18T03:36:00.000+05:00

KARACHI: The number of cellphone subscribers crossed 18 million mark last month leaving behind an earlier forecast, which predicted 16 million mobile phone users by December 2005.

The figures compiled by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority suggest that by October 2005 cellular density in the country stood at 11.95 compared with 10.98 registered in September 2005.

Painful truth of the Indian call centre 'cyber coolies'

2005-10-31T08:06:00.000+05:00

Graduates burnt out by dreary work, unsocial hours and Big Brother-style observation - all at the end of your telephone.

Before becoming a call centre agent, working late into the night to answer insurance claims queries from Norwich Union customers, Vinita Rawat was a post-graduate student in English literature. She believes her fondness for Robert Browning and Jane Austen has given her an invaluable insight into British society, helping her penetrate the minds of the customers she speaks to 4,000 miles away.

Caller ID for Your E-Mail

2005-10-26T06:24:00.000+05:00

Jack M. Germain

When the telephone rings, most people check the caller ID window before answering. If they see the name or phone number of a family member, friend, or business associate, the conversation begins without fear or inconvenience.

The telephone equipment cannot be tricked. Even when the caller ID window displays "out of area" or "name blocked" messages, telephone users do not have to worry about risking their identity or placing personal information at risk if they decline to answer.

Permanent, Temporary Barriers Interfering With Pakistan's Internet

2005-09-29T09:16:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell, E-Commerce Times, 09/26/05 8:15 AM PT

On Saturday night, Sept. 24, an undersea cable connecting Karachi, Pakistan, and Mumbai, India, to the West failed around 10:27 p.m. local time in Pakistan. The cable fault blocked 75 percent of Pakistan's Internet Learn how the leader in Internet services can help you start and grow your business online. Network Solutions. Go Farther. connectivity to the outside world and some voice traffic as well.

Service was restored at 1:25 a.m. the next day, but has left the high tech industry in the region jittery, particularly in Pakistan.

World mobile subscribers top 2 bln: study

2005-09-19T08:11:00.000+05:00

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The number of mobile phone subscribers in the world has surpassed the 2 billion milestone Wireless Intelligence, an information service set up by industry body GSM Association and consulting firm Ovum, said on Sunday.

'The bulk of the new growth now is coming from large, less well-developed markets such as China, India, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa,' Wireless Intelligence said in a statement.

Merrill Lynch forecasts blue skies for Pakistan's economy

2005-08-09T02:01:00.001+05:00

ISLAMABAD: Merrill Lynch has forecast a Pakistan rebound and has advised investors to buy shares in the country, according to the International Herald Tribune.

China Botching

2005-08-03T01:16:00.000+05:00

by Anthony Mitchell

Not since U.S. General Douglas MacArthur stumbled headlong into war with China on the Korean peninsula in 1950 has U.S. policy towards East Asia been so ill informed. Lessons from that period appear lost upon Americans now.

The first lesson was that the Chinese know us much better than we know them—or even what our best interests are. The second is that our initial responses to China are often inappropriate.

Open Letter to Pakistan President Musharraf

2005-07-19T23:55:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell, E-Commerce Times

If there was ever a time for a country to reposition itself, now is Pakistan's time. We begin here by outlining actions that can be taken to boost the economy and business confidence, then turn to what Pakistan might do to improve its image as a safe country in which to work and invest.

This has been a bad couple weeks for your country, Pakistan. Every day brings more bad news. The worst indication is the drop in confidence among broad segments of the business community in Pakistan earlier this month, particularly the tech sector, which has been growing at over 50 percent per year and represents one of your strongest bases of support.

Whereas the world as a whole has been transfixed by the London bombings, recent telecommunication problems that cut most of Pakistan off from the outside world for more than 11 days have caused widespread economic damage.

Although press coverage had previously revealed the fragility of Pakistan's telecommunications links, most businesses in Pakistan were caught unprepared. Additional maintenance outages that were set to begin yesterday on Pakistani Internet and voice traffic traversing through Europe were belatedly averted by last-minute rerouting.

Don't Go It Alone When Offshoring

2005-07-19T07:56:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell, CEO, InternationalStaff.net

A response to Ann Bednarz's 'The Downside of Offshoring,' published by Network World on July 5, 2004.

'The Downside of Offshoring' has great pointers in it, such as going slowly and not overestimating potential savings of going offshore, particularly in a stand-alone mode.

The following comments are intended to help U.S. employers and employees gain a better understanding of offshoring, and how to benefit from it.

Bill Gates says he will visit Pakistan

2005-07-15T06:26:00.000+05:00

By Sami Abrahim

SEATTLE: Bill Gates, the Chief Executive of Microsoft, has shown willingness to visit Pakistan when an invitation was extended by the world’s youngest MCP (Microsoft certified professional) Arfa Karim, 10, here on Tuesday.

The 10-year-old Pakistani, Arfa, is currently in the United States to visit the Microsoft Headquarters which is being sponsored by the cyber giant in recognition of her achievements in computer literacy at such a young age.

Branding Pakistan: The True Image of Pakistan

2005-07-14T04:13:00.000+05:00

by Syed Asif Alam

An American journalist who recently visited Pakistan wrote in an incredulous tone about the progress Pakistan is making in technology field. The silent turnaround has put Pakistan as one of the fastest growing cellular industry along with rapidly growing and out performing Karachi Stock Exchange in the limelight of corporate managers worldwide.

The positive tone was seconded by a Harvard Business School analysis on 'Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) opportunities in Pakistan'. The report mentions 30 percent savings in costs as opposed to India along with infrastructure advantage of high speed connectivity in all the major cities at competitive rates.

Contact Centers : Asian Telecom Outage Leaves Widespread Call Center Damage -CRM News

2005-07-11T23:53:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
CRM Buyer

The cable outage caused widespread economic damage and disruption in Pakistan, with 3,000 staffers reportedly laid off among the roughly 30 call centers that did not have backup capacity. Nine call centers in Pakistan reportedly had backup satellite connections provided at no cost by the government.

Service has been restored on a damaged telecommunications cable that links India and Pakistan to the West, but not before the international service outage caused widespread financial damage, most especially to the cell center industry.

Service on the cable was restored on Friday. The cable was damaged on June 27, largely cutting Pakistan's telecommunications links with the outside world and disrupting India's connections. The problem also caused disruption in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Djibouti.

The five countries affected were linked to the undersea cable network called Southeast Asia, Middle East and Western Europe-3, also known as SEA-ME-WE3 or SMW3.

Pakistan's SMW3 Internet Cable Link Restored

2005-07-10T03:10:00.000+05:00

Daily DAWN Reporter

ISLAMABAD, July 8: The country’s internet system is back on track after two weeks of disruption as the fault in the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-3 (SEAMEWE-3) undersea cable near Karachi has been rectified by Dubai-based experts.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company President Junaid I. Khan said at a press conference at the company’s headquarters on Friday that the cable had been damaged by the anchor of a ship and the fault had been rectified.

He said the internet services were normalized at 11:54am. He said the experts had to face harsh weather caused by monsoon rains in the Arabian Sea.

He said a committee was being formed to seek ban on fishing in the sea over the cable to avert such a situation in future.

Contact Centers : India's Customer 'Lack of' Service

2005-07-09T03:23:00.000+05:00

By Nandini Shah
The Times of India

Apparently, customers have found that product knowledge is not the forte of many of the executives. This, in spite of most customer care centers having a well-constructed training and feedback system. Is it a case of just better implementation then?

Bad customer service, lack of product knowledge and rude behavior of executives are major causes of distress for mobile phone Latest News about mobile phones owners.

Got a query about your mobile service? Would you call the toll free number to clarify it? Those who have had to listen to the 'you are on hold' music for too long will probably reply in the negative. Then, there are those who will complain about the lack of product knowledge and the rude behavior of some call center Latest News about call center executives who answer queries.

SEA-ME-WE-3 fault: PTCL satellite backup satisfactory -Business Recorder Pakistan

2005-07-06T01:50:00.000+05:00

WASHINGTON (July 03 2005)(APP): Noted Pakistani and Pakistani-American businessmen have said that they had been operating almost normally despite the reported damage caused in the SEA-ME-WE-3 fibre optic internet cable on Monday at the floor of the Arabian Sea, some 50km south of Karachi.

However, this has been a major blow to the IT industries both in Pakistan and India. Some better-funded Indian call centres had switched over to satellite backup systems, where available, but that not all centres had invested in such connections.

While in Pakistan, Pak Telecom Company Ltd (PTCL), Pakistan's major backbone provider scrambled to provide immediate satellite backup systems on priority to major Business Process Outsourcers and International Call Centres

Damaged Cable Cuts Voice, Data Service to India, Pakistan - CRM News

2005-06-30T01:16:00.000+05:00

Damage to the undersea telecommunications cable SEA-ME-WE3 (SMW3) Monday initially disrupted most of Pakistan's international telephone and Internet connections, but the outage spread to India, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Djibouti as repairs were started yesterday.

Call centers in India using connections through the Reliance Group, India's largest corporate conglomerate, to SMW3 to reach customers in the U.S. were experiencing service outages for the past day, they reported to InternationalStaff.net, a company that specializes in offshore process migration, call center program management, turnkey software development and help desk management.

Indian call centre 'fraud' probe - BBC

2005-06-25T04:57:00.000+05:00

Police are investigating reports that the bank account details of 1,000 UK customers, held by Indian call centres, were sold to an undercover reporter.

The Sun claims one of its journalists bought personal details including passwords, addresses and passport data from a Delhi IT worker for UK pounds 4.25 each.

But, in a BBC interview, the worker named by the paper denied the claims.

India's top software body said India was a 'trustworthy' location and would treat the claims 'extremely seriously'.

The National Association of Software and Service Companies said it would work with authorities in the UK and India to ensure criminals were 'promptly prosecuted and face the maximum penalty'.

'The problem is not unique to any single nation - it is one that affects us all - and each of us has a responsibility to take on the criminals,' its statement added.

Indian Outsourcing exposes firms to fraud - BBC

2005-06-21T22:36:00.000+05:00

The arrest last week of a man in western India in an alleged call-centre fraud case went unreported. This was despite the high-profile reporting on the case in April when 16 others were arrested.

This suited India's business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, especially Mphasis, whose four employees have been implicated in the case. They are yet to recover from the shock of the alleged fraud of nearly $400,000.

Amid calls for tightening BPO regulations and more effective cyber laws the country's call centres are busy taking adequate security measures. Another one or two such cases and the industry is doomed, they admit.

Police, who are still investigating the case, believe it was well thought through and very organised.

Investigating officer Sanjay Yadav says the latest arrest just highlights how well-planned and widespread the fraud was.

Fighting Image Problem: An IT Industry Rises in Pakistan

2005-06-09T00:34:00.000+05:00

When it comes to Pakistan, the image belies the reality, and seeing is believing. From the shadows of a misplaced image has emerged an innovative strategy that seems to do the trick. This might just be the right kind of break the country's software industry needs from its rather lackluster past. Pakistan is fast becoming a happening place for IT.

Pakistan: Better Late Than Never In Outsourcing

2005-06-02T22:37:00.000+05:00

Think software and services outsourcing, and places like Bangalore, Manila, and perhaps Budapest spring to mind. But Lahore or Karachi? The Pakistani cities might not be on the outsourcing map yet, but the country's software shops are out to change that. 'As a natural course, American companies would not look at Pakistan,' acknowledges Jehan Ara, president of the 250-member Pakistan Software Houses Assn. 'So we have to get them to look at us, and once they do business with us and credibility is established, they come back for more.'

Outsourcing creates the endless work day

2005-05-19T03:21:00.000+05:00

By RACHEL KONRAD
Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The traffic jam ended hours ago, the parking lot is nearly empty and fluorescent lights are dimmed at PortalPlayer Inc., where the nightly brainstorming session is about to begin.

Instead of gathering the few remaining souls from their cubicles, three managers move into a conference room to dial India, where engineers 12 1/2 time zones ahead are just arriving in Hyderabad.

As colleagues on opposite sides of the globe discuss circuit board configurations and debugging strategies for a project code-named 'Doppelganger,' it's just the start of another endless day for the company. Within twelve hours, Indian workers will end their day with calls and e-mails to California, where managers in the Santa Clara headquarters will just be waking up."

Revival of Startups: The New Trend

2005-05-19T00:58:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
E-Commerce Times
05/17/05 5:00 AM PT

Reviving a Western software startup offshore involves transitions for everyone. In reviving a startup of his, but in Pakistan, Englishman Noel Thurlow asked for (and received) the rights to run his startup inside NetSol in an incubator environment, under a separate corporate culture from the larger firm.

Do you have a startup that never made it off the ground? What happened?

Did you not have all the technical components that you needed? Was your scope too broad? Were your sales and marketing strategies too weak?

Did a key individual become distracted by issues in his or her personal life? Did you simply lack the development resources to put together a working product -- or at least a vertical prototype? Or was it all of the above?"

Innovation Strategies for Muslim Businesses

2005-05-19T00:57:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell,
Special to Dinar Standard
Posted, May 15th, 2005

There is widespread interest among Muslim entrepreneurs about the possibility of moving into Information Technology (IT) fields. The potential for IT to serve as a driver for growth is widely recognized within the top ranks of governments that are members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). However, when it comes to choosing IT strategies, uncertainty exists about the extent to which Muslim businesses' IT strategies should follow Western models.

Pakistan growth at 20-year high - BBC News

2005-05-18T17:53:00.000+05:00

Gross domestic product in Pakistan is set to top 8% for the first time in 20 years, thanks to wide-reaching reforms to kickstart the economy.

According to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, increased investment and production will help the economy grow 8.3% in the year ending 30 June.

Large-scale manufacturing will grow by 15.4%, agriculture by 7.5% and the service sector by 7.9%, he said.

How To Outsource

2005-05-12T02:50:00.001+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
E-Commerce Times

Are you considering outsourcing a customer support or software development project? Here are some practical tips, oriented towards South Asian facilities but relevant to North American outsourcing providers.

It starts with planning, then moves to address payment and invoicing issues, and then lists outsourcing mistakes to avoid.

Outsourcing service providers might not be able to determine the scope of work that you, the client, need to have accomplished, unless they send someone to make an assessment. The client organization or its representative needs to come up with the following:

* A scope of work;
* Level of effort projections;
* Time frames; and
* Performance indicators that will be used to monitor the project.

Indian Outsourcing Boom Just Starting?

2005-04-27T17:54:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
E-Commerce Times

'India has the scale to afford to fail,' Rohit Shukla, founder of the Larta Institute in Los Angeles, said, 'Pakistan and other countries competing with India do not.' If too many firms from a country such as Pakistan rush into the international IT market and fail to deliver properly, then it will give that entire country's IT industry a bad name.

Has India's information technology (IT) outsourcing boom peaked? There have been predictions that India will lose most of its outsourcing firms in the next two years. IT industry wages in India reportedly rose an average of 12 percent in 2004 and are projected to increase by another 15 percent in 2005.

New outsourcing destinations have been receiving attention recently, with South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Kenya and Ghana entering international markets alongside established destinations such as Canada, Ireland, Romania, Mexico and the Philippines."

German auto giants to land in Pakistan

2005-04-19T22:52:00.000+05:00

The News - Correspondent

LAHORE: German automobile giants Renault and Volks Wagon are keenly interested in setting up assembly plants in Pakistan to cater to the domestic and regional demand of vehicles.

Almas Hayder, Chairman of Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (TUSDC) while talking to The News from Hanover, Germany said; that representative of both the companies visited the pavilion of Pakistani companies at the fair and were impressed by the fast developing auto engineering sector of the country.

India Call-Center Scam: 16 Arrested

2005-04-19T22:51:00.000+05:00

PUNE, India - Police have arrested 16 people in western India for allegedly cheating four New York-based Citibank customers out of nearly $350,000, a police officer said Saturday.

Three former employees at a call center in the city of Pune and 13 of their associates have been charged with misusing financial data and illegally withdrawing money from the accounts of the New York-based customers, said Sanjay Jadhav, an assistant commissioner of police.

Outsourcing to Pakistan saves millions

2005-04-08T16:25:00.000+05:00

by Pakistan Link

"Outsourcing to Pakistan was my best business decision" says Mr. LED, "Pervaiz Lodhie", President and CEO, LEDtronics Inc. Los Angeles.

Because of outsourcing of Call Center and BPO support to NBA Computers and manufacturing support to Shaan Technologies Karachi Pakistan, LEDtronics was able improve its revenues from dead untapped leads by more than $2 million dollars and managed to not only survive but grow in a recession economy.

Mr. Pervaiz Lodhie congratulated the Pakistani NBA Team of experts, Mr. Babar and Mr. Nasser Jhumra, for achieving high standards of excellence in the on-going services being provided to LEDtronics, Inc. from Pakistan.

Computer Associates to tap Pakistani IT potential

2005-04-07T03:09:00.000+05:00

Computer Associates (CA), an international management software company on Tuesday announced its plan to set up business in Pakistan as part of its regional expansion strategy.

Country manager of CA for Pakistan Saeid Marashi, addressing a press conference at local hotel said that the CA would establish a liaison office for its operations in Pakistan.

He said CA would recruit Pakistani IT professionals and start an extensive training programs to ensure a successful knowledge transfer.

He informed that CA would provide a direct support line to handle customer support calls to gain better understanding of customers’ business needs and provide them with a convenient and accessible interface with CA.

US Political Climate Now Ripe For Offshoring

2005-03-30T18:16:00.000+05:00

A study published last week by Datamonitor predicts a resurgence in the US offshoring market due in part to the post-election US political environment, which now offers relief for companies who have been limiting offshoring to try to avoid public relations controversies. The report predicts that 250,000 new call center positions will be created by 2009 in India and the Philippines alone. Despite this growth, however, the report also indicates that traditional offshoring sectors like call centers will decline in overall market share as the range of industries which utilize offshoring spreads in coming years. CeBit Reports:

Datamonitor predicts that more firms are set to follow the likes of British Airways, Citibank, General Electric and HSBC, all of which have spun off a part or all of their operations to India.

Look Who's Talking at the Drive-Through

2005-03-11T23:26:00.000+05:00

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. wants to outsource your neighborhood drive-through. The world's largest fast-food chain said on Thursday it is looking into using remote call centers to take customer orders in an effort to improve service at its drive-throughs.

"If you're in L.A.... and you hear a person with a North Dakota accent taking your order, you'll know what we're up to," McDonald's Chief Executive Jim Skinner told analysts at the Bear Stearns Retail, Restaurants & Apparel Conference in New York. Call center professionals with "very strong communication skills" could help boost order accuracy and ultimately speed up the time it takes customers to get in and out of the drive-throughs, the company said.

Karachi Awakens

2005-03-02T23:21:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
E-Commerce Times

....Landing in Karachi today is the economic equivalent of visiting a huge spaceship moments before blastoff. You can feel the engines rumbling, the ground shaking, and you only have a few seconds to either jump off or be rocketed into the stratosphere.

What city has the fastest growing stock market in the world? Karachi.

What English language high school consistently tops out the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores? Karachi Grammar School.

What country has the fastest growing cell phone market? Pakistan.

The statistics go on and on.

Reading statistics is no substitute for seeing a place. So I stuffed my American preconceptions into a suitcase and headed out from Seattle.

Searching for IT in Karachi

2005-02-24T15:31:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
www.EcommerceTimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network
02/22/05 5:00 AM PT

As U.S. firms attempt to follow the market into an increasingly saturated India, Indian firms are looking to lower their costs by coming to Pakistan, which is 30 percent cheaper than India for IT work and has an underutilized talent pool of English speakers and computer science graduates.

Establishing International Call Centers in Pakistan –The Challenge & an Opportunity

2005-02-10T14:10:00.000+05:00

A Paper by Babar B. Jhumra,
Managing Partner, NBA Computers

As a Pakistani IT professional and a businessman, I would like to present Pakistan’s case to potential investors and top professionals abroad; as also to our own businessmen friends - from the point of view of entrepreneurship, profitability, venture success potentialities and some risks involved, in this, by now, the not-so-new industry.

The Call Center Phenomenon and what it means to Pakistan:
Pakistan, in spite of possessing all the where-with-all required by this industry, badly missed the bus until recently. Inspired by the dynamic and far-sighted leadership of President Pervez Musharraf and his distinguished team of learned experts, Pakistan woke up about three years back to try to take its share of advantages that the new technology offered.

Built-in Strengths of Pakistan as a potential IT Hub of South Asia:

Low-cost of infrastructure setup for call center
Availability of skilled human resource at low cost
Advanced Infrastructure facilities and high bandwidth availability
The language factor
Legal framework and regulatory provisions
Proactive government policies

For the complete Paper email me at: babar@nbacomputers.com or webmaster@nbacomputers.com

PTCL cuts bandwidth rates by 50% to attract investment

2005-02-02T22:58:00.000+05:00

By Imran Ayub: Daily Times - Site Edition

KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has cut bandwidth rates by almost 50 percent for technology firms – a move believed to attract foreign investment particularly in call centres.

The state-owned telecom decided to revise bandwidth tariff structure after ministry of IT and telecom announced broadband policy last month to spread affordable high speed Internet access and create enabling environment for efficient business transactions, a senior official said.

“The PTCL has cut its bandwidth rates from $3,950 per 2 mega bites per month to $2,000,” the official said. “The new rates would be effective from January 1. The decision is in line with government plans to encourage investors and grow Internet subscriber base across the country.”

He said the PTCL has also cut monthly copper rental for digital subscriber linkage (DSL) to Rs 250 per month from Rs 771 and similarly monthly primary rate interface (PRI) has also been brought down by 50 percent and domestic bandwidth rates by 25 percent of the existing prices to facilitate peering services.

Call Centres to create 15,000 jobs in Karachi

2005-02-02T11:29:00.000+05:00

Business Recorder [Pakistan's First Financial Daily]:

KARACHI (February 01 2005): Various foreign and local investors would set up call centres in different parts of Karachi as part of their investment here in the first phase which would help provide jobs to up to 15,000 people. This was announced in an official statement issued here on Monday. It said the foreign and local investors met with the Sindh Minister for Information Technology Syed Mustafa Kamal in his office here on Monday.

They informed the Minister they would sat up call centres in different parts of Karachi within three months' time as first phase of their investment here. This would create job opportunities for 10,000 to 15,000 people.

Pakistan to become call centre activity hub

2005-01-28T10:24:00.000+05:00

by a correspondent of Jang Newspaper

KARACHI: Pakistan has captured the attention of global players in need of outsourcing call centres because of the upcoming conference titled "Call Centres - Investment Opportunities" to be held here on January 29 and 30.

This was stated by Abdullah Butt, President of newly launched Association of Call Centre Operators on Wednesday while talking to The News.The conference is being organised jointly by Eveready Communications of Pakistan and Rakesh Gupta, Chief Executive of Astra Netcom of India.

According to details, Astra Netcom operates a 1,200-seat call centre in India and its Chairman Rakesh Gupta was instrumental in promoting the Indian initiative in call centres in Europe and North America.

Because of newly announced Indian tax measures for call centres, high employee turnover and escalating operating costs, etc, Gupta is now focusing on Pakistan where he is exploring opportunities to set up a 1,000-seat call centre together with local partners.

Not only that, he is also actively considering routing substantial call centre business to Pakistan, primarily because of the opportunities available here like lower operating costs and availability of required infrastructure.

U.S. Firms Pick Up Pakistan's Call for Outsource Work

2005-01-25T23:58:00.000+05:00

• American companies are finding a low-cost pool of educated English speakers that rivals neighboring India.

By Evelyn Iritani, Times Staff Writer

LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan would be hard-pressed to make anyone's list of best places to do business.

It's poor and saddled with a history of political instability and corruption. The U.S. government has warned Americans to stay away because of possible terrorist attacks. Blackouts are common in big cities.

But John Armbruster is betting that Pakistan's attributes — including a large, low-cost pool of English speakers — point to a brighter future.

He's aiming to help the country carve out a piece of the lucrative outsourcing business dominated by its neighbor and longtime rival, India.

For complete story:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pakecon23jan23,0,6730684.story

NBA Computers requested to Participate in International Conference on "Call Center Investment Opportunities"

2005-01-21T04:32:00.000+05:00

NBA Computers has been requested to Participate in International Conference on "Call Center Investment Opportunities". NBA Computers has accepted the invitation as its for the overall good for the BPO industry and for Pakistan.

Eveready Communications (Pvt) Limited with the endorsement and support of Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunications (MOITT), Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), Board of Investment (BOl) and Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA) is taking a step forward by holding a two day International Conference on "Call Center Investment Opportunities" on Saturday & Sunday dated January 29 & 30, 2005 at Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Karachi. This event is first ever of its type in Pakistan concerning the $50 billion industry, growing with a pace of 30% per annum, closely integrated with the growth of $700 billion e-commerce industry worldwide.

For More Details: www.callcenter.net.pk

Pakistan Now a Hot Spot for IT Outsourcing

2005-01-14T11:52:00.000+05:00

By Anthony Mitchell
E-Commerce Times
11/02/04 5:00 AM PT

The biggest boost to Pakistan's efforts to break into the global IT marketplace came on September 28, when India's finance ministry announced an income tax of more than 36 percent on foreign firms with software, R&D and customer service operations in India. This tax proposal had been in the works since the beginning of the year and is expected to prompt U.S. firms to follow GE's lead in selling off assets in India.

Click HERE for Complete Story

2 years of BPO and Call Center Support from Pakistan

2004-04-14T13:11:00.000+05:00

NBA Computers Joint Venture Completes 2 years of BPO and Call Center Support from Pakistan

NBA Computers, Pakistan’s first duly registered International Call Center and Business Process Outsourcing service provider completes its second year of operations at Karachi.

NBA’s pioneering venture has earned valuable foreign exchange through software exports and BackOffice Services to their US Clients during the last 2 years.

A Pak-American joint venture, NBA is the first BPO and International Call Center in Pakistan, which is successfully competing with International BPO service providers and software exporters from India, Singapore and Malaysia.

They are now exploring new markets in EU countries and Canada. It is hoped that soon their software exports from Pakistan will achieve new targets by capturing extended market share by their cutting edge quality BPO services and software solutions at highly competitive rates to European and North American Clients.

While complimenting on the successful completion of second year of operations, their senior US partner, Mr. Pervaiz Lodhie has congratulated the Pakistani NBA Team of experts and Mr. Babar Jhumra, the Managing Partner at Karachi for achieving high standards of excellence in the services being provided by NBA Computers, http://www.nbacomputers.com/, from Pakistan.