Global One, Vsnl Set To Sign Deal For Net Call Centres

The $1.4-billion tele-communications company Global One and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) are close to signing a deal for setting up the Internets latest child Call Centres for the first time across major Indian cities.

Global One, a JV of Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom and Sprint, is currently negotiating with VSNL to offer complete hardware and software solutions for setting up call centres by private Internet service providers. Sidney J Harvey, country manager, Global One in India, told Business Standard that both the companies are expected to enter into a collaboration soon for introducing the concept in India. Its already popular in the west. There is a huge demand for such services in India, he said. However, he ruled out running of such centres by VSNL-Global One.

 

Well only provide solutions and connections. Private parties will run the business by using our system, he said. Based on Global Ones Global Call Centre technology, the call centres will offer the public and business establishments alike the convenience of a virtual office free of cost at the cost of a local phone call. One can access these call centres by a phone or through the Internet from a personal computer for daily chores like booking an airline ticket or repairing an old brand of refrigerator.

Unlike the Ask Me free information service provider in Mumbai, a call centre, on the other hand, will operate more like a personal office offering a wide range of personal services by having tie-ups with various business clients. Exclusive web sites created on the Internet by call centres will help callers to access any information or service from anywhere instantly.

The proposed collaboration follows Global Ones entering into a partnership with VSNL to launch data solutions in India. Through the agreement, VSNL and Global One will jointly market and sell Global frame relay and Global X25 data solutions in the fast-growing Indian market.

This range of high-speed data communications and packet switched services will be offered over a sophisticated managed data network set-up by VSNL in co-operation with Global One in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, providing international connectivity to customers from most parts of India.

This will enable Indian and India-based international firms to communicate with offices, trading partners and databases in more than 125 countries by interconnecting with Global One value-added network.

This network is amongst the largest in the world with over 1400 points of presence.This service will be useful for file transfer applications, LAN interconnections and for multi-protocol networking.