Part of: GS Prelims and GS -III – Telecommunications
In news
Recently, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has eased the norms for Other Service Providers (OSPs).
Important Features of New Policy
Distinction between Domestic and International OSPs has been removed.
A BPO centre with common Telecom resources will now be able to serve customers located worldwide including in India.
Now, the interconnectivity between all types of OSP centres is permitted.
The Electronic Private Automatic Branch Exchange (EPABX) of OSPs can now be located anywhere in the world.
Removed the requirement of OSPs submitting their reports to the DoT on a period basis.
Other Provisions:
Exempted OSPs from requirement of any registration.
No Bank Guarantees are to be furnished.
Work from Home and Work from Anywhere also permitted.
Penalties for violations were removed altogether
Benefits
The move is expected to provide a fillip to the BPO sector as well as create jobs.
The new guidelines will add to India’s attractiveness in ease of doing business,
About Business process outsourcing (BPO)
BPO is a business practice in which an organization contracts with an external service provider to perform an essential business task.
OSPs or Other Service Providers are companies or firms which provide secondary or tertiary services such as telemarketing, telebanking or telemedicine for various companies.