Prepaid Loads Now Have Longer Validity

I woke up this morning and I needed to load my Globe number with prepaid credits to SMS a friend. Now a 40 peso load have a 15-day expiration, (plus 20 free text to all networks as per Globe's promo) due to the NTC Memorandum Circular No. 03-07-2009, loads will have longer expiration or validity periods.

Credits worth P10 or lower will be valid for three days from the previous one-day expiration. Loads more than P10 up to P50 can be used for 15 days while credits worth more than P50 up to P100 will remain valid for 30 days.

Loads more than P100 to P150 will expire at the end of 45 days while credits of more than P150 to P250 will last for 60 days. More than P250 to P300 will remain valid for 75 days while credits worth more than P300 will last for 120 days.

This is great news for consumers (most BPO workers are on a prepaid service) as they will can now buy lesser load values without worrying that it will just expire within the day. I mean, load is not like food that is perishable and has a shelf life, and big telco companies have been ripping us off.

The everyday dependence of the Filipinos to communicate through cellphones, is not only limited to texting or calling their friends or loved ones, but is also used for business activities. In the long run, a cheaper cost in telecommunications is vital to spur economic activities that can help us withstand the recessionary effects of the global financial crisis.

Enough of the National Telecommunications Commission - big telcos connivance. I believe that a new law needs to be passed in congress to better regulate the telecom industry. The abolition of the NTC is very welcome for me, and form a new body that will truly represent the welfare of the public.

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New BPO Destinations

It's July and halfway through the year and I wrote early this year about the robust BPO industry in the Philippines, and still it is making a strong showing that will sustain until the end of the year.

Shifting to the global BPO scene, new BPO markets are ready to take off and will definitely own a share in the industry because of it's unique characteristics. The dampening of the economy makes companies prepare to emerge more profitable when the economy recovers and that is a golden opportunity anticipated too by the global BPO industry.

The way I see it, the new BPO destinations that will compete with the Philippines are Sri Lanka, Egypt and Central American countries.

Sri Lanka although shaken by a recent civil war have a good outlook as BPO companies such as WNS Global Services, Quatrro BPO Solutions, RR Donnelley, HSBC and Aviva already operates here and another big BPO player to locate will be Genpact. Sri Lanka has a large and able workforce specializing in finance, as the country has the largest pool of UK-certified accountants oustside Great Britain. This is a definite advantage for back-office operations to flourish in this island nation.

Egypt, with its multi-lingual, educated workforce boasts lower cost for quality. IBM is already here and 1,500 call center agents for Vodafone caters to the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand customers. Away from the political uncertainties in the Middle East, a sustained BPO growth in Egypt is very likely.

Central American countries like Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica are the next BPO strong hold. Fluency in spanish is a big advantage for these countries as they can communicate to approximately 50 million Hispanic Americans in North America. These countries also have the same time zone as the United States.

A Dell call center, National Asset Recovery Services (NARS)- a U.S. company that collects unpaid bills for a variety of clients and Sitel operates in Panama City. Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and Sykes use Costa Rican offices for accounting, personnel and other back-office services. Sitel, eTelecare Global Solutions, Concentrix found the Nicaraguan BPO market attractive and set foot there.

As for us Filipinos, we are a versatile workforce and also have exceptional talent but we should not rest on our laurels and continue to learn. Let us prove that we still have the edge and earn the right to be the best in the industry.

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