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| Sunday, 21 April 2002 |
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Independent telecom consultancy gets under way Sri Lanka's first independent telecommunication consultancy company, Frontline Telecom Consultants (FTC), was established in Colombo recently. The company, set up by a group of qualified and experienced telecommunication professionals, provides expertise and consultancy services to businesses to assist them to manage their voice and data requirements efficiently. "We provide total customised solutions to meet the clients' needs, be it data, cables, radio links, communication links, switching or any other matter relating to telecommunications," said a spokesman for the company. "The growth and changes taking place in the telecommunications industry have fundamentally altered the way business is being conducted. Today's businesses are dependent on telecom infrastructure, be it for operational effectiveness, reaching new markets or delivering customer satisfaction," he added. Therefore, the critical issue faced by businesses is exploiting the new opportunities by adopting the best available telecommunication solutions. He said that most other countries have independent consultancy companies to advise customers on issues relating to telecommunications, although such a body had not existed in Sri Lanka. The spokesman added that even large companies do not have in-house experts on telecommunications. This has created a lot of problems and led to the wastage of resources. "Therefore, we established this company to provide independent objective advice to our customers to save costs and resources while being more efficient. We address all technical and organisational issues associated with planning, setting up and running a company's telecommunications operations. Through continuous dialogue with operators, vendors and leading edge users, we can advise clients on the critical issues," he said. The company offers a range of services but focuses on network design, facility planning and implementation, pre-investment studies, preparation of feasibility reports as required specially for financial and lending institutions, auditing clients' telecommunication facilities, choice of operators and expenses to achieve efficiency and cost effectiveness. Planning and supervising the installation of internal cable distribution points, conduits, wiring in multi-storeyed buildings and if necessary coordinating with the operator to secure outside plant connectivity, providing technical and marketing advice on potential new investment fields in the telecom industry, advising clients on emerging technology trends, service packages, undertaking negotiations on behalf of clients with operators, vendors or the regulator, acting as local counterparts for foreign consultants on a project basis and providing well-researched expert advice on regulatory and inter-connection issues are among other services. The spokesman said: "A vital area where many businesses can benefit is in reducing their billed telecom charges and related expenses. With the help of a system audit, we can identify deficiencies in the clients' network and implement strategies to reduce their bill charges. By experience, we know that many companies have the potential to reduce telecom costs by as much as 10-30 per cent". The company considers that it will have a bigger role to play with the imminent total liberalisation of the telecommunication sector. The newly opened markets will provide many opportunities for new investment and infusion of new technology-driven services. The directors of the company are A. Maniccavasagar, Bernard Rodrigo, M.W. Zavahir and Asoka Siriwardane. (SG) |
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