ETE405 :: Lecture 6

Dr. Mashiur Rahman

Book : Cisco - Voice over IP Fundamentals Page 95-

SWOT Analysis for Bangladesh based call center

SWOT Analysis: Strength

• Abundant Manpower

• Cheaper workforce than their counterparts. Wage difference as high as70-80 percent when compare to counterparts

• Lower attrition rates than in the West

• Dedicated workforce aiming at making a long-term in the field

• Round-the-clock advantage for Western companies due to the hugetime difference

• Lower response time efficient and affective Services

SWOT Analysis: Weakness

• The cost of telecom & network infrastructureis much higher in comparison with the US

• Skilled manpower shortage

• Local Infrastructure

• Political opposition from developmentcountries

SWOT Analysis: Opportunities

• This part of globe is the most favorite ITESdestination in the world

• Bangladesh can be branded as a quality ITESdestination rather than a low-cost destination

• Trillion dollar market

SWOT Analysis: Threats

• The anti-outsourcing legislation in the US of New Jersey. Three morestates in the United States are planning legislation against outsourcingConnecticut, Missouri and Wisconsin.

• Workers in British Telecom have protested against outsourcing of workto off-shore BPO companies.

• New ITES destinations as China, Philippines and South Africa couldhave an edge on the cost factor.

• Slowdown of demand.

Many of these new entrants are Internet service providers (ISPs) that are beginning to offer voice services for the following reasons:

• They already have many Primary Rate Interfaces (PRIs) into the PSTN, and they already have an existing connection to the entire world through the Internet. If they better utilize their IP infrastructure, with a minor investment they can begin to offer a pre- or post-paid calling-card service.

• Lower-cost IP infrastructures enable ISPs to pass savings on to customers in the form of lower tariffs. In international markets, where long-distance rates are high, ISPs can offer competitive services while still maintain high profits. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) classifies ISPs as "enhanced service providers," which is why they currently don't have to pay access charges to local exchange carriers for routing long-distance calls through those carriers' networks.

This means that the ISPs have a lower cost structure than other long-distance companies.

Service Provider Calling-Card Case Study

The following list breaks down the call-flow of a pre- or post-paid call through an IP network:

1. Subscriber dials local phone number of service provider (call leg A).

2. Subscriber gets a second dial tone and is prompted to enter the destination phone number, account number, and password if calling away from home.

3. Call is completed to the destination phone (call legs B and C).

Two-Stage Dialing

Two-stage dialing means that you don't dial 1+10 numbers and directly ring the person you are calling. Instead, you call a number that prompts you for authentication or provides you with a second dial tone, at which point you can dial the number you want to call.

Value-Added Services

• After Internet Telephony service providers (ITSPs) have a VoIP network (possibly for a pre- or post-paid application) in place, they can begin to offer value-added services that enable them to charge more than $19.99 per month for standard IS. Two of these value-added applications are – Internet Call Waiting (ICW)

– Virtual Second Line (V2L).

Internet Call Waiting

ICW is a service that enables subscribers to receive notification of an incoming voice call on their PCs while connected to their ISP. Subscribers are notified of the incoming call through a screen-pop on their PCs, at which point they can do the following:

• Send the call to voice mail.

• Receive the call on the PC using H.323 software (VoIP).

• Drop the Internet session and receive the call on the telephone (PSTN).

• Ignore the call (provide a busy signal or let it ring).

ICW Call-Flow

Virtual Second Line (V2L)‏

• V2L is a simple service in that it enables Internet users to place and receive phone calls through their ISP only when they are connected through their Internet connection (modem, cable, digital subscriber line [DSL], and so on). In many V2L cases, the PC is actually assigned a valid E.164 number, although this is not a requirement.

• All the benefits of ICW also exist for V2L. One key additional benefit is that service providers can offer outbound traffic, which can, in turn, create significant revenue streams for the service provider. Also, subscribers can save a tremendous amount of money on long-distance charges.

• With V2L, ITSPs effectively have a local loop to their customers through their modem access and can offer long-distance services through the Internet. Because the ITSP's IP network is less expensive to build than the PSTN, the ITSP can offer lower long-distance rates to the subscriber. Offering long-distance service provides an additional revenue stream for the ITSP.

Enterprise Telephony Today

Typical Enterprise Voice and Data Network

Convergence Plan and Goals

• What is the total expenditure on voice networks and capital equipment?

• What is the primary application for VoIP (toll bypass, call-center, or ICW)?

• How many remote sites does the company have? • How many people are at each remote site? • What is the average phone usage in minutes per user per site? • How many calls are placed to interoffice locations? • What is the average cost per minute per location? • What is the customer's expectation of quality (cellular, toll)? • What is the total number of long-distance minutes between sites? • What percentage of traffic is expected to be voice/fax? • Can the existing IP infrastructure support the necessary quality of

service (QoS) for voice?

Integrated Voice and Data Network

cost savings

• Phones use DHCP and keep phone numbers regardless of physical location.

• Cabling to the desktop is easier (everything is Ethernet). • Call appearance remains the same whether the user is at home or

at work. This enables fully transparent telecommuting. • The call-processing engine is now on a standard platform, which

provides the enterprise network with greater flexibility. • Cisco's Call Manager is actually configurable through Hypertext

Markup Language (HTML), which simplifies administrative overhead as well as PBX administration.

• Cisco's Call Manager can also support other standards-based interfaces such as Station Message Desk Interface (SMDI) for an interface into a legacy PBX. As an example, you can use this interface to illuminate the message-waiting light.