Déjà vu for me.
For the love of God, I cannot find any real reason why this is thought to be
the Holy Grail which will rescue the LDIs.
I predict that:
1. Several people will become phenomenally rich since the space has
been created for the grey market operators.
2. The LDIs, specially PTCL will cut special deals with low prices in
‘top secret’ contracts
3. Call rerouting and number masking/substitution will become a fine
art once again
4. Because of this, the whole process will become controversial and
collapse within the next few months and we will revert back to the current
low termination rate scheme.
5. The international inbound calls will show a higher incidence of
masked numbers (missing+ or 00 prefix, etc)
6. Quality of calls of inbound calls specially from the US will become
terrible (cellular terminations) as most inbound terminations will come in
via low cost grey market – biggest culprits will be the biggest carriers
(AT&T, Bell Canada, etc)
7. The mobile operators with integrated LDIs will be happy for obvious
reasons and may perhaps be the only ones to gain. Before they start
screaming foul, let me suggest a small truth test:
a. The inbound international calls have shifted to 85% cellular
b. The CLI on these calls (appearing your handsets) should show an
international CLI every time. In two detailed researches I have done, 95% of
all incoming international calls (most operators) do not show an
international origin. The conclusions are too complicated and controversial
for me to articulate here.
However, I hope that I am proved totally wrong and the net result is:
8. The difference between what the LDI retains and the 10 cents should
go as APC to PTA (all cellular international inbound traffic) . From the
current calling traffic patterns, if the PTA revenues from this source jumps
by approximately US$ 15-25 Million additional per month, this system is
working and the premise for the decision was valid. I can then finally
retire and all this moolah can then be used for USF purposes.
9. The LDIs will become healthy babies again
10. The WLL business will flourish immeasurably and local loops will come
into fashion again.
Also, if this persists, new business opportunities present themselves e.g.
LDIs setting up Call Back operations. A simple back of the envelope
calculation shows for a reasonably good LDI a revenue stream of over US$ 2-5
M/month with cards and sales over the net. Please take this as a tongue in
cheek semi-serious comment!
Let’s see how this drama unfolds: a Greek tragedy, Alice in Wonderland or
finally sense of maturity in the industry!
Salman
11.
From: Faisal Alavi [mailto:faisal.al...@redtone.com.pk]
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 5:42 PM
To: 'Azmat Ali'; 'Shahzad Ahmad'; saif_rah...@eworld.net.pk;
re...@supertec.com; 'Altamash Kamal'; 'M. Shafiq-ur-Rahman';
wa...@dsl.net.pk; 'Salman Ansari'; 'Shahid Farooq Alvi'; 'Amer Shafique';
'Syed N Ghazi'; 'Luqman Kamil'; operat...@dsl.net.pk;
aka...@burraqtel.com.pk; a.jmal.ans...@cttelecom.net;
shahid.bhu...@cttelecom.net; mukh...@dvcompk.co.m; a...@gt.com.pk;
you...@pakfon.com; ren...@multinet.com.pk; peter.y...@redtone.com;
'Wajahat'; george.has...@redtone.com.pk; 'Jamshed Masood'; 'Muhammad Ali
Qazi'; Kas...@dvcompk.com; 'Shahid Firoz'; 'Shahid Naeem Butt'; 'BRIG
SALEEM'; asif.r...@waridtel.com; 'Adnan Asdar'; 'Kamil Khan';
r...@multinet.com.pk; 'Amjad Farooq Alvi'; b...@worldcall.net.pk;
s...@worldcall.net.pk; affan.k...@telenor.com.pk; s...@worldcall.net.pk;
memb...@ispak.com.pk; 'Usman .'; 'Dr. Irfan zafar'; a...@xiber.com; 'Yusuf
Hussain'; 'Talib Baloch'; ar...@pseb.org.p.k; ak...@alt-source.com;
owais.k...@arwentech.com; umar.usm...@amzaccess.com;
tanv...@securevoicelink.com; msha...@securevoicelink.com; ha...@gnsp.k.com;
na...@teleglobalservices.com; w...@wwrpl.com; sa...@braintreegrp.c.om;
at...@gem.net.pk; nasser.l...@resgrp.com; muneer.faroo...@waridtel.co.m;
jhu...@nba.com.pk; asim.sa...@resgrp.com; mas...@c-3ltd.com;
mzi...@x.yper2go.com; man...@ites.com.pk; ab...@phonecast.tv;
d...@cyber.net.pk; f.e...@callcentral.biz; na...@kontactltd.com;
irfanfar...@hotmail.com; faro...@amzt.com; far...@amzt.com;
farr...@fazail.com; farrkuhjuna...@dewangro.up.com.pk;
wma...@touchstone.com.pk; adnan.hus...@crestelltd.com;
adnanta....@irinainteractive.com; 'Ansar'; 'Awais Leghari'; 'Noor-ud-Din
Baqai MMember Telecom''; 'Farrakh Qayyum'; khak...@brain.net.pk;
fas...@tou.chstonebpo.com; 'Rashid Khan'; 'Director Telecom Mushtaq Ahmed
Bhatti'; pakistanictpol...@yahoogroups.com; is...@ispak.net.pk;
zafariusm...@yahoo.com; telecom-grid-pakistan@googlegroups.com
Cc: 'Aamir Niazi'; 'Shahid Firoz'; 'Taimur Khattak'; 'M. Alamzaib ( Manager
Operation)'; 'Wajahat Zeeshan'
Subject: RE: The 10 Cent Rate Charade!!!
Dear All
We have heard the same kind of information of rates being
finalized at 7-7.5 minutes which we solidly presume is a bluff on the part
of the interested operators . We stand by TELECAED LDI , wholly !
Maj Gen Alavi®
_____
From: Azmat Ali [mailto:azmat_...@TeleCard.com.pk]
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 4:57 PM
To: 'Shahzad Ahmad'; saif_rah...@eworld.net.pk; re...@supertec.com;
'Altamash Kamal'; 'M. Shafiq-ur-Rahman'; wa...@dsl.net.pk; 'Salman Ansari';
'Shahid Farooq Alvi'; 'Amer Shafique'; 'Syed N Ghazi'; 'Luqman Kamil';
operat...@dsl.net.pk; aka...@burraqtel.com.pk; a.jmal.ans...@cttelecom.net;
shahid.bhu...@cttelecom.net; mukh...@dvcompk.co.m; a...@gt.com.pk;
you...@pakfon.com; ren...@multinet.com.pk; peter.y...@redtone.com; 'Maj Gen
(Rtd.) Faisal Alavi'; 'Wajahat'; george.has...@redtone.com.pk; 'Jamshed
Masood'; 'Muhammad Ali Qazi'; Kas...@dvcompk.com; 'Shahid Firoz'; 'Shahid
Naeem Butt'; 'BRIG SALEEM'; asif.r...@waridtel.com; 'Adnan Asdar'; 'Kamil
Khan'; r...@multinet.com.pk; 'Amjad Farooq Alvi'; b...@worldcall.net.pk;
s...@worldcall.net.pk; affan.k...@telenor.com.pk; s...@worldcall.net.pk;
memb...@ispak.com.pk; 'Usman .'; 'Dr. Irfan zafar'; a...@xiber.com; 'Yusuf
Hussain'; 'Talib Baloch'; ar...@pseb.org.p.k; ak...@alt-source.com;
owais.k...@arwentech.com; umar.usm...@amzaccess.com;
tanv...@securevoicelink.com; msha...@securevoicelink.com; ha...@gnsp.k.com;
na...@teleglobalservices.com; w...@wwrpl.com; sa...@braintreegrp.c.om;
at...@gem.net.pk; nasser.l...@resgrp.com; muneer.faroo...@waridtel.co.m;
jhu...@nba.com.pk; asim.sa...@resgrp.com; mas...@c-3ltd.com;
mzi...@x.yper2go.com; man...@ites.com.pk; ab...@phonecast.tv;
d...@cyber.net.pk; f.e...@callcentral.biz; na...@kontactltd.com;
irfanfar...@hotmail.com; faro...@amzt.com; far...@amzt.com;
farr...@fazail.com; farrkuhjuna...@dewangro.up.com.pk;
wma...@touchstone.com.pk; adnan.hus...@crestelltd.com;
adnanta....@irinainteractive.com; 'Ansar'; 'Awais Leghari'; 'Noor-ud-Din
Baqai MMember Telecom''; 'Farrakh Qayyum'; khak...@brain.net.pk;
fas...@tou.chstonebpo.com; 'Rashid Khan'; 'Director Telecom Mushtaq Ahmed
Bhatti'; pakistanictpol...@yahoogroups.com; is...@ispak.net.pk;
zafariusm...@yahoo.com; telecom-grid-pakistan@googlegroups.com
Cc: Aamir Niazi; 'Shahid Firoz'; 'Taimur Khattak'
Subject: The 10 Cent Rate Charade!!!
TO THE LDI COMMUNITY:
Firstly, on behalf of TELECARD LDI, I would like to confirm to the entire
industry that we have notified ALL our partner operators, without exception,
of the new rates becoming effective May 01, 2008 ranging between USD 0.0980
and USD 0.1100, based on our current relationship with them.
However, within a few hours, I was being advised by the international
partners that at those rates Telecard will lose their ENTIRE share of the
business as they already had offers ranging between 7.5 cents per minute to
even as low as 6.0 cents per minute.
While this was fully expected from the newly rejuvenated and excited GREY
OPERATORS, it is being “confirmed” that legitimate LDI OPERATORS are already
discussing [and in some cases finalizing] these kind of rates with their
international partner operators.
I would request all the industry partners to individually reaffirm to the
rest of the community that the new rates within the permissible range, have
already been conveyed to all their partners.
I cannot stress how critical it is for all of us to stay aligned against
such unethical and aggressive behavior of our international operators to
break the tariff even before it becomes effective.
I am keen to hear back from all the operators with regards to their feedback
on this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Syed Azmat Ali
Deputy General Manager
Interconnects & Inter-Operator Settlements
Telecard Limited
World Trade Center, 10, Khayaban-e-Roomi,
Clifton, Block 5, Karachi, Pakistan
Contact # 92 21 825 0400
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of
the oppressor. Bishop Desmond Tutu
