Call Centre goes broadband
Stabroek News
February 27, 2004
The Atlantic TeleCentre, sister company of GT&T, has latched on to a potential lifeline by entering into the broadband satellite ISP market.
ATC, on the verge of closure, last week acquired assets of InterSat LLC, a Miami based VSAT (very small aperture transmission) company, and is hoping to capitalise on businesses across Latin America and the Caribbean, with the exception of Guyana itself.
A web-based call centre, ATC has been running losses since it started up in 2000 and was hard hit by the US Federal Communications Commission sanctioned Do-Not-Call registry last year to block out unwanted telemarketers. It has been forced to send home most of its workers. Up until two weeks ago, the firm had only had an 11-seat (persons) telemarketing operation and was staring closure in its face.
However, Chairman Cornelius Prior said two things have happened which give some hope; one of its clients, a Baltimore company, has recently increased its demand requiring a 20-seat operation; and the acquisition of the assets of InterSat LLC. Additionally, he says ATC is looking to use its software licences for special handling equipment to offer sub-licences across the region.
"The operations continue to be very weak and we hope that either the Baltimore company's demand for traditional ATC services or the new satellite network will be significant for ATC," Prior said on Monday.
With the acquisition of InterSat assets, ATC is now in a position to offer satellite based internet, intranet and virtual private network solutions to firms in the Caribbean, Central and South America. ATC now has access to the Satmex 5 satellite footprint on the Ku-Band. The satellite Hub and VSAT terminals available to ATC are based on the popular Gilat platform which offers flexibility and advanced features including IP (internet provider) addressability (ability to speak to many persons at different addresses from the same transmission point), static IP and VPN (giving the impression of it being a private network) capabilities at very competitive pricing.
ATC is marketing its new product at Atlantic Tele-Sat (ATS) and will be launching an aggressive campaign to extend InterSat market share.
Prior indicates that the demand for VSAT services is rising in the region and Latin America based on several projects, which have already commenced.
"ATC expects to add hundreds of new locations by the end of the year, mostly for business, corporate and government applications," a statement by ATC said.
Patrick Cardozo has been named President/CEO of ATS, which will be headquartered at ATC's operation on the East Coast of Demerara. Francois Dugue, who founded InterSat in Miami, will be Vice President Sales. Sean Krivatch, current CEO of ATC, will serve as chairman of ATS. Cardozo is President of Newcourt Systems, a Toronto-based VSAT and VOIP company and was formerly President of Digicom/ATN Haiti, a subsidiary of ATN.
Prior says ATC is continuing to look for businesses that it was designed for and although it has not been having very much success, is hoping to be able to continue in this field. However, in the absence of the demand, he said ATC has to find new businesses which fit into a call centre operation.
He is not sure what the impact of the ATS operation will have on job creation in Guyana but indicates that Guyanese skills will be used to build the sets required to provide the broadband satellite services being offered by ATS.
Prior says the firm has no intention at this time to provide ATS services to Guyana as it does not believe there is a market in Guyana for such services.
Local company I-NET provides satellite-based IP services to businesses.