More call centers opening

Offers from firms in Italy and Bahrain considered

The Ministry of Telecommunications (MoT) will open a new branch in Jdeideh for Call Center International (CCI), the global outsourcing call center. CCI has recently expanded its first branch in Batroun. The company works mainly with Bell Canada, one of the largest telecoms firm in Canada.

CCI’s new Jdeideh branch will dealing primarily with SFR and Orange, two French telecoms operators with over 21 million customers combined.

Diana Bou Ghanem, Head of the ICT department at the MoT, said an average investment of around $500,000 is needed for each call center, including the costs of telecoms connections and equipment.

Bou Ghanem said another call center will be opening in Broumana's Tivoli Center soon. This center will be managed by French telecoms company B Contact.

Two local companies, 'A to M' and 'Speed-in', are in the process of signing an agreement with the MoT to get connectivity over the call center network, E1. By then, the number of call centers will have reached 10. LibaCom, Tele Support, Tele Performance, Smart Source, and Jana are already operational.

Bou Ghanem said the MoT is receiving interesting offers from companies in Italy and Bahrain to establish their call centers in Lebanon, thanks to the competitive operational cost and good infrastructure. The operating company pays only the access fees on the E1 network, which is around $420 per month. Bou Ghanem said that this is the same fee any internet service provider (ISP), such as Cyberia, pays.

Call centers are usually established outside big cities and near universities, because they mainly attract students and fresh graduates. “Both Batroun and Jdeideh’s call centers will generate around 1,000 jobs for fresh graduates and college students,” Bou Ghanem said. She said the local workforce gives Lebanon added value over regional competitors, such as Egypt and Tunisia: “Lebanese people have a good english accent and are well-cultured which makes them the best in the region for such business.”