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International Contact Centre

Product overview

Telkom recognizes that Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) opportunities create many skilled job opportunities for the country and supports initiatives to make South Africa the preferred provider of contact centre services. To assist with the latter, Telkom has developed an International Contact Centre Service via our international network to meet our customer's outsourced contact centre requirements.

Telkom's International Contact Centre Services effectively enable an organization to extend its operations from any international location to South Africa, while appearing to be operating locally to their local customers. Calls are conveyed between South Africa and the foreign entity or foreign operator via Telkom's network.

Features & Benefits

Benefits
  • Highest network availability.
  • Discounted international call rates.
  • Global network coverage, which is digital and predominantly optic fibre based.
  • World-class centralized network management facility.
Features
Option 1

A Contact Centre in South Africa, connecting to a foreign call centre via IP network using VoIP to convey its voice traffic.

  • The South African Contact Centre customer partners with a Foreign Contact Centre entity.
  • Both Contact Centres are connected via the IP Network using VoIP to convey voice traffic.
  • Telkom only conveys the traffic between the South African Contact Centre and Telkom's PoP (Point of Presence) abroad.
  • The entity in South Africa connects to the VoIP gateway and the foreign entity via leased line (PRI Primary Rate ISDN), and thereafter to the foreign PSTN via PRI.
  • The foreign entity will have to apply for the leased line from the Telkom PoP to its Contact Centre.
  • Both inbound and outbound calls , conveyed between South Africa and the international PoP, are charged at the same rate.
  • This option is suitable for customers who have foreign contact centres in existence and who generate high call volumes.
  • Reasons for choosing this option are to allow the foreign entity to retain call control, to allow call overflow and to follow the sun.
Option 2

A Call Centre in South Africa with a silent international Foreign Contact Centre entity.

  • Telkom only conveys the traffic between the South African Contact Centre and Telkom's PoP (Point of Presence) abroad.
  • The foreign entity will have to apply for the PRI from the Telkom PoP to the foreign PSTN.
  • There is direct connectivity from the foreign gateway to the foreign PSTN.
  • The foreign entity will have to apply for the PRI from the Telkom PoP to foreign PSTN.
  • Both inbound and outbound calls between South Africa and the International PoP are charged at the same rate.
  • This option is suitable for customers who generate high call volumes and do not have a foreign contact centre.
Option 3

A Call Centre in South Africa using Telkom's foreign partner to convey traffic to the end customer.

  • Telkom only conveys the traffic between the South African Contact Centre and Telkom’s PoP (Point of Presence) abroad.
  • A Contact Centre in South Africa uses Telkom’s foreign partner to convey traffic to the end customer.
  • From the South African entity, the call connects to the VoIP gateway via leased line (PRI).
  • This option is suitable for outbound calls only.
  • Since Telkom does not have a license to operate in the foreign country, the call is conveyed to the partner from the foreign gateway via the Point of Interconnections between Telkom and its partner.
  • The partner will convey the call to the foreign end customer.
  • Calls have an additional termination charge, as Telkom is required to pay the foreign partner to convey the call to the foreign end customer.
  • Telkom selects the partner and bills the customer for this cost (termination fee from foreign gateway to end the customer).
  • This option is suitable for start-up companies who do not generate high call volumes such as option 1 and 2.
Option 4

A contact centre in South Africa connecting to a foreign contact centre via IP VPN (Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network).

  • The customer owns the IP PABX.
  • The customer will provide Telkom with an IP interface on their equipment.
  • This option caters for a combination of voice and data, which is conveyed on the same link.
  • Telkom uses Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology as a foundation for converged applications and services.  Customers can classify their application into four classes of service.
  • This service is offered with full international link and node redundancy. 
  • The customer has 2 options in obtaining the leased line on the foreign side (cost for customer’s account):
    • Telkom can facilitate with Pacific Century CyberWorks Global (PCCW Global) to provide the leased line in a foreign country, or
    • The customer can obtain the leased line and the router from any foreign access supplier. 
    Option 5

    A contact centre in South Africa connects to a foreign contact centre via IPLC.

    • International Private Leased Circuits (IPLC’s) provide efficient and reliable point-to-point data connections between a South African and an international destination.
    • The transmission media will be via submarine cables using digital technologies.
    • Data speeds supported range from 64 Kb/s up to 155 Mb/s.
    • The customer may place an order with Telkom for the full circuit and Telkom will be responsible for the order.
    • IPL standard terms and conditions will be applicable.

Terms & Conditions

TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL CALL CENTRE SERVICE
1. General

I/We accept and understand that Telkom SA Ltd ("Telkom") will provide the International Call Centre Service, subject to the terms and conditions for International Call Centre Service as set out in this document. Should there be a conflict between Telkom's Standard Terms and Conditions for the provision of PSTS and the conditions contained in this document, the conditions set out in this document will take precedence.

2. The Customer understands that:
  • the service may only be used for purposes that are principally and integrally related to the operations of the International Call Centre.
  • only international call centre traffic may therefore pass over this service and no voice service, in whatever format, may be resold and no illegal voice traffic (as described in conditions 2.3 and 2.4 below) may be allowed to pass over the International Call Centre Service.
  • all incoming calls must terminate at the South African call centre entity and may not be switched to another destination within South Africa.
  • outbound calls that are principally and integrally related to the operations of the International Call Centre may only originate in the South African call centre entity and no other calls that originate in Telkom's PSTN or in a network operated by another licenced operator may be accepted by the South African call centre entity for onward transmission. Calls may only be made between the South African call centre and/or the foreign call centre entity voice collection points or foreign end Customer.
  • calls intended to terminate at a household or business in the foreign country must be effected by a local licenced operator in that country by way of an interconnect agreement and/ or arrangement between the foreign call centre entity and a licenced operator in that country.
  • the Customer is responsible to provide proper barring to prevent any interconnection between the foreign and the national segments of the private branch exchange (PBX). Should the exchange connections be equipped with hunting facilities it must be interrupted between the various line groups.
  • if the Customer is in breach of conditions 2.1 to 2.6 it will be regarded as a material breach of this Agreement and Telkom will be entitled to terminate the service summarily without notice and the Customer shall be liable for payment of the difference between the retail and the discounted rental calculated from the date of commissioning of the service up to and including the date of termination thereof, as well as the termination charges referred to in clause 2.11.
  • the applicable rate for the projected voice minute traffic is as indicated in Annexure C. International Call Centre Service Agreement Wholesale Marketing Telkom SA Confidential CSS/Agreement (64775) 7 2006/10/16
  • Telkom will closely monitor the operation of the service and reserves the right to do an audit to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of this agreement.
  • any telecommunications account that Telkom may render shall be payable on or before the due date indicated on the account.
  • in the event of the premature termination of the agreement for reasons other than those stipulated in condition 2.7.

- the installation fee equal to the installation fee of a single ISDN 30PRA service for option 1 to 3 that was applicable on the date of commissioning of the voice service will be debited to the Customer’s account.

- full foreign service provider cost plus 12.5% mark-up.

3. Ordering of an International Call Centre Service
  • Except for option 3 where the Customer must place a single order with Telkom, the Customer shall for all other options place an order with Telkom for the South African portion of the service; except if the customer elects that Telkom provides the full end-to-end service for option 1 and/or 2, then this order will suffice as the end-to-end to order.
  • Telkom, will at all times endeavor to provide the service on the required date as specified in the order form. However, delays may occur owing to circumstances beyond its control and it is therefore recommended that an order be placed timeously;
  • The Customer shall ensure that the order form is duly completed as failure to do so, may delay the provision of the service. If, due to any unforeseen reason, Telkom is unable to provide the service on the requested date, Telkom will notify the Customer immediately after the problem comes to light.
4. Provision of International Call Centre Service
  • Telkom shall only provide, maintain and be responsible for that portion of the service, which is under direct control of Telkom and shall not be responsible in any way for any part of the service in the foreign domain.
  •  If any remote part of the service is terminated or suspended by the Foreign Service Provider, the Customer is obliged to inform Telkom of the termination or suspension indicating whether the Customer intends to obtain an alternative Service Provider for the foreign portion of the service or not. Should the Customer fail to do so, Telkom may terminate and/or suspend the International Call Centre Service subject to Telkom giving the Customer 72-hour prior notice in this regard. Penalties as per condition 2.11 will be applicable.
  • The Customer shall be responsible for the safe-keeping and proper use of any Telkom apparatus placed on the Customer's premises to provide the service and shall be responsible for the replacement or cost to repair any such apparatus which is lost, damaged (other than by fair wear and tear), or destroyed. It is, therefore, in International Call Centre Service Agreement Wholesale Marketing Telkom SA Confidential CSS/Agreement (64775) 8 2006/10/16 the best interest of the Customer to insure the equipment. The value of the equipment can be obtained from Telkom.
    • The Customer's premises must be accessible to Telkom during office hours as per Telkom's Standard Terms and Conditions for the provision of PSTS.
    • All optional requirements for the Terminal Connection Equipment (TCE) must be discussed with the Telkom technical officer during installation.
5. Customer responsibilities
  • The Customer shall provide the following at his premises:
    • a suitable table or cabinet for each Terminal Connection Equipment (TCE). Under no circumstances should the TCE be placed on the floor.
    • a standard 230 Volt 15 Amp AC. 3 round pin domestic socket, adequately earthed and protected by earth leakage protection, for the exclusive use of each TCE and not more than 1.5 m away from where the TCE must be installed.
    •  a suitably located standard 230 Volt 15 Amp AC. 3 round pin domestic socket, adequately earthed and protected by earth leakage protection, for the purpose of supplying power to Telkom test equipment.
    • an interface cable between the TCE and the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).
    • where an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) is provided at the Customer's premises, a dedicated 16 Amp (red only) shaved; earth type socket as supplied by either LUMEX or CRABTREE shall be installed for the exclusive use of each TCE.
  • Customers who intend to use an UPS must be aware of the fact that an earth leakage device does not protect this supply and hence Telkom shall not be responsible for any damage to any equipment or injury to persons that could occur due to the improper use of the said equipment or for faulty conditions that may occur.
  • The CUSTOMER hereby grants TELKOM and TELKOM's authorised representatives or sub-contractor access, subject to the CUSTOMER's reasonable security restrictions, to any Equipment installed on the CUSTOMER premises for the purpose of TELKOM performing the work required under this Agreement.
  • The CUSTOMER’s personnel shall co-operate with the TELKOM service representative, as required, for installation, fault isolation and fault rectification. The CUSTOMER's processing facility shall be adequately staffed during installation and service coverage hours to assist with the Commissioning, fault isolation and fault rectification of remote sites.
  • If any equipment is supplied by the CUSTOMER as part of the Services, it remains the responsibility of the CUSTOMER to maintain such equipment for the duration of this Agreement.
  • The CUSTOMER will reimburse TELKOM for the call-out charges, as defined in item A2.1.3b of Telkom's Tariff list (available at www.telkom.co.za/pricing), International Call Centre Service Agreement Wholesale Marketing Telkom SA Confidential CSS/Agreement (64775) 9 2006/10/16 incurred by TELKOM as a result of the CUSTOMER’s failure to meet the obligations, as set out in clauses 5.3 to 5.5 above.
  • The CUSTOMER will be responsible for the insurance of the TELKOM Equipment on the CUSTOMER's premises.
  • The CUSTOMER will at all times –
    • keep the Equipment safe and secure in its possession and shall not sublet such Equipment, or allow any third party to use such Equipment at the Sites;
    • not make any alteration to the Equipment, nor use the Equipment or permit it to be used for any purposes for which it is not designed or in contravention of any applicable law or regulation;
    • not hold himself out as the owner of the Equipment, nor sell, transfer, dispose of, mortgage, charge or pledge the Equipment or suffer or permit the possession of the Equipment to be taken from the CUSTOMER;
    • not fix the Equipment to land or to any building in such a manner as to become a fixture; allow TELKOM to affix or cause to be affixed to the Equipment, plates or other markings indicating the ownership of the Equipment;
    • allow TELKOM and persons authorised by them, at all reasonable times during business hours, subject to clause 5.3 access and entry, for inspecting the Equipment, to any premises in which the Equipment may be situated; and
    • advise TELKOM of the full name and address of the landlord of the premise where the Equipment is kept and any subsequent landlord, so that TELKOM may notify the landlord of its ownership in the Equipment and shall obtain such landlord’s consent to the installation of the Equipment on the said premises, prior to such installation.
  • Except where expressly agreed in writing with TELKOM, the services shall not include repairs, replacements, adjustments or error corrections occasioned by:

    a) failure to observe TELKOM's specifications relating to the Terminal use, and operating and environmental conditions;
    b) misuse, abuse, negligence, accident; which was caused by employees, agents, representatives and sub-contractors of the customer;
    c) modifications, alterations or attachments carried out other than by TELKOM;
    d) use of equipment, programs or accessories supplied by the CUSTOMER which is not technically suitable for use with the Equipment;
    e) work carried out on the Equipment by any person other than TELKOM. Any costs relating to repairs, replacements, adjustments or error corrections necessary as a result of non-compliance by the CUSTOMER, its employees, agents, sub-contractors or representatives in terms of this clause 5.9 will be invoiced for call-out charges as defined in item A2.1.3b of Telkom's Tariff list (available at www.telkom.co.za/pricing) and actual costs for repairs, and/or replacements. International Call Centre Service Agreement Wholesale Marketing Telkom SA Confidential CSS/Agreement (64775) 10 2006/10/16

6. Diverse routing

The Customer may apply for diverse routing at an additional cost to the Customer. Diverse routing implies that, as far as is possible, this service does not share the same common equipment and transmission facility as that used by another service leased by the Customer. Due to network and bandwidth constraints, however, a request for diverse routing may not always be met. The Customer will be informed of the result of such a request.

7. Special construction.

If a Customer orders an International Call Centre Service which needs to be provided at a greater expense by reason of providing additional infrastructure, material used, the distance or manner of installation, the Customer shall pay, in addition to the standard per minute call charges, a supplementary connection charge and/or rental as determined by Telkom. The Customer will be given prior written notice of such extra charges and Telkom will request a written confirmation of the order from the Customer within a period specified in such prior written notice. Failing confirmation of the order within the specified period, the order will be deemed to have been cancelled. If the Customer requirements demand diversity beyond the standard or normal service provisioning, the Customer shall be responsible for any such special infrastructure needs.

7. Maintenance, fault repair and credit.
  • Telkom shall only maintain and be responsible for that portion of the service, which is under direct control of Telkom and within its domain.
  • Telkom may interrupt the service for routine maintenance. Telkom will give the Customer at least 72 hours notice and will indicate the time and anticipated duration of the interruption. The Customer's interests will be taken into account as far as possible.
  • In the event of a fault, the normal fault reporting number must be dialled, quoting the service details.
  • Telkom automatically records the down time from the time the fault is reported and it is confirmed as a failure of the network on which the International Call Centre Service is provided. The Customer shall grant Telkom full access to the service and the premises during that period to trace and repair the fault.
9. Minimum agreed term of service.
  • The minimum contract term for International Call Centre Service is 12 (Twelve) months.
  • After expiry of the minimum contract term the Agreement will automatically be renewed on a month-to-month basis. International Call Centre Service Agreement Wholesale Marketing Telkom SA Confidential CSS/Agreement (64775) 11 2006/10/16
  • This initial period shall commence on the day on which the service is commissioned.
10. Notice of the discontinuance of a service.
  • Notice for the discontinuance of the International Call Centre Service may be submitted in writing one (1) month prior to the expiry of the minimum contract term as per condition 9.1. Should Telkom not receive any request for termination of this Service, the Agreement will be renewed as contemplated in condition 9.3, subject to either Party giving the other Party one (1) month written notice of its intention to terminate this Agreement.
  • After discontinuation of the International Call Centre Service, Telkom may remove all apparatus and facilities belonging to Telkom from the Customer’s premises.
11. Cession and Assignment

Neither Party hereto may cede, assign or transfer this Agreement or any portion hereof without the prior written consent of the other Party which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

12. Jurisdiction

Telkom and the Customer agrees that the High Court of South Africa will have exclusive jurisdiction with regard to all disputes relating to the subject matter of this agreement and that condition 9.6 of Telkom's Standard Terms and Conditions for the provision of PSTS will be applicable for all disputes relating to the International Call Centre Services. The provisions of this condition will not prevent any party from referring any dispute to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) where ICASA has jurisdiction in terms of the Act over such dispute, nor prevent any party from referring any dispute to arbitration in terms of condition 12 of this document.

13. Arbitration.

Where agreed by the Parties, any dispute arising out of this agreement will be referred to arbitration in terms of conditions 10.3 of Telkom's Standard Terms and Conditions for the provision of PSTS.

Governing Law

This Agreement and the performance under it will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.