JEDDAH: Saudi Telecom Company signed a $2 billion joint venture agreement with Aegis, a global outsourcing services company and a part of the Essar Group, for the management of the customer care operations of the largest telecom operator in the Kingdom. The joint venture, Contact Center Company, will be near-equally owned by the two arms, with 50 percent plus one share being held by STC and the rest under Aegis, which will have operational control and responsibilities. The company's job will include taking care of telecom customers' billing, collection, verification and answering to their directory enquiries. Saud Al Daweesh, Group CEO of STC, said they are happy to have found an able partner in Aegis, who, they are confident, will provide a great deal of satisfaction to their valued customers, given their vast experience in managing customer experience across multiple geographies. In the first phase, STC will transfer 550 agents across two centers, providing directory assistance to the joint venture and gradually in the next two years, Aegis family will absorb the remaining 4,500 STC agents. Aparup Sengupta, MD and global CEO of Aegis, they have the aspirations of making this the largest BPO operations in the region. Aegis is looking at consolidating its stake in the joint venture.
