Other Service Providers Association of India
Definition
What is the Other Service Providers Association of India?
The Other Service Providers Association of India (OSPAI) is an Indian industry representative body founded in 2008. It represents, among others, the country’s various companies in the following sectors:
- Business process outsourcing (BPO)
- Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO)
- Information technology (IT)
- Telemedicine
- Tele-trading
- Domestic and international call centers
- Network operating centers
- Billing services
OSPAI serves as the OSP industry’s mouthpiece at the national level, bringing the problems faced by those in the OSP to the attention of the necessary government agencies.
As the official body speaking for India’s service providers registered under “Other Service Providers (OSP),” OSPAI is mainly responsible for dialoguing with the country’s government agencies to ensure the growth and development of the industries under its jurisdiction.
What are OSPAI’s objectives?
OSPAI’s main objective is to bring about holistic development for the industries registered under OSP through the concerted efforts of its members.
The Association also works closely with India’s government agencies to facilitate faster growth and overcome challenges.
Aside from the objectives mentioned above, OSPAI counts the following among its organizational milestones:
- assessment of India’s Department of Telecommunication’s OSP policy and simplification of the registration procedure of all services under OSP
- development of India’s outsourcing industry, both domestic and international
- simplification of the documentation of OSP-related registration to minimize delays
- implementation of a technology-neutral policy for India’s outsourcing industry
- tackling issues faced by its member industries related to regulations, operations, or licensing by cooperating with the concerned government authorities, such as the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Finance
- updating the Department of Telecommunications, as well as other government agencies, with the advantages of new tech trends for consideration of the respective departments as they draft new policies
- bringing practical security and application issues faced by OSP industries to the attention of the concerned government agencies
Besides these objectives, OSPAI also aims to broaden the awareness of its members regarding new and upcoming developments in tech trends in IT and share the best industry practices between them.
What benefits do businesses get from joining OSPAI
Members of the organization benefit from being affiliated with India’s leading BPO industry association.
Aside from gaining an advantage by sheer association, OSPAI also allows its members to collaborate with others in the same industry towards a steady competitive edge for India to become the top global choice for outsourcing destinations.
Lastly, OSPAI members have a chance to work with policymakers in the government in crafting laws that concern their respective industries and participate in the business group’s annual and regional events.
OSPAI lists among its members several prominent business names in India, including Wells Fargo EGM (India) Pvt. Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, American Express Banking Corp, Concentrix Daksh Services India Pvt. Ltd, AT & T Communication Services India Pvt. Ltd, and Citibank NA Mumbai.
OSPAI organizational hierarchy and membership application
OSPAI’s executive council has three official positions: president, vice president, and treasurer. Executive members fill the remaining four positions.
Members (representatives of OSPs) who do not hold executive positions are divided into four categories:
- founder member;
- ordinary member;
- associate OSP member; and
- associate non-OSP member.
Founder members pay a Rs 50,000 (USD 653) fee to be listed as founder members. From the second year onwards, founder members are only required to pay the same amount as ordinary members for membership renewal.
OSPs with a minimum annual turnover of Rs 50 crores (USD 9.5 million), or a minimum of 500 employees, can be enrolled as ordinary members by paying a Rs 10,000 (USD 130) admission fee and an annual Rs 50,000 membership fee.
OSPs eligible for membership but do not meet the minimum annual turnover or minimum employee count can still be listed as associate OSP members. These members pay a one-time Rs 10,000 admission fee and an annual Rs 30,000 (USD 391) membership fee.
Non-OSP businesses that share OSPAI’s objectives can also apply for membership as associate non-OSP members. Non-OSP members pay an admission fee of Rs 10,000 and a yearly Rs 30,000 membership fee.
What has OSPAI achieved since its inception?
Since its founding in 2008, OSPAI has lobbied for the betterment of OSP industries.
Below are some of the association’s notable achievements.
- Extending the easing of the Telecom Commission terms and conditions (T&Cs) for OSPs amid the coronavirus pandemic to accommodate work from home setups.
- Amending the T&Cs of OSPs, allowing them to have an electronic private automatic branch exchange (EPABX) architecture for their OSP centers. This amendment also allowed OSPs to utilize closed user group facilities for internal communication.
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