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Incumbent telecom
operator Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has introduced a fresh format for
its telephone bills recently while reorganizing its bill printing
process. SLT hopes the new customized bill will increase user friendliness
and privacy of information for its subscribers, and streamline its
internal processes for organized and timely issuing of bills. The new bill
will be issued in two sizes based on the particular call details
of the subscriber. A smaller bill is sent to domestic customers
containing call charges for national calls while a bigger bill,
specifically listing IDD call details, will be used mainly for corporate
customers. The main change from the older bills is the inclusion
of international calls into the same document. If a particular customer
has less than 10 IDD calls within the billing period the call details
would be included in the same bill. As with earlier bills there
will be three pages, the first containing general information for
customers about rules and conditions applicable to bill payments.
The other two pages comprise receipts that the customer and cashier
would fill in upon payment and the billing information such as the
call charges and rental for the given period. The bigger
A4 sized bill will list detailed information of IDD calls and is
sent to all customers irrespective of whether they have requested
for it or not. Any subscriber having more than 10 IDD calls for
a period of one month will receive the bigger bill for that period. The security
and privacy aspect of the bills will be improved with the self-enveloped
style, where the information cannot be openly seen, officials said.
This is enabled by "pressure sealing" the envelope using
a special adhesives during printing. The bill would be tamper-proof
as opposed to earlier bills that were folded and stapled, according
to SLT officials. The new billing process would be adopted from the April 2003 billing cycle after having been tested through three trial runs since January this year. The new process also has several benefits for SLT. The new format will save the operator manpower, time and most importantly costs in the production of this bill. In the earlier process employees have had to fold and staple 800,000 bills but these functions would be automated in the new printing process. The process for the first time is being outsourced by SLT to a privately owned company, Topan Forms (Pvt) Ltd which uses high technology in the printing of these bills. The bills are also printed in a manner where they can be sorted according to postal areas upon printing, minimising hassles enabling timely delivery to all customers island-wide. SLT also recently reported its highest growth rate of 26%, recording an operating profit of Rs. 7.9 billion for 2002. SLT is one of the country's most vital utility companies with an annual turnover in excess of Rs. 22 billion, employing a workforce of more than 8,000 islandwide. (AA) People's Bank woos Jaffna entrepreneurs Heeding to the
cry that Jaffna entrepreneurs need to have access to ready cash
for the region's economy to prosper, the People's Bank has launched
a programme to reach out to potential customers in the Northern
Province. The German government-supported Rural Banking Innovations Project (RBIP) of the People's Bank conducted a training workshop in May for the staff of the bank's Jaffna branch to upgrade their capability to approach Jaffna entrepreneurs. "We all
know what entrepreneurs in Jaffna need most is money to set up their
business," said Sivapathiviruththavar, Regional Manager of
the People's Bank, Jaffna. "This sort of training to our staff
will enable them to mobilize more cash within the business community,
which in turn will see a resurgence of economic activity in Jaffna,"
he added. The Rural Bank Innovations Project, a co-operation between the People's Bank of Sri Lanka and the German Technical Corporation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Corporation and Development (BMZ), was established in 1996 to support the Bank to re-orient itself towards commercial lending activities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), according to a GTZ statement. "Very soon we will start to visit our clients," said G. Satkunabalan, Kayts Branch Manager of the People's Bank, Jaffna. "The People's Bank, with the consultative support of the RBIP, will take the lead, in providing commercial credit facilities for start-ups, expansion of businesses and investments. This will help a lot of potential enterprises to set up their businesses." Shell Gas lowers domestic prices Shell Gas Lanka
Ltd, due to the downward movement of international LPG prices in
April and May and in the context of a settlement on the Fair Trading
Commission order against the company, last week said it was reducing
the price of its 12.5 kg domestic LPG cylinder by Rs. 70. Accordingly,
the new selling price of a 12.5. kg domestic cylinder will be Rs.
595 (Colombo basis) from the current selling price of Rs. 665.00.
The reduction
was made earlier than the regular bi-monthly review of Shell scheduled
in mid-June, as part of a settlement of the FTC case against SGLL. A second price
reduction of Rs. 25 per cylinder will be implemented during Shell's
regular bi-monthly review in mid-June. Global LPG prices have come down from record high levels in February and March this year, primarily because of the end of armed hostilities in Iraq and the drop in LPG demand in the Northern Hemisphere due to the end of the winter season. At a press briefing
held with Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs,
Shell's Country Chairman and Managing Director, Roberto Moran, explained
the rationale behind the settlement of the FTC issue. "We appreciated
the spirit behind the objectives of the FTC decision but we had
faced serious issues with the order itself, its implementation and
the financial impact on the company," Moran explained. "Their
objectives were to give consumers relief on high prices and to provide
them with the flexibility to choose suppliers. The settlement
we have arrived at addresses both issues." In addition
to the price reductions, SGLL will refund any consumers wishing
to return their Shell Gas cylinders over the next six months at
a fixed amount of Rs. 1,400 irrespective of the deposit paid. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Moran and R.I. Wimalasena, Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority, Shell said in a statement. 'Zesta' in major marketing drive in Malaysia Malaysia is
to be the focus of a major marketing drive for Ceylon Tea by 'Zesta,'
one of the country's best known value-added tea brands. The brand's
owner Watawala Plantations Ltd, the biggest exporter of Ceylon Tea
to Malaysia, has held detailed discussions with Rosy Senanayake,
Sri Lanka's High Commissioner designate to that country and a former
Mrs. World, on this initiative. Watawala Plantations
Director Dushy Ratnasingham said the company's successful marketing
of Zesta in many export markets had earned it a $ 30,000 (about
Rs. 2.9 million) incentive from the Sri Lanka Tea Board, and these
funds would be invested in further promoting the brand as well as
Ceylon Tea in general. He said Mrs.
Senanayake, who has also been involved in tea promotion in the early
part of her career, had been briefed in detail about the company's
plans for Malaysia, and the support it would need. According to
Watawala Plantations, the company's flagship brand Zesta is the
highest selling Ceylon Tea brand in Malaysia, accounting for 32
percent of all Ceylon Tea in the value-added (predominantly tea
bags) segment in that country. In terms of total exports too, Watawala
is the biggest player in Malaysia, with a 16 percent share of total
Ceylon Tea exports. Watawala Plantations also exports Zesta to discerning and diverse markets like Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, India, Syria and the Maldives. The brand has also been accorded exclusive status on all Air India flights.
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