Trunk Call

Sri Lanka's John Keells Holdings has entered into partnership with India's Raman Roy & Associates to develop a US$ 22 million call centre business in the Asian region, a joint communiqué said Wednesday. Sri Lanka's John Keells Holdings has entered into partnership with India's Raman Roy & Associates to develop a US$ 22 million call centre business in the Asian region, a joint communiqué said Wednesday. The project will initially focus on India and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has been playing 'catch up' to India to get a slice in the lucrative US$ 700 billion BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) business for years.

But serious players have skipped the island's due to lack of infrastructure and trained staff.

"This partnership will enable JKH to enter the BPO industry with the expertise of Raman and his team….It will also provide the much needed impetus to the nascent BPO industry in Sri Lanka," said Susantha Ratnayake, Deputy Chairman of JKH.

Raman Roy hopes to use the partnership to 'replicated in Sri Lanka the success' they have had in India … "and spread the industry footprint across more countries in Asia."

The Joint Venture is expected to set up its operation initially in Delhi and Col