VTT successfully developed a detailed competitiveness report highlighting various challenges faced by Pakistan’s Telecom and IT industry and carried out high-level analysis of the challenges and their effect on the growth of the industry. VTT carried out an extensive exercise to mobilize a dialogue across the value chain. VTT conducted local and global market analysis, interviewing of key stakeholders from the IT and Telecom Industry, benchmarking and needs assessment. The exercise resulted in an inventory of current challenges faced by the industry and an action agenda to address the constraints and better position the IT and Telecom Industry Pakistan and take advantage of opportunities for growth.
Micro-Finance Mobile banking is a relatively new concept in Pakistan, and VTT performed one of the pioneering works in this field which explicates the strategic interactions between the mobile sector and microfinance banking sector. VTT was involved in developing a detailed implementation plan highlighting the strategic interaction between the mobile sector and the microfinance banking sector, the regulatory, business, commercial, administrative and technical issues for implementing a mobile banking framework and a way forward for all stakeholders.
VTT, as consultants and strategic partners of Plan International devised the following solution for implementing the desired objectives in rural communities:
Development of tele-community centers on the basis of a socio-business model which will be sustainable and provide the rural communities with customized services to improve the utilization of information services
Development of e-portal to provide localized and customized services to farmers and youth community. These services ranged from basic weather and crop rate information to sophisticated video conferencing facilities such as tele-medicine and e-learning.
The e-portal included a centralized database of skilled workers in the community to match them against available employment opportunities and skill enhancement programs.
Development of SMS Aggregator Solution which will transmit information to end users on mobile phones via integration with the e-portal.
Trainings for tele-community center staff and inhabitants of the region for effective use of all services
Development of ICT related capacity building trainings to be delivered in the tele-community center
VTT has been engaged as a consulting firm on this project, VTT provides expertise in formulating comprehensive methodologies for conducting assessment surveys, development of strata for stratified sampling, identification of primary and secondary sources for data collection and collection of data through research and interviews, development of stock report formats based on interviews with key stakeholders and designing and implementation of complex databases for data handling, storage retrieval and analysis for GIS application.
VTT created comprehensive methodologies for conducting a baseline study and performed thorough desk research incorporating many previous studies and also demand data as was available from potential demand countries. USAID considered its review of available information to have been thorough and comprehensive. VTT has provided concise implementation plan which contains practical and immediately achievable recommendations. VTT completed its job successfully within the tight time frame which includes:
Identification of target sectors and countries for overseas employment opportunities.
Analyzed the target sectors in identified countries for potential job positions.
Identified and analyzed roles of stakeholders from Government of Pakistan.
Identified and analyzed private sector partner organizations that could contribute towards skill enhancement and overseas placement for men and women.
Analyzed the Philippines model of overseas employment office and building a business case for setting up such a model in Pakistan.
VTT, as strategic and technical advisors to FFBL, induced Corporate Cultural Change and E-Enabled Business Transformation in the bureaucratic and strong hierarchical organization of FFBL. VTT assisted FFBL by:
Setting-up of a large scale PMO for achieving IT Enabled Business Transformation utilizing VTT’s Project Management expertise and standardized frameworks. The PMO sought to establish a One-Team Concept by involving key resources from the client’s side in project execution.
Providing Strategic Guidance and devising Change Management Strategies for E-Enablement.
Leading the Organizational Change effort through intensive trainings and workshops for middle and higher Management. This also included extensive internal communication management.
Optimization, Automation and Gap Analysis of the Business Processes of FFBL (including HR and Finance Department) to minimize the redundancy, delays and errors in overall organizational business functions and maximize the efficiency, timeliness and accuracy in the information flow.
Establishment of a futuristic IT infrastructure in FFBL which may cater for the needs of organizational business for next 8-10 years with optimum total cost of ownership (TCO).
Facilitation and Empowerment of FFBL Employees with the latest tools and technologies to enable them share their knowledge, work and resources in an integrated collaborated environment. This included the implementation and configuration of a workable SharePoint Portal Solution.
Selecting vendors, monitoring and guiding vendor performance, and providing regular status updates to management
VTT advised and assisted the regulatory body in preparing a regulatory framework for implementation of Local Number Portability by Fixed and Wireless Operators, including the monitory implications, extent of its use, benefits/ draw backs, methodology of implementation, its impact on existing operators business with special reference to new versus old licensees and emergence of new business. VTT carried out an extensive study on the Local Number Portability, market analysis, s international benchmarking and needs assessment and finally presented the findings, the understanding of the subject and the roadmap for implementation
VTT as strategic and technical advisors to National Highway and Motorway Police assisted NH&MP to evaluate and select the appropriate service provider for provision of the following services:
Provisioning of cellular services to First Responders across the highway network
Installation of location based services to track the position of NH&MP officers and vehicles.
The infrastructure to facilitate the subscribers of the mobile phones to obtain information via SMS, short code information retrieval, Voice messaging, call centre access or any other means regarding different areas of highways.
Information dissemination through Documentary, Voice, Print or Electronic media for road safety and projection of new facilitation offered by NH&MP.
Installation of Electronic sign-boards
The client engaged a VTT team of telecommunications industry veterans with a collective experience of managing rollouts for 3000+ BTS sites. This team approached the CAPEX management initiative in three phases. Phase one included the following:
BTS Site equipment included in HTN’s scope was investigated. A target was set to achieve a cost reduction of at least 15% for these items.
Through information validation, scope freeze and subsequent refinements in the shape of price breakups and detailed bill of materials, VTT made comparisons with obtained benchmark pricing from the market.
VTT produced a CAPEX management strategy and recommendations report which provided baseline prices for target items ensuring a CAPEX reduction of 25%.
This exercise was immediately followed by Phase two, which included the following:
Off-site procurement support to HTN’s procurement department.
Engaging vendors by generation and floating RFPs for selected items
Building on the previous two phases, Phase three of the exercise focused on providing cost effective designs for individual BTS site items, which provided higher efficiency while maintaining HTN’s quality standards:
Formulated interview protocols and conducted data collection from all departments through one-on-one interviews and focus groups
Assessed the client with VTT’s HCM Framework which included the following seven components for assessing organization’s HCM competitiveness on four maturity levels:
Conducted comprehensive market study for benchmarking compensation and benefits packages with multinational companies and direct competitors
The client was presented with VTT’s recommendations for revising the compensation and benefits packages, filling the gaps in existing HR processes and initiating critical improvements in the seven segments of HCM framework