Red Star News reporter learned from the Chengdu Free Trade Office today (2nd) that Xunlesi (Chengdu) Data Service Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Xunlesi) recently obtained the first wholly foreign-owned value-added telecommunications business license (domestic call center business) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the Central and Western Regions.
For this license, with the support of the Chengdu Free Trade Office, Xunlesi and the Office of the Chengdu High-tech Pilot Free Trade Zone Administration have worked together for 3 years.
Foreign-funded ice-breaking value-added telecommunications call center business
Xunlesi International (Ireland) Outsourcing Services Limited, an investor in Xunlesi (Chengdu) Data Services Limited, is an Irish-registered company whose parent company is Canada's second-ranked telecom operator, a provider of innovative customer experience and business process outsourcing services (BPO) to customers worldwide, and one of the fastest growing and most dynamic BPO service providers in the world. The company has 27 call center operations in 10 countries around the world, and the current call center covers 40 languages.
Previously, due to the lack of liberalization of the operating license for foreign value-added telecommunications services in China, wholly foreign-owned enterprises could not enter the domestic market for call business operations.
The ice-breaking of foreign investment in telecommunications value-added services can also be traced back to the relevant national policies such as Circular No. 196 issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2015, such as the Notice of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Relaxing the Restrictions on Foreign Equity Ratios in Online Data Processing and Transaction Processing Business (Business E-commerce). In 2018, the 2018 Edition of the Negative List of Free Trade Zones was released, which clearly stated that the value-added telecommunications opening measures piloted in the original 28.8 square kilometers of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone would be extended to all pilot free trade zones.
After receiving the news, Xunlesi made a strategic decision to start a business in China and, after a thorough evaluation, intends to establish its first call center in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
In 2018, Xunlesi (Chengdu) Data Service Co., Ltd. was established in Chengdu High-tech Pilot Free Trade Zone. In the same year, Xunlesi began to apply for value-added telecom call center business licenses, and with the assistance of the office of the Chengdu High-tech Pilot Free Trade Zone Administration Bureau and relevant departments, in October 2021, as a wholly foreign-owned enterprise, Xunlesi successfully obtained a value-added telecommunications business license (domestic call center business).
Midwest "First Shot"
It is understood that the license handled this time is the first wholly foreign-owned call center business license issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the central and western regions. "Once you get a license, you can do business nationwide." Liang Bin, vice president of operations of Xunlesi China, introduced that with Chengdu high-tech as the starting point, the company will expand with the whole country as the territory.
With this "customs clearance order", Liang Bin also revealed the next step of the "action table": Xunlesi Group has a number of call center operations in various countries, and has previously worked closely with a number of technology, game and Internet giants, "Next, we will rely on the group's resources, and at the same time actively cooperate with domestic Internet, finance and other emerging enterprises to further expand corporate influence."
At present, the company has landed about 3,000 square meters of operating space in Chengdu High-tech, completed the installation and commissioning of related telecommunications facilities and routers, and has the software and hardware conditions to carry out related process outsourcing business (call center). In the process of recruiting, business training, customer development and other aspects of the work is also steadily advancing, "the company currently has more than 200 employees, with the issuance of licenses and business expansion, we expect to grow to 2,000 employees in the future." ”
"Bring in" is followed by "going out"
Xunlesi revealed that the next step is to carry out Chinese call business abroad, "to provide local services to people around the world, to provide Chinese services to Chinese around the world." ”
After the official approval of the call business of Xunlesi, the Chengdu Pilot Free Trade Zone has also ushered in new opportunities.
Since its establishment in April 2017 to the end of September this year, the Chengdu Pilot Free Trade Zone has achieved more than 168,000 new enterprises and a new registered capital of 1,713.44 billion yuan, of which 1,520 new foreign-invested enterprises and 174.34 billion yuan of new foreign-funded enterprises, 85% are concentrated in the high-end service industry.
With the further opening and improvement of the policy, as a test field for reform and innovation, the Chengdu Pilot Free Trade Zone will further provide guarantees for the development of enterprises and provide impetus for accelerating the construction of an international business environment.
Red Star News reporter Zou Yue
Edited by Yixi Chen
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