TelePassport achieves ISO9001:2000 certification

TelePassport has been awarded the prestigious international ISO9001:2000 quality certification from the ISO certification body, Dekra Intertek, in Johannesburg.

Managing director Anton Potgieter comments: "We are extremely proud of achieving this coveted international certification. TelePassport is the first South African least-cost routing provider to achieve ISO certification. This is the latest significant milestone in TelePassport`s history, which is characterised by industry firsts and technological and market leadership."

ISO certification is not a once off "hit and run" award, but rather an ongoing commitment to the international standards and quality as laid down by ISO (the International Standards Organisation), based in Germany.

ISO-certified companies are re-audited annually to very strict guidelines, and many companies fail their second or third year audits due to lack of follow-through on their initial implementations. Potgieter reports: "We at TelePassport have embraced ISO at the highest level, as evidenced throughout the organisation during our six-month initial audit preparations. More importantly, we have implemented ongoing checks and balances to ensure that ISO principles remain fundamental to our operations."

A significant factor in the achievement of ISO certification is the quality of the systems on which a business is built, and this is particularly true in the communications technology arena. TelePassport IT Director Jonathan Kimber reports: "Our systems at TelePassport are unequalled in the local LCR industry, and provide us the means to rise above the pack in a low margin, service-oriented marketplace. TelePassport`s systems are fully integrated to address all areas of the business process, and have been developed in-house at TelePassport since 1993. Research and development is ongoing, and our dedicated time IT department is never at rest - the systems develop and grow on a monthly basis. Our systems were extremely well received by the ISO auditors, and we are confident they are a vital part of the key to our future competitive advantage."

"ISO certification is a great honour for us, and a real affirmation that TelePassport`s 12 years in the LCR industry have built a company of world-class standards and stature," says Potgieter. "It is remarkable that least-cost routing, which started as almost a `garage` industry in the nineties, has in just over a decade reached a level of sophistication which puts the leading players at the level of many global telecoms players. TelePassport`s ISO certification has once again raised the bar, and moved the local LCR industry to a new level."