TelePassport achieves ISO9001:2000 certification.

Johannesburg - 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 characterized 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 Organization), 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 organization during our 6 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 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 that 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 telecomms players. TelePassport's ISO certification has once again raised the bar, and moved the local LCR industry to a new level."