With the rise of IT companies, there is a rise of companies that provide legal services to these IT companies. Unfortunately, not all of them are worthy of attention. The DOT consultants, the providers of these legal services are chartered accountants, IT consultants, Telecom regulatory experts, content specialists and designers who know the ins and outs of the DOT industry. However, in the age of internet, anyone can claim to be all these experts and as an audience, you don’t have any choice but to make a mediocre decision.
Thankfully, there is a solution for you. Being consultants ourselves, we have networked with our consultants every now and then, to provide services that we can’t on our own. By conversing with them, we have condensed the qualities of the best consultants in few points. If you keep those qualities in mind, you’d be able to differentiate between the genuine and phonies in no time.
Who are DOT consultants?
The Department of Telecommunication is the most complex government department there is. In our humble opinion, it stands next to the Department of Defence. Providing licenses to those who want to use telecommunication resources, the Department maintains the balance between the needs of the entrepreneurs and the security of the nation. The DOT consultants are experts to understand this balance and thus act as an interface between the IT companies and the Department of Telecommunication.
What services do the DOT consultants provide?
The DOT consultants provide all the legal services that IT companies might need related to their use of telecommunication resources. One can separate the DOT consultants into separate categories depending upon the services that they provide. Following are the types of DOT consultants based on their DOT consulting services:
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DOT consultants for OSP registration: OSP registration is the authorization to use telecommunication resources for the purpose of providing IT enabled services. It’s issued to OSPs or Other Service Providers like call centers, BPOs, KPOs etc. by the Department of Telecommunication. The process of OSP registration involved three steps:
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Consolidation of a business entity.
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Drafting of the documents for OSP registration.
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Filing the application of OSP registration.
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The DOT consultants that provide such service are called DOT License consultant. DOT license consultants establish your business entity, draft the required documents and also file the application of OSP registration on your behalf.
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DOT consultants for ISP License: ISP License or Unified License to start an ISP is the authorization to provide first-hand internet services to subscribers. The Department of Telecommunication provides the said license after the completion of the following steps:
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Consolidation of a business entity, preferably a private limited company
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Drafting of the documents required to obtain the ISP License
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Submitting the application by visiting the department branch.
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Getting the letter of intent.
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Following the instructions of the letter of intent.
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The DOT ISP consultants are the ones that guide you in the process of getting the ISP License. The process of ISP Licensing is far more complex than an OSP registration. That’s why, the consultants focus on communication and strategic association to guarantee that you gain the license.
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DOT consultants for annual compliance: All IT enabled companies with OSP registration are required to file DOT compliance on due time. There are two types of DOT compliances: Annual and Event Based. Both of them are required to be filed on the right time to prevent any kind of undue penalty.
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Annual Compliance: The annual return are needed to be filed on an yearly basis on the holders of OSP registration number. In the form of this compliance, you’d have to enter the details about your clients, your employees, your net profit or loss.
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Event-Based Compliance: In the event that there is some infrastructural change in your BPO or your call center, you’d need to inform the DOT about the same. That’s done through filing the event-based compliance form.
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DOT compliance consultants bring their full talent pool of Chartered Accountants to audit your IT company and file the DOT compliances.
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DOT consultants for UL VNO License: A VNO is similar to an ISP, but without any hardware requirement. To start a VNO, you’d need to acquire the UL VNO License from the Department of Telecommunication. The process is the same as acquiring the ISP License. However, the difference lies in the consultants. The DOT VNO Consultants are privy to the different requirements of getting and maintaining the VNO license. Furthermore, as change in policy can impact the VNO License validity, the consultants of this domain would keep you up to date.
Other than the above four, there are also DOT safety consultants
Qualities of a DOT consultant
Let’s now bite the meat of the topic and understand how can you find the right DOT consultants suited to your needs:
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They offer complete assistance: The timeline of DOT OSP registration or ISP License registration can vary. Regardless of that, the right DOT consultants stick with you through thick and thin.
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They don’t create unreasonable expectations: If someone comes to you and says that they can help you get the OSP License within 7 days, would you believe them? Of course not. However, that’s not the case with everyone. Someone somewhere sometimes is so desperate that they believe that they can get the services in an instant. Phonies or fraud consultants take advantage of that situation to grab clients, never giving them satisfactory results. The right DOT consultants would be forward with you from the start.
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Their prices are reasonable: “Cheap is good” does not mean that you should take up on those offers when the service you’re purchasing involves DOT consultations. A reasonably priced DOT service tends to be a bit on the higher end. And there is a reason for that. When someone is giving you a guarantee to provide you the said service, they are doing a lot of legwork behind the scenes – dealing with the DOT officials personally. Thus, look for consultants whose prices are reasonable.
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They are transparent with their work: If the work seems too difficult for them to handle, the experts will tell you about it. At times if the process can’t be completed (it happens), they will provide you a way to get back the fee that you’ve submitted.
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They provide you regular reports: It’s easy to get anxious when dealing with complex services like DOT licensing. That’s why, the right DOT consultants are always in touch with you. They will provide you with all the details of the current state of your license or other services.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever had a question: “Who are the best DOT compliance consultants near me? ”, now you have the answer to choose between them. Consultants are dime a dozen, but the right DOT consultants can only be found if you’re willing to go an extra mile and find out what kind of services you’re looking for.
