Sri Lanka, an island nation in South Asia, boasts a population of approximately 22 million that is fairly evenly distributed across the country's diverse geographic regions, including mountains, coastal plains, and urban centres such as Colombo. The country has a growing telecommunications sector which has seen significant investments in mobile and broadband infrastructure, contributing to an internet penetration rate of over 67%. Despite this, rural areas still struggle with connectivity issues due to challenging geographical features. In terms of renewable energy, the country has made advances, particularly in hydroelectric and wind power. However, the sector is not fully mature and infrastructure development is ongoing. The technology sector in Sri Lanka is still at an early stage, but shows potential with a focus on digital technologies and software development.
Mobile Network Operators
The are 5 companies operating mobile networks in this region.
Airtel Sri Lanka, officially known as Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, is a mobile network operator operating in Sri Lanka. It is the Sri Lankan subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, an Indian multinational telecommunications company. Airtel Sri Lanka was granted a mobile phone operator license in 2006, but did not begin operations until 12 January 2009. As of December 2022, it had approximately 3 million subscribers in the Sri Lankan mobile market.
The company is a registered entity under the Board of Investment Sri Lanka and operates under the license provided by the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act...
Dialog Axiata PLC, formerly known as MTN Networks and later Dialog Telekom, is a major telecommunications service provider in Sri Lanka. The company was established in 1993 as MTN Networks with 90% of equity through Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and 10% by Capital Maharaja, the local promoters to the investment. In 1996, the local promoters divested their stake providing complete ownership of MTN Networks to Telekom Malaysia. The company began its commercial operations under the brand name Dialog GSM by rolling out the first digital network in South Asia using GSM technology. In 2005, the...
Lanka Bell is a telecommunications company operating in Sri Lanka. Established in 1997, the company was the largest Board of Investment (BOI) company in Sri Lanka during its formation, with an investment exceeding US$150 million. The company's ownership transferred to Milford Holdings (Private) Limited, a privately held diversified conglomerate, in 2005. Lanka Bell holds the position of the third largest fixed wireless operator and the third largest fixed phone operator in the country, boasting an island-wide digital wireless network.
SLTMobitel is a leading telecommunications company operating in Sri Lanka. Established in 1993 as the third mobile telephone provider in the Sri Lankan market, it was originally a collaboration between Sri Lanka Telecom and Telstra. Since November 2002, Mobitel has been wholly owned by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). SLT itself began operations in 1858, marking the establishment of the first Telegraphic Circuit between Galle and Colombo. SLT was corporatised in 1991 and privatised in 2000 with the collaboration of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). In 2008, NTT sold its stake in SLT to...