3.4 Sri Lanka Telecommunications
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3.4 Sri Lanka Telecommunications In Sri Lanka, telecommunication network coverage is provided by both government and private companies.. In the year 1996, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka was established to regulate the functioning of this field and maintain the competitiveness. There exists 4 fixed broadband service providers and 4 mobile broadband service providers, but there are only 6 companies all together in which 2 companies provide both services. However with time the number of landlines in use have been decreasing and use of mobile phones have been increasing. Finding SIM cards in Sri Lanka is relatively easy than other countries. At the airport itself, after baggage claiming, there are booths to get a sim card. Mobitel is the most used network used by foreigners. However, those booths only offer tourist packages which could be pricier than usual. In Colombo there are many Agent outlets that provide a sim very easily in which he vendor would configure the network from their phone itself. In general, the coverage is good in Sri Lanka and getting a sim card is also convenient. SLT telephone connections are available as Fibre, Mega line and 4G/LTE. Mega line and Fibre are the most reliable and superior quality wireline telephone connections which enables you to enjoy uninterrupted Voice, Broadband and PEO TV. 4G/LTE provide both Voice & Broadband services. All three connections offer a range of value-added services. Revolutionizing internet usage across the country whilst expanding Sri Lanka’s broadband capacity, SLT Broadband proudly introduced fastest internet, taking the speeds up to as much as 1 Gbps. For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List. Telephone Services Is there an existing landline telephone network? Yes Does it allow international calls? Yes Number and Length of Downtime Periods (on average) 30 minutes Mobile Phone Providers Dialog Mobitel Airtel Hutch Approximate Percentage of National Coverage Countrywide Telecommunications Regulations The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) was established under the Sri Lanka Telecommunication (Amendment) Act No. 27 of 1996 as the national regulatory agency for telecommunications in Sri Lanka. Regulations on Usage and Import Regulations in Regulating Authority Place? Satellite Yes Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka HF (High Frequency) Radio Yes Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka UHF/VHF/HF Radio: Handheld, Yes Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Base and Mobile Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka UHF/VHF Repeaters Yes Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka GPS Yes Requires approval from the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka VSAT Yes Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka Individual Network Operator Licenses Required Yes Frequency Licenses Required Yes Page 1 Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems Existing UN Telecommunication Systems UNDP WFP UNICEF OCHA WHO FAO UNHRC Y Y Y Y Y Y Y VHF Frequencies Y Y Y Y Y Y Y HF Frequencies - - - - - - - Locations of Repeaters N Y N N N N N VSAT Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Internet services are provided countrywide from 3 ISPs. The main companies which provide mobile broadband facilities are Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel, Dialog, Lankabell and Airtel. Internet Service Providers Are there ISPs available? Yes If yes, are they privately or government owned? Private Dial-up only? No Approximate Rates (local currency and USD - $) Dial-up USD2 / 10 hours Broadband Approx. USD1,000 for 1 GBPS monthly Max Leasable ‘Dedicated’ Bandwidth Up to 1 Gbps on a leased lines Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) For information on MNOs please visit the GSM (Global Service Mobile) Association website. Company Number of Agent Network Contracted for Humanitarian or Services Offered (i.e. Merchant Payment, Bulk Outlets by Area Strength by Government Cash Transfer Programmes? Disbursement, Receive & Make Payment) Area Dialog Island-wide Rural – Medium Yes Merchant Payment, Money Transfer, Receive & Make Payment Urban – High Mobitel Island-wide Rural - medium Yes Merchant Payment, Money Transfer, Receive & Make Payment Urban – high Hutch Island-wide Rural - low Yes Has a system called eZ cash where transactions can be made to settle mobile bills and reloads. Urban – medium Airtel Island-wide Rural – low Yes Has a system called eZ cash where transactions can be made to settle mobile bills and reloads. Urban – medium Page 2.