TRC of Sri Lanka to Allow Spectrum sharing & Domestic Roaming for Lower Broadband Tariffs

28th March 2013, www.lankabusinessonline.com

Sri Lanka is allowing spectrum sharing and domestic roaming to promote shared resources and cut costs so that broadband tariffs can be kept low, the telecom regulator said.

"We are allowing spectrum sharing," director general of the telecommunications regulatory commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) Anusha Pelpita said.

"We will not regulate their tariffs but they will have to apply to us. This will help keep costs down and subscribers will get lower tariffs."

Domestic roaming has already been recently permitted and Airtel and Etisalat have started to allow customers to roam on each others' network, he said.

Dialog on Thursday paid 3.2 billion rupees for a 10MegaHertz paired frequencies block in the 1800MHz band paying 2.0 billion rupees higher than the next bidder, in an auction which had a floor price of 3.2 billion rupees.

Pelpita said the frequencies are expected to be used in the rollout of fourth generation LTE (long term evolution) high speed mobile broadband services.

The 1800 spectrum was allocated for GSM (2G) services by the International Telecommunications Unions, but can be used for 4G.

The 75MHz of paired bandwidth in the frequency band (or 150MHz in the band which runs from 1700 through 1800 MHz has now been allocated to operators.

Dialog Already had a 15MHz block, Mobitel had 20, Etisalat, Hutch and Airtel each had 7.5MHz each and another 7.5MHz allocated to a firm which did not have a network was in court.

Except for the 7.5MHz which was in dispute the entire band has now been allocated to operators, he said.

"Spectrum sharing will allow more efficient use of the resource," Pelpita said.

Operators can set their own prices, but those planning to share spectrum must first apply to the Telecom Regulatory Commission, he said.

In Sri Lanka the 900MHz band, which is used for mobile broadband elsewhere is occupied by television broadcasters, but the band may become free after digital broadcasting starts Pelpita said.

Unlike other countries which raised billions of dollars Sri Lanka has a policy of keeping frequency fees relatively low.

Pelpita said he wanted to promote broadband use and in Sri Lanka fixed broadband penetration was low, though mobile was picking up.

"We have allowed frequency sharing because that will also keep costs down, so that retail tariffs will be more affordable," he said.

"Domestic roaming will also reduce costs as operators can save on network expenditure."

Sri Lanka Telecom, which had been licensed to build the national telecom backbone, has to allow other operators to use the pipes on regulated tariffs.

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Sri Lankan Telcos Deliver Faster Broadband. SLT & Dialog Launch 4G as Etisalat Introduces 3.75G

08th May 2011, www.island.lk

Earlier it was a price war, but now mobile telecommunication companies are racing to deliver faster broadband speeds.

Just one day after Etisalat launched its 3.75 generation broadband network, Sri Lanka Telecom PLC’s (SLT) Mobitel and Dialog Axiata PLC (Dial) announced that they had conducted successful trials on fourth generation (4G) LTE networks, breaking broadband speed records for the first time in South Asia, they both claimed.

Both SLT and Dial both announced last Friday that they had carried out successful trials in 4G technology, which means Etisalat’s 3.75G network would be slightly behind.

While Etisalat is promising speeds up to 21mbps with a capacity to reach 42mbps through its 3.75G network, SLT says its 4G network could deliver up to 96mbps in downlink and 49mbps in uplink using LTE technology.

"Having launched the first Super-3.5G HSPA network in South Asia in December 2007, and subsequently carried out a trial of HSPA+, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) with downlink speeds of up to 28mbps in 2009, another first in the region, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel has broken the speed barrier even further to demonstrate broadband speeds of up to 96mbps in downlink and 49mbps in uplink using LTE technology, and setting another record in the region for the third consecutive time," the telco said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Dial’s pilot network will initially cover several key zones within the city. It said its trials achieved data speeds in excess of 100mbps in indoor demonstration mode, and 40-50mbps in outdoor mobile usage scenarios within the city.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission is monitoring these broadband speeds to ensure consumers get value for money and that broadband speeds are within the advertised range.

A recent price-war left many of the telcos bleeding.

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Sri Lanka Telco Mobitel Invests $60mn on LTE, the Latest Standard in Mobile Network Technology

01st May 2011, www.thebottomline.lk

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, the National Mobile Telecom Service Provider, announced on Friday that it has signed a BOI agreement to trial and deploy a LTE (Long Term Evolution) Network for the first time in Sri Lanka.

This will be part of the company’s network expansion project and will enable Mobitel to import/purchase (locally) project-related items free of customs duty.

Mobitel has committed an investment of approximately US$ 60m in its latest network expansion, adding 1000 LTE capable radio base stations to the existing network infrastructure.

With this, the company’s investments committed to date in its LTE/3.5G/2.5G networks and service offerings amount to over US$ 400m.

“Technology change is a key determinant of a country’s economic growth and therefore, the introduction of LTE Network is expected to drive growth in the telecommunication sector as well as improve competitiveness and growth in several other economic sectors heavily depended on infocom” said, Jayampathi Bandaranayake, Chairman BOI of Sri Lanka. “We are happy to support Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel in its endeavour to provide the latest ICT technologies which is sure to catalyze national development”.

LTE is the latest standard in the mobile network technology evolution after GSM/EDGE and 3.5G/HSPA network technologies, and Mobitel is gearing towards demonstrating broadband speeds nearing 100Mbps in downlink and 50Mbps in uplink, using this LTE technology when the spectrum is available.

Anusha Palpita, the Director General of Telecommunications said “TRCSL is committed to assist all the telecommunication operators in Sri Lanka to develop world-class telecommunication network facilities in the country. The spectrum allocation for the commercial operation of LTE will soon be finalised where the operators will be able to launch nationwide enhanced ICT infrastructure to benefit all businesses and consumers in Sri Lanka through this latest evolution in mobile broadband technology.”

Nimal Welgama, Chairman Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel said, “Harnessing the power of ICT to its fullest potential will be the key in realising hyper exponential pace of growth which is needed to build our nation and to do so rapidly. This requires next generation ICT available and affordable to the citizens of our country which will help eventually realise the President’s vision of elevating the e-literacy rate in Sri Lanka. In this regard, this investment on the latest LTE infrastructure will be a significant step towards driving unparalleled growth to propel our country forward.”

ZTE corporation of China was selected by Mobitel as its technology partner to deploy this state-of-the-art LTE ready Next-Generation-Network.

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• Second Phase of mTicketing Launched by Sri Lanka Railways & Mobitel. Subscribers Dial 365 to Access Ticketing Portal

Second Phase of mTicketing Launched by Sri Lanka Railways & Mobitel. Subscribers Dial 365 to Access Ticketing Portal

06th April 2011, www.island.lk

Sri Lanka Railways together with Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, will enter the next phase of mTicketing. Sri Lanka’s first mobile railway ticket reservation system was launched in 2009, to offer railway commuters the convenience of reserving tickets for intercity travel over a mobile phone call.

"Under the initial phase, the service was confined to the Colombo – Kandy route. The new service extends intercity travelling to Vavuniya and Batticaloa through its advanced reservation system, and plans are already underway to extend the service to Omanthei as well in the very near future.

All Mobitel customers can enjoy the service through the Mobitel Ticketing portal by simply dialling 365 from their Mobitel phone. Further, as tickets can be reserved over the phone, the need for a passenger to make an additional trip to the railway station to reserve tickets in advance is completely eliminated.

Sri Lanka Railways and Mobitel hope to extend this facility to other Telecommunication Operators in the near future," a joint statement said.

Claiming a history of over a century, Sri Lanka’s rail transportation has contributed immensely to the growth of the economy in the country. Taking its first steps in transporting tea, rubber and coconut, Sri Lankan Railways has played a pivotal role in the growth of the export sector. Presently, the government establishment has grown to nurture transportation services throughout Sri Lanka.

Commenting on the extension of the innovative service, Dhammika Perera, Secretary Ministry of Transport who graced the occasion as Chief Guest stated "With the extension of the ‘mTicketing System’ to many other intercity routes, we are delighted to take our initial strides towards a milestone in transportation services. Sri Lanka Railways and Mobitel, two vanguards share mutual passion to make our services hassle free and an enjoyable experience for the users".

The unique mTicketing service is available 365 days of the year and bookings will be updated on a real time basis. Upon dialling 365 and reserving one’s railway ticket, the total ticketing charge would be added to the customer’s Mobitel bill or deducted from their account in case of a SMART Pre Paid user.

Mobitel customers have now been offered the convenience of collecting the ticket from the station or any Mobitel Branch.

Speaking at the event, A. G. Mahanama, General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways said, "The service extended by Mobitel will help to enhance an efficient railways system to emerge in the future. The initiative is undoubtedly the way forward and I believe that services like this will bring people to engage further in railways transportation. I sincerely thank Mobitel for their relentless commitment in spearheading the initiative and expanding across to many ther intercity routes. A method that will revolutionise all transpiration systems in Sri Lanka, unravels today"

Suren J. Amarasekera CEO of Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel said, "In line with our premise as the National Mobile Services Provider, Mobitel has readily supported projects that aim to empower our country through the infusion of ICT. We consider it a privilege to take the solution with Sri Lanka Railways to the next level and in doing so reflect ‘care’ in all our endeavours to uplift and work towards the greater development of our country and its people."

Sri Lanka's Mobitel to Demonstrate HSPA+ MIMO

20th December 2009, www.sundayobserver.lk

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, the national mobile service provider, having launched the first Super-3.5G HSPA network in South Asia in December 2007, said that it has successfully tested HSPA+ which is capable of delivering downlink speeds of up to 28 Mbps.

In pursuit of its vision to "Lead Sri Lanka towards an infocom and knowledge rich society", the National Mobile Service provider has advanced its core network with latest HSPA+ powered by MIMO technology, to facilitate ICT infrastructure to eventually realize 'Broadband for All' in our country.

The increased speed has been achieved with the installation of MIMO (Multiple-input-multiple-output) technology which effectively uses multiple antennas in both the handset and HSPA network to split the radio signal into multiple streams, upgrading the existing network by enhancing network capacity and user experience, and thereby providing a more promising platform to offer more data based products and services to customers.

The HSPA+ trialing was possible thanks to the efforts made by its strategic technology partner Huawei, a leading mobile telecom infrastructure solutions provider in global telecom industry. "We are happy to announce the very latest HSPA+ MIMO deployment ensures the future proofing will provide improved and superior mobile broadband experience to our customers throughout" said Leisha De Silva Chandrasena, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel.

"Not only will this highlight Mobitel's stance as the technology frontier in mobile telecom sphere, but its commitment in keeping with its pledge to offer next generation services to our valued customers."