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The new initiative to bring in high technology for Sri Lanka, which the government has dubbed the e-Sri Lanka project, is late but still welcome. Late because around the region other countries have gone ahead at a faster rate and we have much catching up to do.

India is the finest example of how technological leaps can be made with wise planning. In 1980, the Indian government decided to use satellite technology to take television to rural areas. It was a momentous decision that science visionary Arthur C Clarke commented on at that time, because instead of building an expensive and extensive network of television transmitters a low-orbiting geo-stationary satellite could cover a country as enormous as India with ease. India then made the second leap when the software industry made a concerted effort to bring down the costs of programming. At the time in the early 1990s, the Indian software industry said they would do to software what the Japanese did to the motor car.

And so they did. Today the Indian software industry is the world leader in bulk software programming and has also produced brilliant innovators such as the inventor of Hotmail.

Sri Lanka's own software innovators have gone almost unnoticed by the public at large. There are several who operate in Sri Lanka and overseas notably in the United States. Sri Lankans have designed programs for clients around the world. In doing so they have proved themselves to be equal to their peers anywhere.

These achievements have been made without help from the state or any sort of organised move to harness the full potential of the people in the information technology and computing fields. These men and women educated themselves and went into business with little or no help from the government.

In recent years, however, there is a realisation that the ICT industry has to be developed. The establishment of the first university for IT is a giant step towards improving Sri Lanka's chances in bettering itself in this field.

The next step is of course to increase widespread usage at home. Creating a local market and presenting challenges to the industry will be a sure fire method of jump-starting ICT growth in Sri Lanka.

The authorities must not accept the argument that new technology would be expensive and therefore its introduction should be delayed. When keenly examined, it becomes clear that new technology has evolved to reduce costs in the long term and make systems more efficient. There is much talk these days of making the government machinery more effective. The best way to do so will be to introduce new technology particularly communication systems so that archaic methods in government departments for instance can be done away with.

In this regard the government has by recognising convergence taken a useful step forward. The new licensing regime announced by the Communications Ministry does not differentiate between Internet Service Providers, Mobile and fixed phone providers and data transmitters. In this way the local companies can move into areas they were restricted to and rapidly offer cheaper and more meaningful services.

Sri Lanka still has a dismally low Internet penetration and the government has to lead the way in providing avenues to increase the number of users. Unless more people see the use of ICT in this manner there will not be the required enthusiasm to learn the necessary disciplines.

Our country has scant mineral resources. Our best resource is human. We Sri Lankans are known for their intelligence and particularly our stubborn sense of individuality. These are good qualities for star computer programmers. Therefore a strong push in the right direction will easily give the impetus for this country to build a strong ICT industry centred on innovation.

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