Mobitel debuts 3G field trial with speed Internet

DEBUT: SLT Mobitel Debuts 3G Field Trial with 1.6Mbps Dazzling Speed Internet Access Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel - Sri Lanka’s national GSM mobile service provider - embarked on a field trial for its cutting edge 3G Mobile Broadband platform, which utilizes next generation High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology.

The dazzling speed Internet access at an impressive 1.6 Mbps was demonstrated to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Diyawadana Nilame Nilanga Dela Bandara by the Chairman of SLT and Mobitel P. Asoka Weerasinghe de Silva.

High speed Internet access points were made available for the benefit of the several hundred fold foreign and local religious dignitaries in attendance at the 2-day international conference in Pallekele, Kandy.

HSDPA, the latest development in 3G, which is being trialed by Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel is several stages ahead of its 3G forerunners and allows multiple applications with mobile phones, laptops and personal computers.

The trial service offers wide range of options within the scope of mobile broadband level connectivity together with full inter-operability with Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel’s existing 2.5G network.

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel offered this field trial as part of its on-going effort to create new options for customers through the extension of its care promise even further by moulding the services it plans to offer through customer feedback.

Another key benefit of this trial is that it is taking the first step in breaking down barriers for Sri Lankans in accessing ICT infrastructure while on the go, especially using the HSDPA and experiencing speeds of up to 1.6Mbps are said to overcome restrictions that are otherwise posed for the adoption of high speed mobile Internet access.

The rollout of this 3G trial by Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel has benefited from the vital role played by the TRC in recognizing the need for 3G in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel embarked on this field trial with Ericcson as part of Ericsson’s obligations under the Stage 2 expansion contract that the Sri Lankan network entered into in May 2005.

This field trial has been timely considering the plans by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to issue the commercial 3G spectrum soon.

Further, this field trial by Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel forms part of its activities in garnering technical know-how on the deployment of 3G services.

Other vendors that Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel is engaging with are Nokia of Finland and Huawei Technologies of China.