Lanka Bell celebrates 600,000 milestone with gala felicitation
The growth in the year to-date and in 2006-07 has taken CDMA market
leader Lanka Bell's subscriber base beyond 600,000, reinforcing the
company's position as the second largest 'fixed-line' service provider
in Sri Lanka's highly competitive telecom industry.
The pioneer CDMA operator and the only 100 per cent Sri Lankan owned
entity in the sector, Lanka Bell celebrated its impressive performance
this week with a gala ceremony to felicitate the people behind its
success, including corporate and residential customers, regulators,
government officials and key suppliers.
Speaking at the event Lanka Bell Managing Director Suren Goonewardene
disclosed that the company had ended fiscal 2006-07 with a net profit of
Rs 1.2 billion, following revenue growths of 94 per cent in the
residential sector and 18 per cent in the business sector. The overall
CDMA line count had grown by a whopping 210 per cent during that year,
and this growth had continued in the current year, he said.
"We strongly believe," Goonewardene said, "that the secret to our
success is a combination of innovation, quick response time, quality
service and competitive pricing. This is complemented by our universally
recognised 'Sri Lankan-ness' and our proven commitment to urban as well
as rural markets. In the corporate market segment, Lanka Bell's
customised solutions for businesses have driven growth."
Goonewardene said the latest developments at Lanka Bell would see
evolutionary growth in the company as it breaks new ground. One of these
developments is its partnership with FLAG Telecom, a subsidiary of
India's Reliance Communications for a US$ 27 million undersea cable
project.
This will mean high speed data and internet access and far superior
quality IDD facilities to several thousands of customers all over the
country and enable crystal clear international connectivity around the
globe, linking key business markets in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and
USA.
Scheduled to be completed in 2007, the project will enable Lanka Bell
to offer direct global connectivity and a complete end-to-end solution
via FLAG Telecom's FALCON cable system, which is the first terabit
private undersea cable system in Sri Lanka, he said.
Lanka Bell is also all set to introduce the state-of-the-art wireless
broad band system, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or
WiMax later this year, Goonewardene disclosed. This new technology will
enable Lanka Bell to provide wider capacity and coverage with optimum
spectrum utilization, and immunity to interference will be maximized,
increasing the quality of services, he said.
Nearly 50 people who contributed to Lanka Bell's achievement of
becoming the second largest fixed line operator in Sri Lanka were
felicitated at the ceremony at the Cinnamon Grand which included an
audio-visual presentation, traditional dance acts and a presentation of
plaques. |