10 million phone users by year end

Over 50 per cent of the Sri Lankan population would be connected either by mobile or fixed lines by year end.

Director General, Telecom Regulatory Commission Kanchana Ratwatte said mobile subscribers have passed the seven million mark. In addition, there are over 2.3 million fixed line customers including CDMA users.

"We expect both these subscriber numbers to increase and the total customer base would pass the 10 million mark by the end of this year," he said.

This is a remarkable achievement for a country like Sri Lanka, he added.