Tritel installs solar powered payphones

Invests US$3 m in 2009:

Pay phone service provider Tritel has installed 1500 solar power payphones and booths in the country. Tritel has invested US$3 million last year.

The company has installed 1500 payphones and booths islandwide with 200 in the North and East areas. There will be another 150 solar powered payphones installed in the future, Tritel Chief Executive Officer Nihal Ratnayake said.

"Payphones have become popular among subscribers rather than mobile phones recently. Many people are not financially committed to a long term investment such as a mobile phone," he said.

"We have been installing payphone booths in every part of the country and especially in the schools of the country. We have installed 150 payphones in educational institutes already and we received requests from more than 200 schools.

The payphone installation program in the country has been a success as well as a service, he said.

"Chairman of the Holding Company of Tritel, Sri Arumugam is confident of the Sri Lankan market. He will forward more investment for the future of the industry," he said. "The total investment of US$ 23 million was forwarded to Sri Lanka from the inception of Tritel.

As the country's economy is moving fast towards the development, it is encouraging that Malaysian investors will continue to invest in Sri Lanka.

Mobile phone subscribers has increased to 12 million while 8,000 payphones have been installed in the country. It is expected that the mobile phone subscribers will increase by one million amounting to 13 million while another 500 payphones will add to the present network of payphones, Economic Affairs, Director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka H. N. Jayaweera told Daily News Business.

He said the Government has allocated a subsidy of Rs 50,000 for payphone providers to install payphones in rural areas.

Payphone providers are requested to widen their services in schools as the students are not permitted to use mobile phones.