Etisalat expands with US $ 163 m project
Etisalat Lanka has initiated a massive network expansion program and
this will cover 480 new 2G sites.
The project commenced on a cost of US$ 163 million over the period of
the next six months, making it one of the largest and most significant
investments by a single entity following the end of three decades of
war.
Etisalat Lanka Chief Sales Officer Sanjeeva Samarasinghe,
Etisalat Lanka Deputy CEO Riyaaz Rasheed, Etisalat Lanka
Director/CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka, Etisalat Lanka Chief Technical
Officer Sanath Pilipitiya and Alcatel Lucent Country Manager
Roland Reynier announcing the project. Picture by Rukmal Gamage |
Etisalat Lanka Director/ CEO, Dumindra Ratnayaka said, “this is the
project that will take the company into great heights.
This is a fully funded project with very attractive terms, given
Etisalat Lanka’s virtually debt free profile and high credit ratings of
the UAE based parent company.
This includes all urban areas as well as steady expansion to the
North East. Aligned to coincide with the Government’s Uthuru Vasanthaya
(Reawakening the North) and Gama Neguma (village reawakening) endeavors,
company media release said.
All urban cities including the Northern and Vanni districts will
benefit from the latest, cutting edge in technology as Etisalat
introduces Sri Lanka’s largest 3G network. This innovative and
progressive venture will introduce the most advanced 3G technology with
HSPA + (Evolved high speed packet access).
This is essentially yet the most sophisticated 3G technology to be
introduced to Sri Lanka.
The expansion further supports the latest in Value Added Services
(VAS), Billing and all IT/communication services. Etisalat Lanka has
mandated Alcatel-Lucent, as the official vendor for this network
expansion, following a competitive tender process. A respected foreign
entity such as Etisalat UAE investing aggressively in Sri Lanka,
following a mere year since its investment into the country augurs well
for the country.
An investment of this nature is massive in terms of capital and
technology, assisting the infrastructure development of Sri Lanka,
Ratnayaka said. |