Lanka cheapest in broadband

Speed and connectivity hailed

Charumini de SILVA

Sri Lanka provides the most cheapest prices for broadband connectivity in the South Asian region now, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) Technology Head and Chief Software Architect, Sanjaya Karunasena said.

Speaking at the 28th National Information Technology Conference (NITC) yesterday, he said this is a commendable improvement shown by the information and technology industry.

“Sri Lanka was the first to introduce 3.5G technology in the region. The speed and the connectivity of the broadband are commendable.

Nevertheless, there are many ways that the service providers could look into enhance and improve the services. It would also help the industry to grow further,” he said.

Karunasena said the country’s present mobile penetration has reached over 70 percent.

Almost all mobile phone connections in the country are in use.

A majority of these mobiles are basic mobile phones. Majority of the mobile users have made voice as their main requirement.

By making voice the main requirement of a mobile phone has given service providers a great opportunity where they earn bulks on voice rather than applications, Karunasena said.

Although the majority of the mobile users, which has basic phones pay much attention on voice the smart phone users are connecting through broadband on their phones and also enjoys voice.

“The difference is that smart phone users here only pay for broadband and make use of their application, while the basic phone users pay only for voice at a higher price. Using voice through broadband is much cheaper for consumers as they benefit from the applications too,” Karunasena said.

He said there will be more opportunities for the private sector to invest and innovate novel products and services in the ICT sector.

The rapid progress shown in the IT industry has facilitated the telecommunication industry to expand further.

Mobile penetration has grown swiftly and with the opening of the Northern and the Eastern provinces the fixed telephone line penetration is also picking up at a faster pace.