In Sri Lanka, telecommunication network coverage is provided by both government and private companies.. In the year 1996, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka was established to regulate the functioning of this field and maintain the competitiveness. There exists 4 fixed broadband service providers and 4 mobile broadband service providers, but there are only 6 companies all together in which 2 companies provide both services. However with time the number of landlines in use have been decreasing and use of mobile phones have been increasing.
Finding SIM cards in Sri Lanka is relatively easy than other countries. At the airport itself, after baggage claiming, there are booths to get a sim card. Mobitel is the most used network used by foreigners. However, those booths only offer tourist packages which could be pricier than usual. In Colombo there are many Agent outlets that provide a sim very easily in which he vendor would configure the network from their phone itself. In general, the coverage is good in Sri Lanka and getting a sim card is also convenient.
SLT telephone connections are available as Fibre, Mega line and 4G/LTE. Mega line and Fibre are the most reliable and superior quality wireline telephone connections which enables you to enjoy uninterrupted Voice, Broadband and PEO TV. 4G/LTE provide both Voice & Broadband services. All three connections offer a range of value-added services. Revolutionizing internet usage across the country whilst expanding Sri Lanka’s broadband capacity, SLT Broadband proudly introduced fastest internet, taking the speeds up to as much as 1 Gbps.
For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List.
|
Telephone Services |
|
|---|---|
|
Is there an existing landline telephone network? |
Yes |
|
Does it allow international calls? |
Yes |
|
Number and Length of Downtime Periods (on average) |
30 minutes |
|
Mobile Phone Providers |
Dialog Mobitel Airtel Hutch |
|
Approximate Percentage of National Coverage |
Countrywide |
Telecommunications Regulations
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) was established under the Sri Lanka Telecommunication (Amendment) Act No. 27 of 1996 as the national regulatory agency for telecommunications in Sri Lanka.
|
Regulations on Usage and Import |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Regulations in Place? |
Regulating Authority |
|
|
Satellite |
Yes |
Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka |
|
HF (High Frequency) Radio |
Yes |
Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka |
|
UHF/VHF/HF Radio: Handheld, Base and Mobile |
Yes |
Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka |
|
UHF/VHF Repeaters |
Yes |
Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka |
|
GPS |
Yes |
Requires approval from the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka |
|
VSAT |
Yes |
Requires approval from the Ministry of Defence and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka |
|
Individual Network Operator Licenses Required |
||
|
Yes |
||
|
Frequency Licenses Required |
||
|
Yes |
||
Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems
|
Existing UN Telecommunication Systems |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UNDP |
WFP |
UNICEF |
OCHA |
WHO |
FAO |
UNHRC |
|
|
VHF Frequencies |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
HF Frequencies |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
|
Locations of Repeaters |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
VSAT |
N |
Y |
N |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
Internet services are provided countrywide from 3 ISPs. The main companies which provide mobile broadband facilities are Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel, Dialog, Lankabell and Airtel.
|
Internet Service Providers |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Are there ISPs available? |
Yes |
|
|
If yes, are they privately or government owned? |
Private |
|
|
Dial-up only? |
No |
|
|
Approximate Rates (local currency and USD - $) |
Dial-up |
USD2 / 10 hours |
|
Broadband |
Approx. USD1,000 for 1 GBPS monthly |
|
|
Max Leasable ‘Dedicated’ Bandwidth |
Up to 1 Gbps on a leased lines |
|
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
For information on MNOs please visit the GSM (Global Service Mobile) Association website.
|
Company |
Number of Agent Outlets by Area |
Network Strength by Area |
Contracted for Humanitarian or Government Cash Transfer Programmes? |
Services Offered (i.e. Merchant Payment, Bulk Disbursement, Receive & Make Payment) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dialog |
Island-wide |
Rural – Medium Urban – High |
Yes |
Merchant Payment, Money Transfer, Receive & Make Payment |
|
Mobitel |
Island-wide |
Rural - medium Urban – high |
Yes |
Merchant Payment, Money Transfer, Receive & Make Payment |
|
Hutch |
Island-wide |
Rural - low Urban – medium |
Yes |
Has a system called eZ cash where transactions can be made to settle mobile bills and reloads. |
|
Airtel |
Island-wide |
Rural – low Urban – medium |
Yes |
Has a system called eZ cash where transactions can be made to settle mobile bills and reloads. |
