Dialog invests $ 10 m to roll out Sri Lanka’s first commercial 4G-LTE service

Sri Lanka’s telecommunications sector entered the 4G era yesterday with the launch of commercial LTE services in the city of Colombo by Dialog Broadband Networks (DBN), the fixed telecommunication services arm of the Dialog Axiata Group.

Dialog’s cutting edge broadband network is based on 4th Generation TD-LTE technology, and represents quantum advancement in fixed broadband services delivered to Sri Lankan homes and enterprises.

Commencing with the City of Colombo at launch, Dialog’s LTE network will be made available across all major cities and towns in Sri Lanka in the immediate future.  The launch by Dialog also signifies the return or revival of fixed telecom segment with the rapid expansion of rich multi-media content and users wanting a more robust broadband service, a global phenomenon.

Dialog Axiata Group CEO Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya told the Daily FT that the company is investing $ 10 million in the first stage of the roll out of the 4G-LTE service with 200 base stations. In mid-2012, Dialog launched trials of the first 4G LTE mobile services.

Powered by the very latest in high speed wireless broadband technology, Dialog’s LTE network facilitates a simplified home or office broadband experience for Sri Lankan consumers. The LTE home/office device provided by Dialog enables ‘plug and play’ connectivity to the LTE network and comes complete with in-built Wi-Fi, four Local Area Network (LAN) data ports, an USB port and the option of two voice (telephone) lines.  

With home/office Wi-Fi coverage built in as a standard feature, connectivity to Dialog’s LTE network enables the transformation of connected homes and offices in to high speed wireless zones supporting a wide range of wireless devices such as tablets, smart phones and laptops. The LTE terminal also supports connectivity to smart TVs and Local Area Network (LAN) connected devices such as PCs and printers.

Commenting on the launch of the country’s first commercial LTE service, TRCSL Director General Anusha Pelpita said: “The TRCSL is proud to note the commencement of commercial LTE services in Sri Lanka. The smooth introduction of the latest generation of telecommunication and broadband services requires consistent forward planning by the TRCSL and I am happy that our efforts have resulted in Sri Lanka’s telecommunications sector delivering high quality and affordable services to Sri Lankan consumers.”

 “It is an honour and privilege to lead Sri Lanka’s ICT sector in to the LTE era,” said Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chairman, Dialog Broadband Networks (DBN) and Group CEO Dialog Axiata PLC.

“The aggressive advancement of Sri Lanka’s telecommunications sector has been made possible by the progressive policies of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, and the enabling environment which has been created which encourages investment in the latest technology to the benefit of Sri Lankan consumers. Carrying this lead forward, our LTE network will expand rapidly to cover most towns and cities of Sri Lanka in the near future, and consistent with the revolution we delivered in the mobile telecommunications sector over the past decade, we will deliver the benefits of LTE technology in a form which will be available and affordable to a vast majority of Sri Lankan citizens and businesses,” he added.

Dialog’s LTE service features entry level home and office packages starting at Rs. 1,400 for a 4Mbps connection with a 25GB data allocation. Subscribers would be further facilitated with a simple and convenient process to upgrade entry level packages to higher capacities depending on their specific broadband service requirements. Customers of the service would also enjoy ‘burst’ speeds well in excess of the nominal 4 Mbps connection speed at no extra cost.

The Dialog Axiata Group is Sri Lanka’s premier quad play connectivity provider with a service portfolio spanning mobile and fixed telecommunications, high speed broadband and digital television.

Dialog Axiata PLC is a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata), and operates Sri Lanka’s largest and fastest growing mobile telecommunications network. The company is also one of the largest listed companies on the Colombo Stock Exchange in terms of market capitalisation.

Dialog Axiata supplements its market leading position in the mobile telecommunications sector with a robust footprint and market presence in Sri Lanka’s fixed telecommunications sector through its fully-owned subsidiary Dialog Broadband Networks Ltd. (DBN).

DBN operates CDMA fixed wireless telephony services alongside TD-LTE and WiMAX 16D high speed broadband services, and is also a leading provider of radio and optical fibre based transmission infrastructure facilities and data communication services.

Dialog is also the market leader in Sri Lanka’s digital television markets through its fully owned subsidiary and Dialog Television Ltd. (DTV). DTV operates a Direct-to-Home (DTH) digital satellite TV service and is the market leader in Sri Lanka’s PayTV sector, providing customers digital quality entertainment both on monthly rental and pay-as-you-watch payment schemes.

DTV supports a broad array of international and local content in both High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD) formats alongside a wide portfolio of Sri Lankan television channels and delivers high quality infotainment to a viewer base in excess of 250,000 Sri Lankan households.

Dialog has been at the forefront of innovation in the mobile industry in Sri Lanka since the late ’90s, propelling the nation’s mobile telephony infrastructure to a level of advancement on par with the developed world.

The company delivers advanced mobile telephony and high speed mobile broadband services to a subscriber base in excess of 7.5 million Sri Lankans, via a 2.5G, 3G/3.5G infrastructure.

Dialog also provides a comprehensive suite of international roaming services across a global footprint comprising of more than 200 countries, and operates a wide portfolio of international telecommunication services, including but not limited to retail and wholesale international voice and data services.