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| Lanka Business Online |
| Mon May 2006 |
| High Speed: |
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Sri Lanka to offer frequencies for high-speed mobile services |
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May 22, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Monday offered mobile operators the chance to set up a next generation or third generation mobile phone network, with aim of offering high speed wireless services, the telecom watchdog said. |
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| Third generation or 3G licenses will be available on the 2GHz (gigahertz band) and the initial spectrum allocation will be limited to existing mobile operators, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Director General, Kanchana Ratwatte told LBO. "A 3G license gives mobile users flexibility and portability, allowing one to do more on the move," says Ratwatte. "One could make and receive video calls, emails, high-speed internet connections for web browsing with 3G technology." Ratwatte says the TRC has fixed the license fee at 5-million dollars. "Operators have two weeks to respond and we hope to give the licenses within a month thereafter." With over 3.5 million subscribers, Sri Lanka's four-horse mobile market is shared between Dialog Telekom, Mobitel Lanka, Celltel Lanka and Hutchison. Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telekom Malaysia, is currently the biggest of the four, commanding around 60 percent of the cellular market. The firm, which is also the biggest listed stock on the Colombo Stock Exchange, inked a 150 million dollar two-year plan last week to grow its mobile and broadband business in Sri Lanka. Dialog is currently offering 3G test runs and hopes to offer high speed internet access on mobile phones later this year. |
| Mobitel, a unit of Sri Lanka Telecom, is expected to start test runs on 3G as early as next month, Ratwatte added. |