Category: Industry
Always On
DHAKA, Oct 9, 2006 (AFP) – AlwaysOn Network, Inc.of the United States will invest 60 million dollars to provide Internet services to most of Bangladesh within 10 years, a government spokesman said Monday. The company signed an agreement with the information and communication technology ministry on Sunday to establish Internet services in each of the […]
Catchy Numbers
TEHRAN, Oct 9, 2006 (AFP) – Ever wanted the mobile number 123456789?In Iran it can be yours, if you have tens of thousands of dollars to spare. The Islamic republic’s telecommunication officials have decided to auction off hundreds of catchy number sequences and use the profits to shore up the cumbersome Iranian mobile phone network, […]
Clean Drink
October 9, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Monday signed up for 20.5 million euros or a 2.67 billion rupee loan from the Dutch government to improve the drinking water facilities in six rural towns. Disbursed through Denmark™s Nordea Bank, the interest free loan falls under the Danish mixed credit programme where repayments are spread over […]
Toy Story
Oct 09 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has brought in restrictions on imports of remote controlled toys fearing the remote control unit and the frequency band can be used to set off explosive devises, officials said Monday. The regulations limit the frequency radius of ground and water toys to ten metres while aircrafts or any […]
Better Perks
October 9, 2006 (LBO) – Unions affiliated to Sri Lankan state banks are pressing for a second pension for staff who joined after 1996, though existing pension funds are short by billions of rupees. Prior to 1996, all state bank employees were given a pension, besides the statutory Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees Trust […]
Flying Free
Oct 09, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India opened talks on Monday to free up air services between the countries, ahead of Colombo designating new carriers to fly international routes. Sri Lanka has about 59 bilateral agreements with different countries, though its uses just about 19 of them. “We are basically asking for more […]
Air Pockets
October 7, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s deadly ethnic conflict is possibly the biggest challenge that is holding down the business process outsourcing industry’s growth, as an escalation in violence spooks foreign clients, a new industry study shows. The South Asian Island had a head start by opening its telecommunications industry in the early 1990s, […]
Records Intact
NEW DELHI, India, Oct 7, 2006 (AFP) – The body representing India’s booming outsourcing business insisted Saturday that the country was a safe place to do business following a British TV news sting showed alleged call centre fraud.Britain’s Channel 4 aired a documentary Thursday purporting to show how the data of thousands of British customers […]
Funny World
October 5, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Thursday cut retail fuel prices, but raised prices for alcohol and cigarettes, as the government disclosed plans to raise defence expenses and hike overall spending by over 40 percent next year. In addition, defence spending is to climb by 45 percent to 139.5 billion rupees, with military procurements […]
Biting Bullets
Oct 5, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka plans to increase overall defence spending by 45 percent in calendar 2007 amid an upsurge in fighting between security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels, officials figures showed Thursday.The government’s initial budget estimates placed before parliament forecast defence spending would rise to 139.55 billion rupees (1.39 billion dollars) from […]
Staying High
SINGAPORE, Oct 5, 2006 (AFP) – Oil prices rebounded in Asian trade Thursday, coming off near 8-month lows on continuing unrest in Nigeria and amid reports that OPEC members are ready to cut production in a bid to support the market, dealers said. At 11:25 am (0325 GMT) New York’s main contract, light sweet crude […]