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Exponential
growth anticipated in Sri Lanka’s Internet market
Mobitel
vows to increase internet subscribers from 4,000 to 15,000
by end -2008
By
Santhush Fernando
In an exclusive interview with The Bottom Line, CEO, Sri Lanka
Telecom Mobitel, Suren Amarasekera, said that, it aspired
to be the Market Leader in Internet services, with an ambitious
bid to increase Sri Lanka’s Internet penetration from
its present 1% to 20%.
“We expect tremendous growth in this Market segment,
as it is at a mere 1%, and we want to be the leader in this
particular Market segment. We hope to see this in the medium
term, that is within the next three to five years,” Amarasekera
said.
At this weeks’ 29th Global System for Mobile Communication
Association- (GSMA) Asia Pacific Conference, held in Colombo
from September 7-10, 2008, Amarasekera said that its Board
sought approval to directly call proposals from International
Bandwidth wholesalers, who were prepared to give services
cheaper and with better quality.
“We have sought approval from our Board to call for RFPs
(Requests For Proposals) from International Bandwidth suppliers,
rather than going through our parent company- Sri Lanka Telecom
(SLT).”
“This will be very cost-effective and help drive prices
down, thereby, create growth in the Internet market in Sri
Lanka. We hope to call for Bandwidth to gateways of United
States,
United Kingdom and Asia Pacific, where bulk of Sri Lanka’s
Internet users go to” he said.
“We want to spearhead this growth in fulfilling our national
objectives, as a fully Sri Lankan owned entity, in transforming
our economy into a knowledge based economy.”
Up-market
Internet suppliers upbeat
Speaking
to The Bottomline, Client Director, Telia Sonera, Neil Johnson,
one of top five Telcos in the World, said that phenomenal
growth is anticipated in the Sri Lankan Internet context in
the coming years.
“I visited Sri Lanka well ahead of the GSM Conference,
as there was tremendous response from local operators with
regards to the Internet market segment.”
“We hope to provide quality services not only at cheaper
affordable rates but also, to provide Value Added Services
(VAS) like screening of child pornography, in which many local
operators are interested.”
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