Sri Lankan telcos Dialog Axiata and SLT-Mobitel commercially launched their respective 5G networks, following years of trials, after the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) wrapped up its spectrum auction this week.
Dialog and Mobitel both secured blocks in the 3500 MHz band from the 5G spectrum auction, while Dialog also secured a 200 MHz block in the 27 GHz band. According to newspaper Daily FT, both telcos bid a combined LKR10 billion (US$32.3 million) for the spectrum bands.
Dialog Axiata group CEO Supun Weerasinghe said its 5G network is powered by over 220 live 5G sites serving over 1.5 million subscribers.
“We are committed to investing US$100 million over the next two years to expand 5G connectivity across the country and ensure that individuals, businesses, and industries can fully participate in a digital Sri Lanka,” he added.
Dialog believes its 27-GHz spectrum will give it an edge in the 5G race, as the mmWave spectrum capacity will support high-capacity, gigabit-speed use cases.
Dialog also claims to offer the widest 5G roaming network from Sri Lanka, supporting 5G connectivity across 76 countries through partnerships with 155 global mobile operators.
Mobitel’s launch announcement didn’t go into detail about its network, with chief operating officer Sudharshana Geeganage mainly touting 5G’s chops as a “game-changer and a critical enabler of digital transformation across sectors”.
Mobitel said earlier this year it was trialling 5G-Advanced technology with radio equipment from ZTE.
The launch of 5G in Sri Lanka has been in the works for years, with Dialog and Mobitel offering pre-commercial 5G services on a trial basis as they waited for the TRCSL to allocate 5G spectrum, which it had been promising to do since at least 2021.
