Sri Lanka has officially entered the 5G era after the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) awarded 5G spectrum licences to Dialog Axiata and SLT Mobitel. Both operators have already launched commercial 5G services, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital connectivity journey.
Under the licensing process, TRCSL allocated 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band to each operator, while Dialog Axiata also secured 200 MHz in the 27 GHz millimetre-wave band. The auction generated approximately LKR 10 billion ($32.3 million) for the regulator. Hutch Sri Lanka, the country’s third major mobile operator, did not participate in the process.
Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka’s largest mobile operator with a subscriber base spanning a market of 29 million connections, said it has already deployed more than 220 active 5G sites. The network is delivering its “Dialog 5G Ultra” services to over 1.5 million customers. By combining mid-band 3.5 GHz spectrum for wide-area coverage with 27 GHz spectrum for high-capacity, gigabit-speed applications, the operator said it is well positioned to support advanced consumer and enterprise use cases.
Dialog Group CEO Supun Weerasinghe described the 5G launch as a defining step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s digital infrastructure. He said the company plans to invest $100 million over the next two years to expand nationwide 5G coverage, positioning the technology as a key enabler of innovation, productivity, and inclusion across the digital economy.
In parallel, Dialog Axiata has signed a satellite broadband agreement with low-earth orbit provider Starlink. As an authorised Starlink agent in Sri Lanka, Dialog will offer high-speed, low-latency satellite internet to underserved and remote areas beyond the reach of traditional network infrastructure, further enhancing the country’s overall connectivity landscape.
