Seven bidders for national fibre backbone project

Seven investors have responded to a call to build and operate a national fibre-optic backbone in Sri Lanka in partnership with state rail and power operators, reports Lanka Business Online quoting an official from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC). The winner will get a USD12.5 million subsidy from the World Bank’s e-Sri Lanka programme for the first phase of the project, which will involve rolling out fibre infrastructure for state-run Sri Lanka Railways and Ceylon Electricity Board. Once the TRC has evaluated the bids, pre-qualified parties will be expected to submit applications by the end of the year, and under a least cost subsidy incentive, the investor asking for the lowest subsidy will win the licence.