Sri Lankan fixed-wireless telecoms operator Lanka Bell formally announced on 10 February 2014 the commercial launch of its 4G LTE broadband connectivity service, following a successful test which began late last year. Lanka Bell 4G services are initially available in parts of Colombo and Greater Colombo including Grandpass, Kollupitiya, Maradana, Hulftsdorf, Orugodawatta, Dematagoda, Nawala, Maharagama, Kadawatha, Kotahena, Mahabage, Borella, Ragama, Wattala, Kottawa, Battaramulla, Peliyagoda and Crow’s Island. ‘Blanket coverage’ for the entire city of Colombo is scheduled before the forthcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year, reports Lanka Business Today.
Whilst remaining Sri Lanka’s largest CDMA fixed-wireless telephony provider with over a million voice/data subscribers, Lanka Bell’s existing product range includes wireless in the local loop (WiLL) connections, WiMAX-based broadband, dedicated lines and dial-up access, as well as ‘Bell Enterprise Solutions Technology’ (‘BEST’), a specialised suite of enterprise telecom solutions offering voice and text, data, Internet Data Centre (IDC) and international services. The telco is also the landing partner for the FLAG submarine high speed cable network in Sri Lanka.