SLT wins govt fibre broadband deal

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has secured a contract to provide a fibre-optic broadband network for the government, dubbed the ‘Local Government Network (LGN2.0)’, that will connect state offices and provide services to Sri Lankans, including free public Wi-Fi. Work on LGN2.0 will be overseen by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) during 2016-2018 at a cost of LKR12.7 billion (USD88.4 million). Minister of Mass Media Gayantha Karunathilaka told reporters that the government has concerns that the existing LGN – introduced by ICTA during the period 2007-2012 to support digital transmissions between government and public institutions – is not fast enough to drive the state’s ambitions to digitise the Sri Lankan economy.