Sithija Hewavitharana

Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd

Commencing operations in 1993, Mobitel was one of the foremost mobile service providers in Sri Lanka, beginning operations using first generation cellular technology - Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS)/ Time division multiple access (TDMA). In October 2002, Mobitel became a fully-owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom. In the following years Mobitel grew from strength to strength, launching its fully-fledged EDGE/GPRS enabled 2.5G GSM network, which is designed to operate on dual band in 2004. Mobitel again established its dominance of the mobile communication industry by being one of the first ten mobile service providers in the world to launch a 3.5G HSPA network in 2007. Mobitel was also the first service provider with a super 3.5G network in South Asia. Furthermore, Mobitel successfully demonstrated HSPA + MIMO technology with downlink speeds of up to 28.8 Mbps and carried out a successful trial of 4G/LTE technology with downlink speeds exceeding 96 Mbps, for the first time in the South Asian region. In addition, Mobitel recently launched Dual Carrier HSPA+ technology and it is now equipped with the country's first mobile 4G/LTE equipment. Currently standing with a customer base of over 5 million Mobitel continued with its strategy positioned around value innovation and customer centricity, making the best out of the technology being used, distribution systems, product portfolio and value added services with heightened acumen focused on customer needs and interests. Mobitel has steadily grown into a leader in the field of ICT, taking the industry towards transforming Sri Lanka into the ‘Wonder of Asia'. With an overall investment of over US$ 500mn to date, Mobitel strives to uplift lives, create new opportunities and develop Sri Lanka's ICT landscape living by its credo of "We Care. Always."