7th Etisalat Android Forum goes north

Jaffna was the latest city to discover and experience the power of the Android platform through Etisalat Lanka’s Android Forum.

Held at the Tilko City Hotel in Jaffna recently, the forum saw the attendance of 75 participants and was another pivotal step in increasing mobile penetration in Sri Lanka.

The forum titled ‘What can Android do for you?’ drew the interest of businessmen, professionals, companies and students from all over the region. The main focus of the Etisalat Android Forum is to raise awareness on the platform and educate citizens on its uses and capabilities.

The Forum in Jaffna took participants through the workings of the Android Operating System – how it worked and applications of the technology in everyday use. Commenting on the Jaffna Android Forum, Etisalat CEO Dumindra Ratnayake said: “This was the third Android Forum held outside Colombo and we are overwhelmed by the interest it received. The Android platform as a tool is the future in terms of increasing mobile penetration because of the flexibility of the technology and the numerous applications it has day-to-day. ”

“Smart-phone penetration in Sri Lanka is low compared to other countries and the major roadblock is the language barrier. But because of Android’s adaptability, we are able to get past this and allow users to experience smart-phones and mobile broadband in any language. Through the Etisalat Android Forums, we believe that we can empower different communities to use this platform for development.”

Android is an open source Operating System produced by Google, which enables developers to customise it for different applications and users. Etisalat Lanka has been expanding its broadband coverage in the country and offering smart phones and tablets at affordable prices to increase mobile penetration in Sri Lanka.

To date, four Android Forums have been held in Colombo, one in the South, one in the East and now with this latest one in Jaffna; Etisalat Lanka is well on its way to taking the Android technology to every community in the country and enabling everyone to harness the power of mobile connectivity and broadband.

As one of the most powerful players in Sri Lanka's telecommunications industry, Etisalat continues to discover new horizons and explore new possibilities in the domain of communication innovation. Etisalat offers Sri Lanka’s most cutting edge Internet solutions with its latest dual carrier HSPA+.

Driving innovation, quality and value with a customer centric service, Etisalat has surpassed 4 million subscribers to date and is the fastest growing telecommunication network in Sri Lanka. Etisalat is also a key stakeholder of Sri Lanka’s first eBook store – www.thebookhub.lk – and a committed partner of the Etisalat Web Patashala programme, an e-learning platform operated in conjunction with the State Trading Corporation and the Ministry of Education.