Etisalat rings Sri Lanka’s first ever eBook store

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

Etisalat in collaboration with publisher M.D. Gunesena and mobile solution providers Microimage are set to launch Sri Lanka’s first ever online eBook store named ‘Book Hub’ and an eBook reader in March 2012.

The innovation will allow Sri Lankan literary works to be published electronically and will be made available for direct purchase through any personal computer, Android or Apple mobile device.  While the product will be commercially launched in March, the signing of the agreement of the three parties involved took place at the Hilton Colombo Residence yesterday.

“EBook readers and eBook stores have become a global phenomenon but their benefits have eluded Sri Lankan readers, writers and publishers. This innovation will change that and the way that people read, purchase and publish local material, making it in our opinion one of the most innovative locally developed internet-based products,” stated Etisalat CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka at the event.

He was quick to assure that the product will not be operator dependent but will be accessible with any service provider, both local and international. Books published locally in all three languages will be made available on the eBook store and the content will go beyond novels and will also include educational publications, magazines, religious texts, business journals etc.  Users will be able to browse through the portal for free, choose the books they want and directly download them to their smartphone, tablet or PC. Making the process even more convenient and more broadly accessible, payment will not be limited to only via credit card; the payment portal will also allow payment by post or via mobile.

“We have met with many publishers in the country and they have responded excellently to this initiative,” added Ratnayaka.

“We are now in talks with the Ministry of Education to include textbooks and provide them free of charge to students. Having textbooks available in an electronic format will also make it easier to upgrade and revise the texts, which is a process undertaken almost every year.” Going forward, the parties involved also commented on the possibility of adding newspapers to the eBook store. Furthermore, the eBook store will open up new vistas for budding authors who have so far found it a tough task to have their debut novels published in the country.  The eBook store will focus on providing opportunities and empowering such authors by making their novels available electronically.

“Our company remains at the forefront of the publishing industry and our imprint has become the hallmark of the publishing industry in the country. All our publications are a cut above the rest and we continually strive to make a difference in the world of publishing. The rapid developments in information and communication technologies have now presented us with a unique opportunity to enrich the lives of book loving people in Sri Lanka and all over the world,” said M.D. Gunasena Deputy Managing Director Rajiv Gunasena.

“The Book Hub creates a very exciting opportunity for publishers to reach out to readers through the electronic book medium. As a publisher, our wish is that society as a whole will be more enlightened through the wisdom delivered by books.”

eBook stores have been so successful internationally for a number of reasons, one being the way in which they streamline the traditional process of shopping for books. eBooks bought through online stores are priced lower than the physical copy of the book and shoppers do not have to physically visit a bookstore and can instead access it from anywhere in the world provided that there is an internet connection available.  Microimage CEO Harsha Purasinghe addressing the gathering at the event said, “We are proud to join hands with two other giants to create this digital book revolution in Sri Lanka. With the unveiling of the eBook store and eBook reader for all leading smartphone platforms and PCs, we are taking Sri Lanka’s digital transformation to another level. This initiative also proves that Sri Lanka is an Asian force in technological innovation and we are proud to bring next generation technology to our citizens through local engineering efforts.”