Harin bullish on Sri Lanka’s internet prospects

By D. C. Jayasundera

Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando yesterday expressed confidence that Sri Lanka can achieve one of the fastest internet speeds in the Asian region in the next two to three years.

Speaking at a cyber security summit organised by the Indian Infosec Consortium, Fernando said that if the ongoing Google project “Loon” is proven to be a success, Sri Lanka will be the first country to provide all island coverage via 4G LTE technology which would deliver speeds up to 10 Mbps.

He proclaimed that according to the governments’ vision to make internet freely available throughout the country, aggressive measure are being taken to increase the current internet penetration from 21.8% to 50%. A 10% increase in internet penetration has the potential to drive a 1.2% increase in GDP growth, he added.

Speaking at the event, Indian High Commissioner Y. K. Sinha highlighted the success India had made in the IT sector, noting that India amounts to 67% of the world’s total IT outsourcing market. He also pointed out that India has evolved from a mainly outsource driven IT model to a more R&D focused industry which has attracted investments from Silicon Valley heavyweights such as Google and Apple.

Sinha attributed the success of India’s immense growth in the IT industry to its homegrown talent through its acclaimed engineering universities and higher education institutes. He added that companies such as Infosys has indicated interest in providing scholarships and training for Sri Lankan IT professionals.

The cyber security summit titled “Ground Zero” organised by the Indian Infosec Consortium is considered the largest collaborative platform in Asia for cyber security experts and researchers to address emerging cyber security challenges and demonstrate cutting-edge technologies.  The summit aims to strengthen the network between IT professionals in the cyber security industry and corporate, government and defense establishments. 

Pix by Upul Abeysekara