Sri Lankan duo introduce commercial LTE products

Sri Lankan mobile network operator Mobitel has announced the launch of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network on a commercial basis, having conducted trials of the 4G technology as far back as May 2011. At that date the cellco said it achieved mobile data speeds of up to 96Mbps (downstream) and 49Mbps (uplink). In this latest development, Mobitel claimed that the opening of the new infrastructure to the public would ‘enable it to provide an enhanced and diversified service to its customer base’. Looking ahead the cellco has also noted that it expects to ‘yield the best out of the mobile 4G/LTE services’ by taking advantage of the fibre network operated by its parent company, Sri Lanka Telecom.
Meanwhile, the country’s largest cellco by subscribers, Dialog Axiata, has announced its own launch of LTE technology in Colombo. According to LteWorld.org, the operator has introduced Time Division Duplex LTE (TD-LTE) services in the capital, with coverage expected to be extended to all of the country’s major cities and towns in ‘the immediate future’. Prices for the market leader’s LTE services start at LKR1,400 (USD10.95) per month for a connection offering downlink speeds of 4Mbps and 25GB data usage allowance.