Sri Lanka enters public 5G era with commercial launch

Sri Lanka has entered the public phase of 5G mobile connectivity with the launch of commercial 5G services by Dialog Axiata PLC and Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel (SLT-Mobitel), the country's two major telecommunications providers.

SLT-Mobitel launched the service on Friday at One Galle Face Mall in Colombo, where the company demonstrated 5G applications including high-speed internet access, low-latency connectivity, real-time gaming and augmented and virtual reality use cases.

SLT Group Chairman Mothilal De Silva said the technology would enable faster data transmission and support wider adoption of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and cloud-based services.

Dialog announced the commercial launch of Dialog 5G Ultra on Thursday. The network is powered by over 220 live 5G sites, serving over 1.5 million subscribers across the country.

Supun Weerasinghe, group chief executive officer of Dialog Axiata PLC, said that the launch of Dialog 5G Ultra represents a defining step in strengthening Sri Lanka's digital infrastructure for the future, as 5G is a critical enabler of innovation, productivity, and inclusion across the digital economy.