The Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure along with the global leader in ICT solutions Huawei had joined hands for the second consecutive time to conduct the Sri Lanka Broadband Forum. The one day forum was held at Galle Face Hotel. Under the theme ‘A Better Connected Sri Lanka’, the forum served as a national telecommunication event which also laid a foundation for all stakeholders to share viewpoints on ultra-broadband development, facilitate business success of all partners in the industry chain and create a sustainable ecosystem.
The first national broadband forum was held successfully in 2016 and witnessed active participation and recognition from the whole Sri Lanka telecommunication industry. This year’s forum was also held successfully with the participation of a distinguished line-up of resource persons and speakers from the Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure, Huawei and a number of other major telecom operators in the country.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Harin Fernando said, “The telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka has shown tremendous advances over the past few years and it goes to show how much Sri Lanka as a country has embraced change within a short period of time. A landmark event such as the Sri Lanka Broadband Forum will no doubt help to chart a road ahead towards digital connection in this new era. This forum is also focused to discuss how infrastructure sharing to speed up broadband deployment.”
Commenting on the success of the forum, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Sri Lanka, Shunli Wang stated, “Ever since Huawei commenced operations in Sri Lanka in 2005, we have been working closely with local operators with the hope of achieving an advanced market in South Asia. Huawei has also been working hand in hand with the Ministry of Telecom and Digital Infrastructure and we are proud to have been made a part of this influential forum and to have had the opportunity to assist with producing critical dialogue in this field.”
Broadband is the foundation of ICT applications and services. This forum is focused on the discussions about infrastructure sharing in order to save cost and time of broadband deployment. From other countries regulatory cases, it is proved that physical infrastructure sharing from utilities would reduce civil work of telecom operators and avoid duplication of infrastructures like ducts and poles.
The agenda at the forum also highlighted inspiring presentations and goals towards digital connection in Sri Lanka including a presentation on the topic ‘Digital Society’, eGovernment and broadband as well as topics such as Sri Lanka’s digital life vision for 2020, the effect of broadband on the people’s lives, the chances for broadband as a public utility and policy changes to support broadband development became subjects for discussion.