The government is planning to build 1,000 new 4G towers over the next three years, according to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The move comes as the administration looks to expand internet connectivity across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at a public meeting in Bulathsinhala, the president revealed that the government is building new 4G towers as part of its broader digital Sri Lanka plans. The first phase of this project will see 250 of the 1,000 towers built by 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efforts to expand the 4G infrastructure<\/a> have been in the works for a few years now. In 2019, the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) kicked off its Connect Sri Lanka (Gamata Sannivedanaya<\/a><\/em>) project under the Finance Act No. 11 of 2004. Early this year, the government stated that it\u2019s accelerating 4G expansion with this program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Cabinet spokesman Vijitha Herath, these communication towers are built via a cost-sharing model between the telecom operators and TRCSL. To push this project, TRCSL introduced new reimbursement guidelines to cover up to LKR 35 million per tower or 75% of the construction cost, whichever is lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time, 83 towers were completed in underserved areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The promise of 5G has been a hot topic for almost a decade at this point. Even as Sri Lankan telcos were hyping up 5G for years, it wasn\u2019t until last year\u2019s public auction that the technology finally made it to the public. Arguably, the bigger promise isn\u2019t the 5G itself, but rather the expanded availability of 4G for the mass populace. The 2020 pandemic showed Sri Lanka the consequences of the lack of internet coverage<\/a>, particularly in the rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, Sri Lanka has 100s more telecom towers across the country, with more in the pipeline, while telcos have been shutting down 3G networks<\/a> to expand their 4G coverage. The 1,000 new 4G towers would serve to bridge the internet usage gap, especially given the government\u2019s digital government ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even so, Sri Lanka has some ways to go in terms of accessibility and connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe promise of 5G is 4G<\/h2>\n\n\n\n