Mobitel and Lanka Pay Phones entered into an Memorandum of Understanding whereby, they would work together to install more payphone booths in areas where public phone facilities are much needed. It has been agreed to provide Lanka Pay Phones with loop connections through Mobitel transmitters from a special cellular unit.
Minister Mangala Samaraweera welcomed this project, and hailed both companies for making arrangements to launch such a novel project.
Current Lanka Pay Phone rates would remain unchanged while IDD calls too could be made at the prevailing rates. To dial from these Pay Phones, the area code will have to be dialled first for instance when dialling a Colombo number the digits ‘0’ and ‘1’ would have to be dialled prior to dialling the required number. A simple instruction leaflet issued by Mobitel and Lanka Pay Phones would be available in each booth. A spokesman from Mobitel said that the system was so designed that a user would not be required to dial ‘071’ prior to dialling the required number.
With over a 1000 Pay Phones installed, Lanka Pay Phones are stretched across the length and breadth of the country, while Mobitel who from it’s inception have provided the widest cellular coverage with continuous improvements to it’s network, thus ensuring users of a clear trouble-free service will continuously spread their coverage to reach out to more and more people in Sri Lanka including those in the remote areas.
