Reliable connectivity is opening new opportunities for rural communities, giving students access to online learning, farmers timely market information, families easier financial access, and small businesses a pathway to digital markets.
HUTCH, in partnership with the Telecommunications
Regulatory Commission of
Sri Lanka (TRCSL), has deployed connectivity through newly commissioned sites, extending the reach of its Gamata Sanniwedanaya program to unserved communities across rural Sri Lanka.
These new launches bring connectivity for the first time to Werellagama, Pelawa, Muruthalawa, Halloluwa and ten new areas in the Kandy district. In Anuradhapura, the areas connected include Kumaraeliya, Jayagama, Pahalagama, Thalawa and two other new areas.
In addition, fourteen more areas across the districts of Badulla, Kalutara, Kegalle and Trincomalee have also been connected.
This phase of the HUTCH and TRCSL partnership has added nearly 300 square kilometres of new broadband coverage to Sri Lanka, reaching more than 10,000 people. Each new tower brings people one step closer to equal opportunity, no matter where they live.
Saumitra Gupta, CEO, HUTCH Sri Lanka, said, “Building a tower in a remote area is never easy. The terrain, the logistics, access and power supply all bring their own challenges, but none of that changes our commitment. Bridging the digital divide is not something we do occasionally; it is an ongoing responsibility, and we have stepped up our investment to lead this effort.”
HUTCH has stated that construction of further tower infrastructure has already commenced in more identified unserved communities across the districts, which will be coming on air during the remaining course of this year. HUTCH remains committed to expanding the Gamata Sanniwedanaya program, working towards Universal Connectivity that will drive
Sri Lanka’s ambition of a USD 15 billion digital economy by 2030.
