Sri Lanka Telecom Annual Report 2004  
 
Sri Lanka Telecom - Focussed on Goals Beyond
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  Business Review - Mobile Telephony
   
 
Mobitel customer base grew to 285,000 as at 31 December 2004

An Expanding Network through Developing Technology
The current coverage achieved by Mobitel is best illustrated by the map appearing on page 23. Growth in the mobile market in Sri Lanka will be influenced by several factors, one of which is the availability of cellular capacity.To ensure that Mobitel is ideally positioned to take advantage of this growth, the Company has put in place a phased expansion plan. Phase 1 of this plan is nearing completion with the completion of our GSM induction. We have earmarked a sum of US$ 50 million for Phase 2 which will run from the second quarter of 2005 through to mid-2006.

Phase 2 will see Mobitel significantly expanding its network islandwide, particularly in the rural areas, strengthening existing coverage and targeting an increase in subscriber capacity by at least 600,000.

Innovative Products

Mobitel owns an impressive array of “firsts” in the product category. From being the first to introduce EDGE technology to Sri Lanka, the Company also pioneered MMS, GPRS and WAP facilities for pre paid users.


Service Details
Mobi Services Customer usage related information such as account balance, last payments and SMS
based Complaint Management
Info Services News, Health, Lottery Information
Financial Stock Quotes, Currency Conversion, NASDAQ Indices
Messaging Personal and Business Alerts, Bulk Messaging
Infotainment TV Guides, Top Songs & Movies, Hollywood & Bollywood Gossip
Download Logo’s & Ring Tones Picture Messages
Fun Jokes, Horoscope, Dating & Chat
Games Hangman, Do You Know, Scrabble, Speed, Mastermind
Sports Cricket Scores
 
   
 
   
 
Mobitel was the first mobile operator to permit update of its SIM Menu over-the-air and the first to offer menu driven information services.

The Company’s GPRS network apart from supporting WAP, GPRS and MMS features, also provides sophisticated services such as downloading of video and music, full multi media messaging, high speed internet access, e-mail on the move, multi media chat facilities and interactive gaming facilities.

Mobitel offers Roaming services, both incoming and outbound, through a network spread across 170 countries. This service is supported by a 24-hour dedicated hotline for customer assistance.

Value Added Services
Mobile telephony has moved beyond the initial relatively narrow concept of pure voice communication. Today, technology has opened up a whole world of opportunity, all accessible through hand held devices. Mobitel’s menu based access to SMS based information services, another first when it was introduced, is a very well appreciated value added service.

Mobitel’s value added services take customers to the worlds of information and entertainment, best depicted by the chart appearing on this page.

The Future
When one considers the demographics of the cellular market, it exhibits all the characteristics of a “market in waiting”. Market penetration is at 10%. An average growth of 53% has occurred over the past eight years.

There is huge potential on offer.

SLT intends growing Mobitel’s penetration, usage and revenue levels through the expansion of the GSM network islandwide and an increased promotion of its Roaming facilities particularly inbound, plus its value added services such as Voice Mail and SMS to existing and new customers.

Some of Mobitel’s key goals in the years to come are to maintain leadership in the offer of value added services, continue to lead in technology, promote the development of telecommunications in rural areas and play the lead role in mobile convergence to Internet.

Mobile Telephony is clearly an area of great potential growth and SLT with Mobitel is committed to tapping this potential to the full in deriving maximum value and returns to both entities and their shareholders.
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