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A Road Map to Smart Sri Lanka

SLT is actively contributing to the national goal of transforming the country into a digitally empowered Smart Sri Lanka, complementing the Government's mission of providing the country with the multifaceted benefits of digitalisation.

As the national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions provider and the leading broadband and backbone infrastructure services provider of Sri Lanka, SLT has been enabling opportunities and fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of Sri Lankans for over 162 years: SLT has connected Sri Lanka to the world through five submarine cable systems; SLT has connected every corner of the island with its advanced fibre optic backbone infrastructure enabling a smart and connected government. At every step, SLT has transformed the nation through the latest telecommunications infrastructure, technology, and solutions. SLT now finds itself in the midst of its own transformation, transitioning from a communications service provider into a digital service provider, working towards becoming the nation’s preferred digital lifestyle provider.

The SLT Group is committed to large-scale ICT infrastructure development that will see it continuing to expand its contributions towards the national development through the implementation of major ICT initiatives that fall under 14 industry verticals that will transform the lives of both the urban and rural communities of Sri Lanka, uplifting them into the digital era. SLT has taken the lead in planning these initiatives with the support of subsidiaries.

Enabling
e-government

With the advent of smart internet and communications technologies finding their way into every aspect of day-to-day life, it was inevitable that they would also find their way into public administration. There are an increasing number of initiatives every year to build smart ecosystems via smart cities and smart governments, and many such initiatives are already active. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, approximately 55% of the world’s population lives in cities today. The need for smarter cities and smarter governments to address the challenges of urbanisation, population growth, economic growth, and environmental issues is stronger today than it has ever been. Although there are varying perspectives on what constitutes a smart government based on political agenda and vision, a smart government can best be described as one that uses technology to facilitate and support better planning and decision-making to transform the ways that public services are delivered by being more citizen-centric, data driven, and performance focused.

Dubai is an example of a city that has transformed itself into a smart city. To accomplish this, it had to transform the government into a smart government. This required a cultural transformation, one that made the government more agile, open, and transparent in addition to cultivating a collaborative governance style.

This collaborative style brought together cutting-edge experiments and initiatives from the private sector, academia, and Government bodies to achieve a holistic transformation and enable the systematic generation of public value, increased standards of living, and a higher quality of governance. The Government set about internet-enabling key traditional Government services and widening the reach of public service delivery by enabling services to be available 24 hours a day through smart devices. This resulted in majority of all public services becoming digitalised and influenced the digital transformation of the country as a whole.

As the national ICT solutions provider, SLT undertakes many initiatives to digitalise the Government of Sri Lanka. SLT connected 860 Government organisations to a single, highly secure private network segmented for the different requirements of different organisations. The Lanka Government Network 2.0 (LGN 2.0) is an “information superhighway” that will eventually connect various Government organisations together and help the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its vision of digitising the economy by tying all Government institutions into a singular digital infrastructure. LGN 2.0 will help to usher the public sector into the digital era, bringing about efficiencies and the smooth flow of information that will lead to improved standards of service and greatly benefit Sri Lankan citizens. Furthermore, SLT is working on several other initiatives under the Smart Government section, like the Lanka Government Analytics Platform that will enable quick and efficient decision making and policy development for the Government.

Interconnected
Buildings

Modern buildings are a collection of complex structures, systems, and technology interconnected with each other. As cities become smarter and more interconnected, buildings also need to become smarter and designed to work as part of a broader ecosystem. The integration of internet and communications technologies can make buildings more energy efficient, comfortable, and safer for its occupants. For instance, a building’s chiller system could be optimised by calculating the optimal operational capacity taking into consideration the current building occupancy and weather; lighting and cooling systems can be shut down when and as occupants leave the building; emergency services can get accurate information about how to respond to situations within the building – the availability of information about the various subsystems within a building opens doors to new possibilities and opportunities in building design that were not possible before.

SLT is embracing these possibilities through its fibre infrastructure that powers the rising towers that are making up Colombo’s emerging cityscape. SLT’s fibre and smart building solutions power the Lotus Tower, the most technologically advanced building to grace Sri Lanka and the tallest tower in South Asia. With a range of solutions such as a smart guard tour system, smart room control systems, smart energy management system, and integrated building management systems, the facility management and operations of the tower are more secure and efficient, and enables closer collaboration with key Government institutions such as the Fire Department. SLT’s technology and contributions enable the simulation of the tower with a digital twin of the physical infrastructure through Building Information Modelling (BIM).

SLT’s smart home solutions also enable homeowners to turn their homes into a smart home that can be monitored and operated on the go via a smartphone app. Residents can incorporate smart door locks, lighting systems, Wi-Fi plugs, smoke detectors, and several other smart sensors that help them to monitor every aspect of their home and identify issues in real-time.

Smarter
Living

A smart city uses internet and communications technologies to enable smarter living for citizens by increasing operational efficiencies, enabling increased openness and transparency with the public, and improving the quality of Government Services and citizen welfare. Cities will be transformed with citizen-friendly and cost-effective governance with an increasing reliance on online services to increase transparency and accountability, using smart devices to provide services and reduce costs while also eliminating the need to visit municipal offices. Citizens will be able to directly provide feedback, utilise smart transport solutions, and benefit from expanded housing opportunities.

SLT’s solutions for smarter living

enable customers to enjoy SLT’s services without boundaries. PEO TV customers can now enjoy their favourite channels on their smart devices on the go with the PEO TV Go application. With SLTgo Community Wi-Fi, SLT broadband customers can access Wi-Fi locally and overseas using their existing credentials, thus saving on mobile data costs. SLT is also providing an extensive range of smart city solutions for the upcoming Colombo Port City such as video surveillance, video analytics, asset management, parking management, smart lampposts, transport management, waste management, and more. Polonnaruwa Smart City will utilise many of these smart city solutions together with location-based visitor experience management, smart agriculture with online farming community building and smart irrigation that will empower farmers with data to farm effectively according to the geographical and agricultural characteristics of the area.

Safe and secure
Sri Lanka

In the quest to build smarter cities, smarter buildings, and smarter infrastructure, the critical component of security is one that needs to be addressed. It is no secret that nefarious players target weaknesses in any interconnected system; IBM and Poneman Institute estimate that a data breach can cost as much as $3.86 Mn. on average. Therefore, there is a need for security to be an integral part of the design of any smart city, Government, or building, constant monitoring for threats, and the establishment of risk management strategies. On the other hand, smart technologies will bring about safer cities; the implementation of smart security measures in cities around the world, such as Hayward, California, have demonstrated benefits like reduced crime, improved safety, and a better quality of living for citizens. The increased amount of data available to city planners from these technologies opens the potential for more informed design decisions and improved responsiveness from social services like police and fire departments. With 68% of the world’s population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, the need for smarter city security solutions will continue to rise.

SLT’s security solutions will enable smarter, safer cities in a Smart Sri Lanka with a focus on upholding national security. Advanced video surveillance and video analytics solutions such as face recognition, and intrusion detection are made possible through SLT’s fibre optic infrastructure across the country. All customers of SLT can focus on their core business and not have to worry about retaining cybersecurity professionals through SLT’s cybersecurity solutions and Managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) that provides analysis services with highly experienced staff trained to international SOC standards. Digital Transaction ID for Sri Lankans will enable citizens to avail of Government offering such as Samurdhi, pensions, and fertiliser subsidies. The Government will benefit from reduced costs and more effective public administrative services that can be rolled out rapidly. Furthermore, the Digital Transaction ID will open up new opportunities to generate revenues through new business models that will be facilitated through public and private social collaborations.

The foundation for
a Smarter Sri Lanka

Building the smart cities of the future requires a smarter foundation. Smart infrastructure will provide digital insights that help to derive more value from existing infrastructure while creating new opportunities. The addition of a digital layer to physical infrastructure results in data that can be used by citizens, companies, and the Government to solve problems, approach tasks in a smarter and more effective manner, use resources more efficiently, and develop more personalised services. Fibre is one of the key enablers for smart infrastructure; it provides the leaps in bandwidth that is fundamental to spur the pace of innovation and economic growth in burgeoning smart cities. Wired broadband access supports as much as 90% of all internet traffic, even that which ultimately ends up on wireless devices. Fibre will be instrumental in realising new revenue streams, innovation, expanding broadband access to citizens, and supporting 5G networks and beyond.

With over 50,000 kms of fibre optic cabling, SLT is laying the fastest broadband infrastructure across the country that will enable new opportunities for citizens, businesses, and the Government. Together with the fastest growing 4G LTE network in Sri Lanka and 5G infrastructure in the near future, SLT’s valued customers can experience blazing fast internet, superior online gaming, uninterrupted HD video streaming, and much more. SLT’s distributed network architecture enables 1G to 100G bandwidth scalability for carrier-grade services, live TV, video on demand, and high-speed internet services. Moreover, SLT’s smart infrastructure, ICT, and digital solutions enable a smart workforce with employees empowered to work from home or bring their own devices to the workplace. The office of the future in Sri Lanka is no longer tethered to the limitations of yesterday through the possibilities enabled by SLT.

As the national ICT solutions provider, SLT is strongly involved in the development of the nation and has long carried out activities with the goal of building a Smarter Sri Lanka.

e-Channelling is just one of the systems from SLT that contributes to Smarter Sri Lanka. By facilitating citizens in finding the appropriate doctors and making it more convenient to book appointments with them, SLT is contributing to developing the country's healthcare system.

SLT Muve is another way that SLT is building a Smarter Sri Lanka. The smart transport service app is designed with the betterment of the nation in mind, with the intention of giving more and offering the most benefits of any ridesharing app in the country to passengers, drivers, and the community. Moreover, SLT's online ticketing solution enables citizens to easily purchase bus tickets, train tickets, and air tickets, thus foregoing long queues at ticket vendors.

A Smarter Sri Lanka isn't just possible through innovative technology solutions, however. SLT is committed to enhancing the knowledge and education facilities for future generations of Sri Lankans, thus laying the groundwork for Smarter Sri Lankans as well. Educational "Videsa" channels on PEO TV and M-learning digital learning platforms are just some of the ways that SLT is transforming education in the country through cutting-edge technology. SLT Campus is the ultimate contribution by Sri Lanka Telecom to enhancing the academic standing of the nation through 24x7 teaching and providing the necessary facilities. In addition to producing career-ready global graduates, the Campus produces internationally peer-reviewed research that contributes to developing the intellectual capital of the nation.

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