SLT connects Delft to information super highway
SLT announced the company has connected Delft Island, located in the east of the Jaffna peninsula, to the country’s national ICT backbone as part of the major post-war ICT development in the Northern Province.
SLT Group CEO Lalith De Silva making his first call from Delft island at the official opening ceremony as Chief Regional Officer, Chinthaka Wijesooriya, GM – Region 3 A. Kirupakaranan, DGM – Northern Province Nagendram Navaneethan and other SLT regional officials and invitees look on
Delft Island has been identified by the Government as one of the key tourist attraction destinations as well as a key location in the country.
Through this network expansion carried out under SLT’s ‘i-Sri Lanka’ network modernisation program, citizens living in Delft island get access to SLT’s communication services including high speed broadband facilities which enables them to access e-education, e-health, distance learning, cloud computing, business networking, new opportunities and much more at superior speed, with high quality and reliability.
Through this initiative, the company has demonstrated its true commitment to reach the far corners of Sri Lanka, bringing with it speed and clarity to improve and transform lifestyles of the citizens.
The Government has given very high priority to rebuilding infrastructure such as access roads, electricity, drinking and irrigation water, market facilities, public parks and waste disposal systems to enhance investment attraction to the Northern Province, create new opportunities and provide employment to the Northern Province which is home to around 1.8 million people.
Delft Island is one of the islands situated 32km away from Jaffna mainland close to the international maritime border of Sri Lanka and India. The total population of Delft Island comprises 5,000 people with 1,300 households (families). The island constitutes a land area of around 47.16 Sq.Kms. Currently it also houses a number of Government offices including a Police station, divisional hospital, eight Government schools, post office, AGA office, Court, Bank of Ceylon, Samurdhi Bank, public library, 12 community centres and a multi-purpose co-operative society as well as a Sri Lanka Navy base.
SLT Group CEO Lalith De Silva commented: “As the national ICT service provider, it is our foremost duty to develop a robust ICT infrastructure that supports the country’s aspiration to achieve its economic goals including boost of tourism to every corner of our nation. ICT connects people from every community, culture and from all corners of the island, bringing them together while breaking down all physical barriers. Sri Lanka is now positioned on a platform of fast-track development and ICT has emerged as a key driver of development and economic growth. At present, the company is involved in making heavy investments towards future-proof infrastructure development and also improving its services and enhancing product offerings to deliver better value to all citizens in developing Sri Lanka.”
The main scope of this project is to provide fast broadband services to Delft Island via modern communication infrastructure across the sea. Today, Delft Island is connected to the country’s domestic optical fibre backbone to experience superior high quality broadband services.
The ‘i-Sri Lanka’ network modernisation project of SLT is revolutionising broadband access across the country enabling customers to enjoy consistent, uninterrupted high speed internet services. SLT is committed to ensuring that homes and businesses receive world class ICT services through the country’s largest fibre optic network which will have a significant positive impact on expanding the productive capacity of the economy and will facilitate high and sustainable economic growth in Sri Lanka.
