1.

Cumulative Number of Licenses granted under Section 17 of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act
No 25 of 1991 as amended.
Category of Service
Licensed under Section 17 of the Act.

2013 March

Fixed Access Telephone service

Cellular Mobile phones

Data Communications (Facility based)

Data Communications (Non-facility based) & ISPs

09

Trunk Mobile Radio

Leased Circuit Providers

Licensed Payphone Service Providers

External Gateway Operators

10

Direct-to-Home Satellite Broadcasting Service

03

Cable TV Distribution Network

04

Sub Total

43

SLTL, Lanka Bell, Dialog Broadband are entitled to provide Pay phone and Data services according to their
licences.
2. Statistical Overview of the Telecommunication Sector as at end of March 2013
Number of System Licenses
Total number of Fixed phones
Teledensity (Fixed Phones per 100 inhabitants) - 2012 Dec
Number of Cellular Mobile Subscribers
Mobile Subscription per 100 people 2012 Dec
Internet & Email Subscribers - Fixed

43
2,832,464
17
19,335,733
100
435,758*

Internet & Email Subscribers (Mobile )

1,068,482*

Number of Public Pay Phone Booths

6,870

Trunk Mobile Radio Subscribers

206*

* - Provisional

3. Performance of Fixed Access Telephone Subscribers as at March 2013

Year

Cumulative

1990

121,388

1991

125,834

1992

135,504

1994

180,724

1995

204,350

1996

255,049

1997

341,622

1998
1999

523,529
669,113

2000

767,411

2001

827,195

2002

883,108

2003

939,013

3.2
Provincial Distribution
1993
157,774 of F

2004

991,239

2005

1,243,994

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 March

1,884,076
2,742,059
3,446,411
3,435,958
3,578,463
3,608,392
3,449,391
2,832,464

4. Provincial Distribution of Fixed phones as at end of March 2013

Province
Western

Mar-13
1,089,124

Southern

331,352

Central

320,491

Sabaragamuwa

240,086

Uva

200,595

North Central

172,157

North West

266,641

East

116,501

North

95,515

Total

2,832,464

1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013 March

14,687
29,182
51,316
71,029
114,888
174,202
256,655
430,202
667,662
931,403
1,393,403
2,211,158
3,361,775
5,412,496
7,983,489
11,082,454
14,264,442
17,267,407
18,319,447
20,324,070
19,335,733

Subscribers
1992

Year

2,644

5. Mobile Subscribers (1992 2013)

6. Internet & Email Subscribers (Fixed& Mobile)

Year

Fixed
1996

2,504

1997

10,195

1998

18,984

1999

25,535

2000

40,497

2001

61,532

2002

73,468

2003

85,500*

2004

93,444*

2005

115,000*

2006

130,000*

2007

202,348*

2008

234,000*

2009
2010
2011
2012

249,756*
302,000*
359,000*
423,194*

2013
March

Mobile

91,359*
200,000*
485,000*
942,461*

435,758 1,068,482

7. Provincial Distribution of Payphones

Province
Western

Pay Phone Booths

3,300

Southern

730

Central

847

Sabaragamuwa

398

Uva

242

North Central

315

North West

633

East

323

North
Total

82
6,870

8. Employment Opportunities in Telecommunication Sector

Category of Service

Fixed Access
Telephony SLTL

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005 2006

2007

2008 2009

2010 2011

8,793

8,648

8,802

9,126

8,681

8,411

7,303

7,211

7,295

7,172

7,033

6,983

- WLL (Suntel
[+DBN+LankaBell
+ DDialog
Broadband?)
Cellular

476

814

740

783

810

822

833

814

1,053

2,154

2,852

2,532 2,388+
d

425

552

852

1,016

1,124

1,063

1,699

2,207

2,360

3,525

4,985

5,716

Radio Paging

190

185

148

108

57

30

32

21

N/A

N/A

N/A

DATA
Communication

285

318

337

337

437

277

285*

285*

242*

275*

Public
Payphones

116

180

250

353

337

290*

236*

275*

295*

299*

Total

10,285 10,697

*. Provisional

6,557

2012

6,297

6150

6,061

2,388+
d
2275

1,995

1,524

4,969

4,969
N/A
4,595

4353

4,559

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

275*

275*

275*

275*

275*

275*

299*

299*

299*

299*

299*

299*

11,129 11,386 11,446 10,893 10,388 10,813 11,245 13,425 15,444 15,805 14,488 13,741 12,982
**

12,718