ICTA

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is an increasingly powerful tool for

participating in global markets, promoting political accountability, improving the delivery of
basic services and enhancing local development opportunities. However, without an innovative
ICT strategy many people will be left behind. The Information and Communication Technology
Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka is the single apex body involved in ICT policy and direction for the
nation. Wholly owned by the Government of Sri Lanka, ICTA is the implementing organization
of the e-Sri Lanka Initiative. Major donors including the World Bank will be funding a number
of the Agency’s initiatives.

Circular issued by Secretary to the President on implementation of eGovernment Policy

http://www.nanasala.lk/

Sri Lanka’s digital divide yawning open

January 9, 2010 — Dilshani Samaraweera

Sri Lanka’s digital divide between urban, rural and plantation sectors, is as wide as ever, with
computer penetration extremely slow over 5 years.

The latest Computer Literacy Survey 2009, by the Department of Census and Statistics of Sri
Lanka, shows that access to computers is still enjoyed predominantly by urban populations.

Although computer availability increased over the 5 years from 2004 – 2009, the divide between
Sri Lanka’s urban populations and majority rural and plantation populations, has not narrowed.

Privileged property

The increase in computer ownership has also been painfully slow.

Even among the privileged urban households, only a quarter (26.3%) owned a desktop or laptop
in 2009 – compared to 10.5% of urban households owning a desktop in 2004.

Among rural populations, 3.1% of the households owned a desktop computer in 2004, but by
2009, in 5 years, only 9.8% owned either a desktop or a laptop.

Conditions are worst in the plantation sector with the lowest computer penetration. In 2004, only
0.3% of estate households owned a desktop and this number only increased to 3.3% over 5 years,
by 2009.

Outstation out of it
Meanwhile, the provincial breakdown shows how badly off the regional populations are, in terms
of access to just a basic computer (not counting facilities like internet and email).

While 20% of the households in the Western Province owned either a laptop or desktop in 2009,
the next highest access to computers is in the Central Province and that is half the number of the
Western Province at 10.4%.

Even in the Southern Province, that was not directly affected by war, computer ownership in
2009 was just 7.2%. In Uva, only 4.9% of the households owned a computer in 2009.

While the urban-rural divide can be expected, the survey does not explain why the spread of
computers has been so slow in Sri Lanka, including in the urban sector where computer
education and computer awareness is very much higher, and access to electricity is not a
problem.

http://dilsh.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/sri-lankas-digital-divide-yawning-open/

Sri Lanka’s teledensity at 78 per 100,

but Internet cover minute
December 2, 2009 — Dilshani Samaraweera

Teledensity in Sri Lanka, including fixed and cellular phones, is now 78.6 per 100 inhabitants.
However, people are still cut off from email and internet access.

Data from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, up to June 2009,
shows that mobile phone usage is increasing fast.

Mobile subscribers shot up to 12.65 million by June 2009,  from 11.08 from end of 2008. (Sri
Lanka’s  population is around 20.2 million )

This high mobile phone coverage is the main reason for the high teledensity in the country.

The total number of fixed phones in Sri Lanka by June 2009 was over 3.39 million, with 41% of
the subscription base in Colombo. The lowest coverage is in the war recovering North (2%) and
East (5%) but even the Southern Province accounted for only 11% of the fixed phones.

The total number of Internet and email subscribers however, was only 240,000 by June 2009,
indicating that a very large majority of Sri Lankans are still cut off from the online world.