The government has raised approximately Rs. 10 billion from Sri Lanka’s 5G spectrum auction, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation.
Dialog Axiata PLC and SLT-Mobitel, a subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC, emerged as successful bidders and were awarded the relevant spectrum licences.
The spectrum certificates were presented at a ceremony attended by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eng. Eranga Weeraratne, and retired Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), Air Vice Marshal Bandula Herath.
The auction followed the issuance of the final spectrum assignment notification by the TRCSL in October, formally launching Sri Lanka’s first commercial 5G spectrum allocation after several years of regulatory preparation. The licences have been issued for a 10-year period.
Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Weeraratne said the successful completion of the auction represented a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s digital economy and paved the way for the rollout of commercial 5G services in the near future. He noted that operators are expected to launch services expeditiously following the handover.
He described the exercise as the largest auction by value in Sri Lanka’s history, highlighting that it demonstrated a transparent, efficient and market-based approach to allocating national spectrum resources. He also commended the TRCSL and the Tender Committee for completing the process within the year.
The Deputy Minister said 5G technology would enable a wide range of economic applications, including high-speed mobile broadband, industry-focused opportunities such as factory automation, agriculture and logistics, as well as low-latency services required for telemedicine and autonomous transportation. He added that 5G would support the expanded use of artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing across the digital economy.
Referring to the rapid global growth of satellite-based internet services, Weeraratne said the activation of 5G would allow local telecommunications operators to compete more effectively by offering higher speeds, lower latency and wider coverage, while ensuring affordable access for consumers.
He further stated that, with technical assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the government and the TRCSL are finalising clear and enforceable guidelines on sharing active and passive telecommunications infrastructure. Infrastructure sharing, he noted, is essential to avoid duplication, ensure fair access to towers and fibre networks, and accelerate the nationwide rollout of 4G and 5G services.
