Global telecom giant Etisalat starts operations in Sri Lanka

By Sunimalee Dias - A UAE-based company with a global presence, Etisalat, launched its operations in the competitive telecom market in Colombo after its acquisition of the Tigo mobile firm, targeting one million customers by the end of the year.

Etisalat acquired a 100% stake in Tigo Sri Lanka, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nasdaq and OMX listed Millicom International Cellular S.A., for an enterprise value of US$ 207 million.

Providing the latest in mobile technology, Etisalat is expected to bring in HSPA plus with a connectivity speed of 28 mbps, on par with the company's operations worldwide, Etisalat Chief Technical Officer Sanath Pilapitiya told the Daily FT on the sidelines of the media briefing held in Colombo. Sri Lanka currently has a connectivity speed of 11.2 mbps.

Within one year, the company will be rolling out 1,500 2G base stations with 500 3G base stations islandwide, Etisalat Lanka CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka told the media. This is set to take place in all the major towns in the country.

On Friday Etisalat will be launching its coverage in Jaffna during the mini Infotel exhibitions scheduled to take place there, he noted.

Etisalat aims to bring in strength and capabilities to Sri Lanka "not even imagined by the local consumer," Ratnayaka asserted.

Mobile phone penetration in Sri Lanka is only 52% and in March 2009, Tigo Sri Lanka was licensed to offer third generation services in addition to the second generation services historically provided by the company, on which its success was built.

Being the sixth largest company in the Middle East in terms of capitalisation and revenue and having an experience in the telecommunications industry since 1976, it has extended operations into Saudi Arabia, Egypt and West Africa and further into the Asian markets such as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and now in Sri Lanka, recording over 100 million subscribers across 18 countries.

The range of services offered that mobile users are tipped to enjoy are the benefits of excellent voice and data applications like WAP, GPRS, 3G, MMS, Push To Talk, BlackBerry services and others. Enterprise and individual customers on the fixed line network also benefit from services such as ATM, Frame Relay, VSAT and ISDN.

Tigo's team and workforce will permeate Etisalat Lanka, as it remains unchanged.

With Etisalat's latest acquisition, it hopes to provide the 2.5 million customer base already present under Tigo a difference customer service with proper coverage, Etisalat Group Chief Marketing Officer Essa Al Haddad said at the media briefing.

He noted that they improve and develop on their social responsibility and were "here to stay".

Sri Lanka is set to obtain the technological resources and access to resources and best capabilities of Etisalat, Al Haddad said.

Etisalat would be opting to fight in the market through the provision of better services as opposed to price.

The customer-oriented and consumer-focused mobile firm is set to take on all market segments with new tariff plans, Ratnayaka explained.

Not challenged by the aggressive telecom market in Sri Lanka and its competitors, Etisalat is set to take on the mobile consumers and in the future it will target other market segments as well.

Group deals with mobile firms like Orange, TMobile and Vodafone have allowed Etisalat customers to gain on all of the features while roaming in countries in which it is not present.

© Daily Mirror