---

Dialog Axiata PLC’ s Chief Digital Services Officer, Anthony Rodrigo, exchanging the agreement with Udesh Gunatunga, Director, Wijeya Newspapers Limited. Also in the picture are Chinthana Jayasekera, Head – Mobile Commerce, Loyalty, & Partner Management, Dialog Axiata, Sidath Chandrasena – Senior General Manager, Digital Commerce & Advertising, Dialog Axiata, Reeza Zarook Director of Digital Commerce Lanka. Gehan Blok, Head of Digital Media and Umair Wolid –Marketing Manager - Digital Media of Wijeya Newspapers Limited.

Wijeya Newspapers Limited owned Hit Ad and Lahipita, Sri Lanka’s largest classified giants joined hands with Dialog’s wow. lk, to create the country’s largest interactive mobile and web-based classifieds portal.

Hitad.lk is the online edition of Sri Lanka’s most popular weekend classified supplement, where users can advertise their products and services using SMS, USSD or the web. In addition, the SMS matching alerts allows the advertiser to engage with Dialog’s 8.7 million mobile subscribers who will receive instant matching alerts via SMS once an ad is published, connecting buyers and sellers within a matter of minutes.

The partnership will transform the online classified ads space in the country, as users avail themselves of unique customized high-end features that will deliver affordable and convenient solutions to all their buying and sellingneeds. The service is offered free to most categories, whilst premium offerings and filtering is provided for paid categories.

Dialog Axiata PLC’s Chief Digital Services Officer, Anthony Rodrigo said: “This partnership between two of Sri Lanka’s leading online players in the trade and classified ad space will transform consumer experience. The Dialog Digital Services team is committed to innovate the online space as it allows us to drive greater reach and proffer unique tailored solutions that cater to online consumers, plus, it gives us the flexibility to extend services that have been essentially curtailed to niche audience, to the masses. I am confident that this association will add significant value to businesses in Sri Lanka.”

“The technological expertise and network of Dialog and the online capabilities of Wow.lk combined with the strength of the HitAd brand and the business insights Wijeya brings into the partnership makes us confident that HitAd Online can make a very real impact in the online classifieds advertising space. The partnership will employ innovative technology features to provide a complete end-to-end service to the customer which is a first in Sri Lanka,” remarked Udesh Gunatunga, Director, Wijeya Newspapers Limited.

Users can avail of this service by logging on to hitad.lk or by simply dialing #289# and selecting Hitad. They can also type SUB and send to 289 via SMS to register for this service. The matching alerts service is only available to Dialog mobile users.