ICT development in Sri Lanka – All governments facilitated

The present global pandemic has accelerated the actions of more people using computers and telecommunication-linked facilities for purposes of commercial and domestic communication.

The purpose of this article is to outline the positive steps that governments have taken to develop information and communications technology (ICT) in Sri Lanka. 

Hitherto, computers, telecommunications and media were almost ‘standalone’ activities. However, the convergence of computer, telecommunication and media and their inter-dependency led to this 
field being called ICT.

1980s
During the 1989 government of President R. Premadasa and Prime Minister D.B. Wijetunga, there were associations of software developers, hardware sales and service providers, all working with dedication to establish the industry. 

However, more encouragement was given with Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe chairing the meetings of the organising committee to hold the first INFOTEL ’92 ICT exhibition that gave national attention to the use of computers for development.

Towards the end of the period of the government, the Telecommunications Department was converted to a state entity, as Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), with more autonomy and resources to meet the growing need for modern telecommunication services.

1994  
The 1994 government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickremanayake took forward the predecessors’ efforts expeditiously. Telecommunications Minister Mangala Samaraweera led the privatisation of SLT.  

The privatisation took place with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation of Japan (NTT), purchasing 35 percent of shares and the employees of SLT also being given shares to ensure more employee participation. The NTT corporation thus brought in Japanese management and expertise. This helped SLT eliminate the delays encountered in providing telecom services to applicants. 

The government also took action to expand the post of the director-general of telecommunications to a fully-fledged commission named the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) 
by an act of Parliament.

This regulatory commission paved the way to clear many bottlenecks, including the assignment of radio frequency spectrum in a transparent manner. It further ensured that radio frequency spectrum was deployed in an effective manner for telecommunication services. Contentious issues such as interconnection, caller party pays, were addressed for subscribers to get maximum benefits from telecom services. 

It might be added that the service providers at that time were SLT, Suntel, Lanka Bell, Dialog, Celltell, Mobitel and Hutchison.

The year 1993 saw Mobitel being established as a mobile service provider, as a collaboration between SLT and Telstra of Sweden. However, Mobitel was later purchased by  SLT during Chairman Thilanga Sumathipala’s time.

2001
The 2001 government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe further advanced activities related to the ICT sector. This included the ending of the monopoly of SLT for international communications. 

External gateway operator (EGO) licences were issued to the rest of the telecom operators and new entrants. This resulted in a reduction in the costs of overseas calls and further helped the country to connect with the rest of the world.

During this period, the government and TRCSL were supported by the World Bank to expedite reforms in ICT. Minster Milinda Moragoda of the Economic Reform Ministry and ICT and Public Policy Consultant Prof. Rohan Samarajiva co-ordinated the reforms through the Mass Communication Ministry, where Minister Imithiaz Bakeer-Marker led the ministry and the TRCSL came under his purview.

A notable event that took place was the public auction of radio frequency spectrum to mobile cellular service operators to further modernise the mobile telephone services. Bids were called for the allocation of the RF spectrum and millions of dollars were raised. 

Therefore, governments should note that the radio frequency spectrum is public property, should be assigned at the highest possible prices, so that the resources of governments will be augmented by billions of dollars.

The then government also set up the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka by enacting enabling legislation in 2003. This new government agency succeeded the Computer Information Technology Council of Sri Lanka (CINTEC), which was the national policymaker and facilitator in ICT up to then.
As s result, the ICTA became the uppermost institution of the government, mandated to take all necessary steps to develop government policy and action plans in relation to ICT. Since success in ICT relied greatly on having good telecommunication systems and networks, the TRCSL and ICTA worked in consultation with each other in most development matters. The writer remembers attending progress review meetings at the 
ICTA during that time.

This agency was tasked with the formulation and implementation of thee Sri Lanka development project. The project was used to develop the economy, reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of the people with effective deployment of ICT resources 
all over the country.

2004
The 2004 government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa took more positive and beneficial action to advance ICT. This included the induction of Bharati-Airtel Lanka as another mobile telecommunications service provider. This move ensured a wider choice for the public and ensured further competition in the sector.

With advancements in the Internet, the government recognised the need for a state agency to handle the matter of information security. This was to address cybercrimes and guide state agencies, including the Police on how to handle cybercrimes. 

The ICTA created the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) to ensure the protection of the information infrastructure. With the advancement of ICT, harassment of computer users and cyberattacks on websites have increased exponentially. The police, other agencies of government and the public rely greatly on the SLCERT to solve their cyber-related issues. This entity is presently headed by Chairman Lal Dias, a chartered information technology professional.

Internet (World Wide Web)
In the 1960s, the American defence authorities funded the work for their Internet to provide internal communication amongst multiple computers over a single network. Thereafter, research progressed until the World Wide Web was launched in 1983 and was made a commercial activity, which allowed other countries join the global Internet thereafter.

In the 1990s, an initial demonstration for Internet access in Sri Lanka was made under a project LEARN i.e. Lanka Experimental Academic and Research Network of the University of Moratuwa, when computer engineers and academics demonstrated a successful remote log-in from the University of Moratuwa that was connected to a computer at the University of Colombo.

Thereafter, in 1995, LEARN facilitated the joining of academic and research communities to the global Internet. Sri Lanka’s first e-mail service too was initiated by the University of Moratuwa. The rest is history.

Past and pioneers
This article would not be complete unless the beginnings ICT and the pioneers associated with it are not mentioned.

The 1960s saw organisations and businesses like State Engineering Corporation, Central Bank, Insurance Corporation, Petroleum Corporation, AMS Data Services and Walker Sons using large mainframe computers to process their internal tasks. It might be mentioned that each of these computers were the size of a room, were comparatively slower and consumed much electricity.

The pioneers who made significant contributions to ICT development such as Prof. V.K. Samaranayake, Prof. Mohan Munasinghe, Prof. Gihan Dias, Dr. R.B. Ekanayake, Prof. Abhaya Induruwa and Nayani Fernando being amongst the many who devoted themselves for the advancement of ICT in Sri Lanka.

The LK Domain registry of Sri Lanka was set up in 1990. This registry has served Sri Lanka as its professional domain registration service and enhanced the development of Internet infrastructure for Internet. The registry provides the national domain name for Sri Lankan organisations and individuals to create their unique brand identity on the Internet with domains such as .lk, .com.lk, .org.lk and .edu.lk.

Two insurgencies
Sri Lanka had two serious insurgencies from 1983 to 2009, where telecom exchanges were destroyed and broadcast relay stations were bombed. However, state and private sector engineers and technicians worked with commitment under trying conditions during the insurgencies with risk to life and limb to restore damaged services and we should appreciate their bravery and commitment.

In conclusion, it could be said that Sri Lanka has come far in the field of ICT but further efforts to develop and regulate the sector in an equitable manner should be taken to enable all stakeholders to benefit for the future of our country.

(Themiya Hurulle is former Science and Technology Minister and Director-General of the Telecommunications Regulatory 
Commission (2001-2004))