SLT gets media broadcasting licence

The Media Ministry has granted the media broadcasting licence to Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). The country's communications giant is now able to provide TV and other media services to its customers utilising IP (Internet Protocol) technologies on existing wire line connectivity.

This will be the foundation in the realm of telecommunication and media convergence. SLT currently has a robust network which can handle services based on IP technologies: voice, data and video and mobile through the application of business, education medical care and entertainment.

The Company said that the setting-up exercise of IPTV will be fun, simple and will require no technical know-how or complex equipment. The IPTV services will be no more than plug and play. Customers will be able to enjoy TV services through the telephone line coming to the customer's home within six months.

The IPTV service is expected to take customer experience beyond that of plain TV by integrating multimedia communication technology into the television experience. IPTV customers can use their TVs to communicate and interact with friends and family through a variety of media, such as voice, instant messaging, video and picture sharing.

SLT plans to offer affordable and competitive pricing for the TV package using IP technology on wire line connectivity along with other value added services.

SLT's IPTV services will pioneer the IP based TV broadcasting service in Sri Lanka as it is the most popular entertainment media in the world. It will revolutionise the delivery of TV programs. To deliver DVD quality video on MPEG 4 format IPTV requires an ADSL service of 2 mbps bandwidth.

The company already offers ADSL in major cities and plans to expand the broadband network to make ADSL available to other regions.

With this initiative, SLT customers can enjoy entertainment services delivered to their home via the same SLT wired connectivity. IPTV enables SLT, the country's only wire line service provider to offer real-time TV broadcast programming, video-on-demand and other advanced services over broadband connections to televisions.

Sri Lanka Telecom (www.slt.lk) is one of the country's most valuable bluechip companies with an annual turnover of over Rs. 40 billion. Whilst NTT Communications Corporation of Japan owns a 35.2% stake in Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), 49.2% is owned by the Government of Sri Lanka and 15.3% is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

The company was also awarded an AAA (sri) rating by Fitch Ratings Lanka followed by a BB - international rating by Fitch International.