Sri Lanka featured in UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2012

Today, the reach of information and communication technology continues to transform communities across the world. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Information Economy Report highlights winning case studies and economies that have contributed towards this unprecedented growth and change.

In 2012, the report's focus was on the role of software development and its impact on economies. The software industry is among one of the most progressive growth areas in Sri Lanka.

New opportunities are continuously emerging in the domestic market as we move towards a software sphere linked to mobile phones, broadband and smart devices, creating demand for new space. Sri Lanka was featured in the 2012 report, for its recent proliferation in the ICT industry and immense potential in intellectual capacity and people skills.

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Subinay Nandy, said, "The report is an indicator of the growth in the ICT industry across all 194 member countries of the UN. As highlighted in the report, among the South Asian countries, Sri Lanka has shown rapid growth and a strong export orientation in their software industry, indicating that it now has the expertise to support domestic market needs and capitalise on emerging opportunities in the mobile applications realm."

Of the case studies featured in the report, the emerging android ecosystem in Sri Lanka emphasises on the Etisalat App developer business model.

Special mentions were given to AppZone and Book Hub in the UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2012 for initiatives spearheaded by Etisalat Lanka.

AppZone is Sri Lanka's first independent third party mobile application platform. This initiative was partnered with Software solutions provider, hSenid which is providing the technology platform for the Developer Portal. It allows any Sri Lankan mobile application developer to create and sell their own applications.

This platform has opened doors to local application developers and entrepreneurs. Book Hub is one of Sri Lanka's first online eBook stores and eBook reader, launched in partnership with Microimage, a local technology developer and with M. D. Gunasena and Company. The eBook store hosts English, Sinhala and Tamil locally published works in an electronic format.

In September last year, Etisalat Lanka partnered with Sarvodaya-Fusion, the ICT arm of the Sarvodaya Movement to launch Etisalat Android Village Hub. The program is designed to create information and telecommunication resource hubs in villages to empower and connect communities using technology.

The pilot project of the Etisalat Android Village Hub was launched in the villages of Bathiyagama in Kantale and the Niramisiya Sarvodaya Society in Nattandiya.

Families identified by Sarvodaya-Fusion were trained on the use Android tablets distributed by Etisalat, to understand and apply the internet in their day-to-day activities, driving internet penetration in the country and maximise on smart device applications.

Lead consultant to eNovation4D, UK and Managing Director of Sarvodaya - Fusion, Dr. Harsha Liyanage was chosen by UNCTAD to contribute to the Information Economy Report 2012, to illustrate the Sri Lankan case study.