There are five MNOs in the Sri Lankan market, Dialog (owned by Axiata), state controlled SLTMobitel, Lanka Bell, Hutch (owned by Hutchison and which acquired Etisalat Sri Lanka in 2018) and Airtel (part of Bharti Airtel Group).
Sri Lanka estimated tower ownership – Q4 2024
Consolidation could be on the cards in the market amidst intense competition, high taxes and high capex requirements for the sector. Dialog and SLT-Mobitel hold all of the 4G spectrum, and any other players that want to offer this will need to engage in RANsharing.
Hutch Lanka teamed up with ZTE and achieved
1.8Gbps data transmission in its trial in March 2021. The TRC has implemented an initiative dubbed ‘Gamata Sanniwedanaya’, which seeks to eliminate the digital divide in the country, providing equal access to mobile connectivity for all Sri Lankans.
In April 2021, Airtel announced that it is deploying 37 new sites as part of the initiative. Dialog have also successfully built 515 towers since the start of 2019, which increased the total number of their towers to around 4,000.
There are approximately 10,000 towers in the Sri Lankan market with significant bilateral sharing between operators. EDOTCO is the sole towerco operating in the market.
Sri Lanka - telecom market statistics Q4 2024
A proposed legislation change from Sri Lanka’s regulator could set to see an independent tower model flourish in the long term. Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Act changed for the first time, with amendments passed in August 2024. The move is a significant for the industry as it will now allow independent tower companies, small cell and fibre operators, as well as neutral party host networks to start building telecom sites in the country.
Sri Lanka is home to approximately 7,000 mobile towers at the moment, but they can only be built by the nations telcos, in partnership with government parties.
