Telephone users rose to 7.3 million last year

By Walter Jayawardhana

The telephone users in Sri Lanka have jumped up to 7.3 million people in the year 2006 Sri Lanka Telecommunication Regulatory Commission statistics indicate.

The increase was mostly caused by mobile telephone users which soared by 59 per cent in that year a report by the Commission , which is the industry’s watchdog said.

The report by the regulatory commission said while there were 366,000 waiting on line for fixed line telephone services even rural residents got mobile phones including GSM and CDMA systems as soon as they wanted them.

The report said the fixed-line subscribers also rose to 1.9 million during the year 2006 from 1.2 million in 2005. That happened after the commission issued CDMA licenses allowing three firms to use the cheaper technology and expand in rural areas.

Due to the reductions of tariffs cell phone users grew from 3.4 million in 2005 to 5.4 million in 2006 it was revealed. The tariffs were reduced by 40 per cent the report said.

The majority of users bought pre-paid cards according to the commission statistics.

India’s largest private phone company, Bharathi Airtel will soon become the fifth mobile company entering the Sri Lankan market. With their entry there would be further price cuts in the rural sector as they would be competing for the untapped 19 million people.
Bharti, which is due to start services by year-end, has promised to invest $100 million within the first year of operation, the report further said.

When they retaliated one boat was instantly engulfed with fire indicating it was loaded with explosives.

The Navy said at least nine Sea Tigers were in the boats who perished with them. Two other boats later came to attack the Naval craft but they also fled unable to take the heavy Navy fire.
It was only a day ago , the Defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella requested India to intensify the crack down on Tamil Tigers.

At a press briefing he was quoted of having said, "Please, I request them (India) to do more, If you write a headline that India is not doing enough, they will take note of it (in New Delhi)."
Commenting on the crack down on a suicide boat by the coast guard off the coast of Tamil Nadu Rambukwella said he was seeing a new beginning regarding the crack down of the arms smuggling from India by the Indian authorities.

In 1980’s it was India who trained , funded and armed the Tamil Tigers. But in 1991 angered over the Indian Peace keeping Force Tamil Tigers assassinated Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Opposition Indian leaders have charged Tamil Nadu Chief minister M. Karunanidhi of secretly accommodating the Tamil Tigers in the South Indian state once again.