Etisalat to invest $ 163 million to expand 3G network in Sri Lanka

The Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat), plans to invest $163 million to expand its 3G network island wide in Sri Lanka including the war-ravaged North and East.


The United Arab Emirates-based telecom operator will expand its coverage in Sri Lanka from the present 65 percent to an 80 percent while upgrading the technology to 3G standard, a Reuters report said.

"We will invest $163 million in the next six months to expand the network," said Duminda Rathnayake, the chief executive officer for Etisalat in Sri Lanka has told Reuters.
Etisalat in October 2009 acquired a 100 percent stake in Tigo Sri Lanka, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nasdaq listed Millicom International Cellular which provided services under the name Celltel, for $207 million.