Lanka Bell seeks mobile licence

Lanka Bell, the second largest fixed line operator in Sri Lanka, plans to apply for a mobile telephone operating licence once Bharti Airtel, the country’s latest mobile licensee, ‘settles down,’ company sources said. ‘We tried obtaining a licence to operate a mobile network by bidding for a licence to become the fifth operator, but Bharti Airtel got the licence. We will try to obtain a licence in the medium term once they settle down,’ a company source told local paper The Sunday Times. He said the government feels that a sixth operator will overcrowd the market. Lanka Bell claims to have 650,000 CDMA wireless in the local loop (WiLL) connections to date and plans to invest USD60 million during the next three years to increase network capacity.