Sri Lankan telecom provider SLT-Mobitel announced on Tuesday that it has successfully conducted the country’s first trial of 5G-Advanced. The trial, which took place on January 12 at Mobitel’s Colombo headquarters, used the 3.5-GHz band and ZTE’s radio equipment, incorporating 3CC carrier aggregation, massive MIMO, and 1024QAM modulation. A Xiaomi 14 Ultra was used as the terminal, achieving downlink speeds exceeding 5 Gbps.
Mobitel’s Chief Operating Officer, Sudharshana Geeganage, emphasized that 5G-A’s advanced features would unlock new use cases across industries such as healthcare, transportation, entertainment, and smart cities. He stated that these innovations would play a critical role in advancing the country’s digital transformation and contributing to Sri Lanka’s development.
Currently, 5G services in Sri Lanka are in the trial phase, with Mobitel and Dialog Axiata offering pre-commercial services. Mobitel has already conducted trials in Colombo, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Galle, and Jaffna.
In December, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) issued a consultation notice for the auction of 3.5-GHz and 27-GHz bands, with licenses set for ten years. The auction, expected before the end of January, is still pending, with no updates from the TRCSL on its progress, despite ongoing efforts since 2021 to establish a clear allocation for 5G spectrum.
