Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
The Sri Lanka Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit 2025 in Colombo focused on leveraging DPI to drive economic growth and digital inclusion. The event brought together global leaders, experts, and stakeholders to discuss how DPI can accelerate Sri Lanka’s digital economy and achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
HUTCH, in partnership with Trainocate, launched the “Srilankanization” initiative to enhance digital skills among Sri Lankans. The program offers training on digital applications through the RESET e-learning platform, providing affordable access to certifications from Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud, and Cisco, aiming to strengthen Sri Lanka’s digital economy.
Sri Lanka’s ‘GovPay’ digital platform, launching on February 7, will streamline government payments by allowing citizens to pay for services via fintech apps or online banking. Initially integrating 16 institutions, the platform aims for full implementation by April 2025, enhancing efficiency in government revenue collection.
Bileeta has partnered with CENWOR to provide ERP solutions for SMEs in rural Sri Lanka, focusing on women entrepreneurs in the dry-fish and Palmyra industries. This initiative, supported by UNDP, aims to empower women and contribute to Sri Lanka’s economic growth through technology-driven solutions and mentoring.
Zoho’s Zoholics conference in Sri Lanka highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting the country’s Digital Sri Lanka 2030 strategy. Through its cloud-powered solutions, Zoho is helping businesses across sectors achieve digital transformation, with significant year-over-year growth. The event featured solutions across Sales, Marketing, HR, and Developer tools.
Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has implemented a policy requiring all mobile phones to be registered by January 28, 2024, to improve security, prevent fraud, and stop illegal imports. Unregistered devices will be blocked from local networks, with exceptions for tourists and phones brought for personal use.
Sri Lanka is progressing with its SL-UDI project, procuring biometric hardware to transition national IDs to digital formats. The project, supported by India and international donors, will improve government services and reduce corruption. It includes biometric data collection, secure digital payments, and integration with government institutions.
Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud helps HUTCH achieve significant improvements in data loading times, operational expenses, and team efficiency.
Sri Lanka’s internet subscriptions, including mobile connections, have reached 26 million by mid-2024, marking a 19% year-over-year growth. This rise reflects increased demand for digital services, spurred by the Covid pandemic. By 2024, 3G coverage is expected to reach 97.8%, and 4G coverage will hit 100%.
Sri Lanka’s data consumption surged by 11% in 2024, with mobile data making up nearly 69% of the total consumption. Despite a 6% decline in fixed broadband subscriptions, mobile broadband continued to grow. Over half the population actively uses platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube, highlighting the shift to mobile data.