Under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka has already embarked on its digital transformation journey via flagship projects and initiatives including Colombo Port Smart City project,Polonnaruwa Smart City project under the Government's Digital Sri Lanka Initiatives.
Digital Sri Lanka Initiatives aim to experiment and bring the benefits of latest technologies to all – whether they are rich or poor, live in cities, suburbs or villages, educated or not and even physically challenged or not.
The Lankan government aims to transform Polonnaruwa as the country's first-ever 'Smart City', enabled with smart health, smart education, and smart transportation, that will accelerate economic development and social progress in the city, FT quoted SLT Group Chairman Kumarasinghe Sirisena as saying on the sidelines of Huawei Lanka ICT and Carrier Congress 2019 in March 2019.
As part of the government's smart city project, 2,500 schools will be connected through a wireless connection to enable smart education in Sri Lanka. The initial discussions have been completed, and the government hopes to connect these schools by the end of this, Sirisena said.
In line with the government's objective to elevate Colombo Port City to Southeast Asia's premier smart city, Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), one of the leading ICT and digital solutions provider in the island nation, has recently signed an agreement with Huawei Technologies Lanka Co. (Pvt) Ltd. The agreement will facilitate the digital transformation by implementing a wide range of digital initiatives, with a special focus on digitalizing government institutes in the country.
This landmark partnership will also cover several other ongoing digital projects and initiatives including Polonnaruwa Smart City project and other applicable projects under the Government's Digital Sri Lanka Initiatives, SLT said in a press release.
In comparison with other Asia Pacific emerging markets, Sri Lanka exhibits strengths in connectivity, digital marketing, investment in digital initiatives, and the ability to move quickly. Yet when compared with China, India, and more-developed countries, Sri Lanka is well behind, according to a report by McKinsey, a worldwide management consulting firm.