Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ajith Rajapaksa announced that, in accordance with Article 79 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has endorsed the certificates on the Bills titled “Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment)” and “Shaili Educational Foundation (Incorporation).”
The announcement was made during today’s (23) Parliamentary proceedings.
On July 9, the Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament with amendments. Under this new telecommunications bill, Sri Lanka will introduce a new license category that will allow the ‘Starlink’ service to enter the country’s telecommunications space as a licensed service provider, as previously stated by State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath.
The integration of the global ‘Starlink’ network with Sri Lanka aims to address Wi-Fi connectivity issues, particularly in areas outside Colombo.
Sri Lanka granted ‘Starlink’ preliminary approval in June after fast-tracking the process. ‘Starlink’ will need to pay a tariff for the license, which will be issued by the country’s telecommunications regulator, according to State Minister Kanaka Herath.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with billionaire investor Elon Musk on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum High-Level Meeting in Indonesia on May 19, where they discussed the implementation of ‘Starlink’ in Sri Lanka.
Musk was in Bali to launch Starlink satellite internet service in the world’s largest archipelago nation. He launched the service alongside Indonesian President Joko Widodo in a ceremony at a public health clinic in Denpasar, Bali’s provincial capital.
Unlike traditional telecommunications providers that prioritize urban areas, Starlink aims to provide global coverage, extending internet connectivity to even the most remote corners of the planet.
Starlink can provide internet access to virtually any location on Earth with a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that can be repositioned as needed. According to experts, reliable internet access is possible whether the user operates in the Congo, the Arctic, or on an offshore oil rig.
So far, Starlink has more than 2 million active customers and is available on all seven continents and in over 60 countries.
