Etisalat Lanka launched

Sri Lanka’s newest mobile brand, Etisalat Lanka, officially was launched.

Formerly known as Tigo and owned by Millicom International Cellular (MIC), the cellco was relaunched by Etisalat of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which purchased the company in October 2009.

The Middle Eastern group promised to double the GSM operator’s existing network of 1,000 base stations, and be more responsive to customers’ needs by offering tailor-made packages, reports Sri Lanka’s Daily News.

Etisalat Lanka’s CEO Dumindra Ratnayaka said the cellco also aims to serve many Sri Lankans working in the UAE and Saudi Arabia by offering them good deals on communicating with relatives back home, via tie-ups with other Etisalat mobile subsidiaries.

The firm revealed plans to roll out 450 additional base transceiver stations (BTSs) based on 2G GSM technology and 500 3G BTSs in the next 12 months; more than 100 of the 3G cell sites will be deployed in the northern city of Jaffna and surrounding areas.

Etisalat Lanka already covers 95 percent of the population in the North and East Provinces, which until recently were battlegrounds in a war between government forces and rebel troops. The company said it will also introduce cable TV services in the near future.