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Aha..! Internet for the whole country..! Sri Lanka to be the first country in the world to have universal internet access in partnership with Google Loon

(Lanka-e-News-28.July.2015, 9.00PM) Foreign, Telecommunications and IT Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, today announced on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka a historic initiative to cover the entire country with affordable high-speed internet in partnership with Google. Using high altitude balloons Google Loon will cover every inch of Sri Lanka with seamless access to the internet. Sri Lanka is now on its way to becoming the first country in the world to have universal internet coverage. The minister noted that "from this event onwards advertisements or headlines saying “Matara covered” or “Jaffna covered” will become a part of history."  And concluded his speech saying that he was "proud to declare that we are at the cusp of a reclaiming our heritage of being connected to each other and connected to the world. In a few months we will truly be able to say: Sri Lanka. Covered"

This initiative would not have been possible without the support of LotusFlare, whose chairperson is a visionary member of the Sri Lankan diaspora, Chamath Palihapitya, and Project RAMA. 

 Minister Samaraweera's speech as follows:

"Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, ministerial colleagues, representatives of government agencies, Google Vice President Michael Cassidy, members of the media, friends,

From time immemorial Sri Lanka has been connected to the world. Located at the centre of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka’s strategic position straddles the main East-West trade route. As a result, her harbours and cities have long been entrepots for trade, cultural exchange and tourism. In fact, ancient Sri Lanka was one of the most connected nations in the world:  ideas, goods and people flowed and mingled freely.  

However, the same could not be said of modern Sri Lanka. Just over two decades ago, as some of you may remember, there was a single criterion for securing a simple landline connection. Patience. After filling reams of paperwork and running from office to office, one would have to wait for months and years before a telephone line materialized. Even then, calling costs, within the island and abroad, were prohibitive.  Connectivity remained the preserve of the rich and influential.

The privatisation of SLT and the introduction of private sector players, combined with a smart regulatory regime that promoted competition and created a level playing field, heralded a new era. Much of the country was soon covered by mobile networks– securing almost instant access to affordable and high quality telephone calls.

But voice data is not enough. In the 21st century the internet is radically refashioning all aspects of our lives. Our students can now take Harvard courses in engineering online, but they can also study rare Pali manuscripts. Businesses can find markets – in fact research has shown that small businesses connected to the internet grow twice as fast as others.

But connectivity is not only about engaging with the world. It can also connect Sri Lankans to each other and to their government. Sinhala and Tamil journalists can now use Google translate to read each other’s articles, helping break down the barriers between our linguistic islands. In fact, in the next few years, simultaneous voice translation between Sinhala and Tamil via smartphones will be the norm. Also, to combat corruption and make government services more accessible to citizens, we plan on placing as many government facilities as possible online.

But many Sri Lankans still don’t have access to the internet. This is why, as a first step, within 100 days the government created over 150 free wi-fi hotspots at key public locations – from bus stations to kacheries - across urban centres on the Island. But that is not enough. From this event onwards advertisements or headlines saying “Matara covered” or “Jaffna covered” will become a part of history.  

Today, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, I’m very proud to announce that, as a result of the agreement we will sign today with Google, the entire Sri Lankan island – every village from Dondra to Point Pedro – will be covered with affordable high speed internet using Google Loon’s balloon technology, and Sri Lanka is on its way to becoming the very first country in the world to have network connectivity cover the entire country.

Allow me to conclude by saying that I am proud to declare that we are at the cusp of a reclaiming our heritage of being connected to each other and connected to the world. In a few months we will truly be able to say: Sri Lanka. Covered."

GOOGLE VIDEOS & INFO ON PROJECT LOON

http://www.google.com/loon/

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by     (2015-07-28 15:57:32)

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  2 discussion on this news

Train the masses to access modern science and technonology knowledge, and adopt same for country development
-- by Arthur.B on 2015-07-29

A thorough congratulations is in order for this phenomenal technological step into the future for our nation.
-- by Jayantsum on 2015-07-29

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