SLTMobitel is a leading telecommunications company operating in Sri Lanka. Established in 1993 as the third mobile telephone provider in the Sri Lankan market, it was originally a collaboration between Sri Lanka Telecom and Telstra. Since November 2002, Mobitel has been wholly owned by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). SLT itself began operations in 1858, marking the establishment of the first Telegraphic Circuit between Galle and Colombo. SLT was corporatised in 1991 and privatised in 2000 with the collaboration of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). In 2008, NTT sold its stake in SLT to Global Telecommunications Holdings N.V. of Netherlands, which currently owns 44.98% stake in Sri Lanka Telecom, while the Government of Sri Lanka owns 48%. The balance shares remain with the general public. Mobitel has been a pioneer in the industry, launching its fully-fledged 2.5G GSM network in 2004.

Alias
Mobitel (Pvt) Limited, Mobitel Sri Lanka
Country
Sri Lanka
Type
Mobile Network Operator
SLT Mobitel logo

3G Network

The company launched its 3G network in December 2007 over the B1 (2100 MHz) band. The network was switched off July 2023.

Network Frequency Band Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
Shut Down
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

The company's 4G LTE network was launched in January 2013 using the B3 (1800 MHz) band. Additional bands were added between 2014 and 2018.

NB-IoT was launched October 2017 over B8 (900 MHz).

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
10
Active
B3 (1800 MHz)
10
Active
B8 (900 MHz)
5
Active
B38 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

The company began pre-commercial 5G trials in mid-2022.

Date Event Subtype