Reaching for the stars: Sri Lanka aims to connect the entire country with free Wi-Fi
Sri Lanka is indeed aiming high and probably seeking to be the first country in the world where free Wi-Fi is available across the island. Deputy Minister of Highways and Investment Promotion Eran Wickramaratne, speaking as chief guest at this week’s CIO Agenda 2015 forum in Colombo, said that a team of experts from Yahoo company accompanied by a Sri Lankan expatriate has visited the country to do a feasibility study to extend Wi-Fi coverage to the entire country.
Panel discussion. Pic by M.D.Nissanka
Sri Lanka will be the first country in the world to have a free Wi-Fi system, he said. The minister said that he has a blueprint to develop Moratuwa as an industrial park, a knowledge centre and to set up a world class Carpentry School in Moratuwa as there are many talented carpenters at Moratuwa.
The Moratuwa hospital will also be linked up digitally with other hospitals in the country. He said a public safety network will be set up in the Moratuwa district by using emergency dispatch and a co-ordination system along with CCTV system to combat crime like in other advanced countries. A national level plan is being discussed and will be put into use to overhaul and fix the public transport system with the participation of public and private sector.
He said when it comes to developing smart cities many think of confining it to the capital city alone. But the time has come for one to look beyond that concept. A smart city in layman’s terms was the use of technology to enhance the standard of living for its citizens via reduced cost and resource consumption in a transparent and effective management. He said although this was a new phenomenon, the smart city community idea can be traced to the United Kingdom in the 1938s. According to a global report, 88 smart cities will be developed in the world by year 2025.
Although countries in Europe and Africa represent many of the smart cities in the world in 2013, by 2025, another 32 new smart cities will emerge in the Asia Pacific. “So why not one or two for Sri Lanka,” he asked. The idea was to convert traditional cities into smart cities as technology was becoming user -friendly to connect people. Where Sri Lanka was concerned 28 per cent of the 20 million population is concentrated in the Western Province and this shows a rapid urbanisation of this region. In 2019 it is expected that more people will live in urban areas than in rural areas posing daunting challenges as well as creating new economic opportunities and social benefits for the people.
The minister, referring to the 1600 gardens found in the Colombo city, said he was shocked to see poverty and in the Moratuwa area as well. He said he has elaborate plans to develop Moratuwa area as a digital smart city that connects to healthcare, education, public safety, transport, and other important areas. “In Moratuwa for example I will push for open government by using technology to take political decisions. Scientific data will be used in decision-making to access healthcare, cleaner environment and for creating business opportunities.”
He said this city has always had a long reputation owing to the presence of the Moratuwa University, the Arthur C. Clarke Centre, Brandix College of Clothing Technology, and the country’s foremost vocational training institute – the German Technical Training Institute.
He said there was a period in his life during the past five years when he had to leave behind his colleagues and professionals and could not re-connect with them while he was in the opposition party. But January 8 changed all that and the “greatest thing that we got on January 8 was the freedom to uphold democracy without fear or favour”.
The minister recalled an incident when he was the head of the National Development Bank, 13 years ago, where he was asked by a politician whether he has the capacity to develop technology. When he replied that he was not an information or IT specialist, the politician responded saying that he was not looking for an IT specialist but someone who had the knowledge and the vision to develop the country. He said being a dreamer he grabbed the opportunity offered to him.
Chairman of the Bank’s CIO forum Rohan Muttiah said they have brought together all multiple industries as digitisation cannot be done without their support. “All of us rely on technology and we have brought in the banking regulator and information security authorities and other leading technology partners to help us”. David Bearley, former global CIO of Standard Chartered Bank Worldwide; Virginia Sharma, Director Marketing of Linkedin Asia Pacific; Hirak Kayal, Vice President, Application Product Management, Oracle Corporation and Cyrus Daruwala, Managing Director of IDC Financials Asia Pacific also spoke.