Sri Lanka has the best IT potential growth prospects in South Asia , says a reputed international organisation. The "Sri Lanka Information Technology Report Q 1 2010" from Business Monitor International recommended by Fast Market Research last Thursday (18) says that the Sri Lankan IT market indicates the best potential growth prospects in South Asia.

The report points out that the total IT spending in Sri Lanka keeps rising and that all indications are that it would be nearly doubled in 2013. The amount projected thus in three years from now, namely, US$ 494 million indicates a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent. This projected CAGR is quite high as compared with the total size of the legal IT market estimated at US$254 in 2008.

Referring to the computer market the report says: "the computer market has comfortably been growing at a double-digit CAGR for the past several years". Giving the reasons for this massive growth the report goes on to say:" The Sri Lankan government's e-Sri Lanka strategy outlines the country's vision for information society development, and forms the basis for initiatives related to ICT development. A key measure was the establishment of the ICTA (Information and Communications Technology Agency of Sri Lanka), which has led ICT projects on various fronts.

In recent years, plans for large scale deployment of broadband have been announced. Platforms have included not only DSL but also WiFi, and fixed wireless solutions such as WiMax. Meanwhile, to broaden digital access, the ICTA has piloted the construction of community information centres, with internet access, at sites across the country. Despite the government's financial weakness, a focus on restructuring government through the application of ICT has achieved some results. A key project is the Lanka Government Network (LGN) which is being implemented for the government by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). In stage one of the project, a total of 325 government offices are being connected via a VPN, allowing them on-line access to a centralised IT system".

Reacting to ICTA having played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka moving to become the best ICT market in South Asia as reported by the Business Monitor International, ICTA's Chief Operating Officer Reshan Dewapura expressed great satisfaction. "Sri Lanka 's rise to be the best ICT market in South Asia is a natural offshoot of a series of its people's great strides in ICT.

The root cause of these developments and achievements, the subject of accolades both here and abroad, is the high growth rate of the country's ICT literacy. This, on its part, is due to the foresight of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa who, as early as in 2004, made the " 'earth-shattering'-so -to- say" change and provided uninterrupted guidance giving priority for ICT. The change that His Excellency initiated was the swift from ICT as a prerogative of the elite to the status of a basic right of every citizen of Sri Lanka, especially the less privileged in distant villages", Dewapura affirmed.