Sri Lankan mobile operators are vying to one-up each other in mobile broadband speeds.
Sri Lanka Telecom's Mobitel and Dialog Axiata have both announced they have concluded successful LTE trials, even as Etisalat Sri Lanka went live with HSPA+.
Etisalat Sri Lanka announced the commercial launch of a HSPA+ network which the company said is capable of being upgraded to 42Mbps DC-HSPA+.
The initial coverage spans most Sri Lankan cities. Dialog said the converged RAN used is also LTE-capable.
Postpaid data plans start at 450 Sri Lankan rupees ($4.09) a month for a 2GB data bundle, growing to 1,500 rupees for 12GB.
The launch come as Mobitel revealed it had achieved downlink speeds of 96Mbps during an LTE trial using equipment provided by ZTE. The operator now plans to roll out a commercial network.
Dialog Axiata meanwhile said it had switched on a pilot LTE network covering parts of Colombo City, and has recorded speeds of between 40Mbps and 50Mbps in outdoor mobile conditions.
Dialog plans to continue testing LTE in parallel with the expansion of its HSPA+ network across all provinces of Sri Lanka. The company is conducting demonstrations at its Dialog Future World exhibit in the city.