EPSI iStore

EPSI Computers, the only authorized distributor/re-seller for APPLE products in Sri Lanka in partnership with Apple Inc. recently opened its state-of-the-art iStore in the heart of Colombo. The store provides a variety of services to digital enthusiasts in the country.

EPSI iStore showcases a wide portfolio of APPLE products and provides a number of value added service facilities to customers purchasing APPLE products from the store.

The products on display at the newly opened iStore range from MP3 players to MAC Books, iMacs, Apple TVs and a wide variety of iPods and Apple related accessories. APPLE users can also get their faulty products replaced at this store subject to terms and conditions.

The flagship EPSI iStore is located at #302, Galle Road, Colombo 4 while more branches can be found at Shop #02-10, Majestic City and all Singer Mega showrooms Island wide. According to the press release there will be more outlets opened in the coming months.

To learn more about the products and services they have got in store, visit their official website at http://www.epsi.lk/

SLT to introduce CDMA Broadband

SLT, Sri Lanka’s leading communication provider plans to introduce CDMA Broadband Internet services soon.

This was revealed at the press conference held a few days ago to announce South Asia’s first Broadband Communications Congress which is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka next month. Most of the service providers in the local telecommunication industry are reportedly in the process of introducing 'CDMA Broadband' technology to the local consumers.

CDMA Broadband provides high-speed data transformation to the users. It is highly likely that the services will eventually be available where CDMA coverage is available.

SLT which owns about 60% of the island’s communication infrastructure is set to roll-out WiMAX and IPTV services hopefully before the end of this year.

Dialog Broadband Network launches CDMA operations in Galle

Dialog Broadband Networks, a fully owned subsidiary of Dialog Telekom today launched DIALOG CDMA services in my home town Galle. You can now purchase a Dialog CDMA phone unit at Dialog’s Galle Arcade.

Dialog CDMA offers subscribers a host of features and value added services such as Call holding/waiting, SMS, CLI, Call transferring, Call Forwarding, Voice Mail, FAX, Three Way Calling, Call Conferencing and Internet facilities.

The Dialog CDMA phone also acts as a modem which basically enables you to connect to the Internet by simply adjusting the data speed of the phone. The facility will be automatically activated with the CDMA phone package you choose.

Apart from Galle, Dialog CDMA services are already available in several key towns in the country including Kurunagala, Kandy, Puttalam, Anuradhapura and Kalutara. The official ceremonial of Dialog CDMA was held in Kurunegala a few weeks ago while the launch in Colombo is set to take place shortly. The network aims to roll-out CDMA coverage to other districts over the next few months. And Dialog CDMA will reach to the most rural areas in the country.

In addition to CDMA operations, Dialog was also deploying WIMAX infrastructure and running a pilot project in the city of Galle.

Dialog becomes the fourth communication operator in Sri Lanka to provide fixed wireless operations based on CDMA technology. Lanka Bell was the first to do so and followed by Suntel and SLT. The exclusive customer care hotline for Dialog CDMA is 0117 100 100. You can pay your Dialog CDMA bills at Dialog Galle Arcade, Commercial Bank and Cargills Food City.

News updates from REUTERS now on your Mobile

Dialog GSM, the largest mobile phone operator in Sri Lanka now offers the network’s subscribers the opportunity to receive breaking news updates from REUTERS direct to their mobile phones.

Reuters will supply its premier media news content to Dialog Telekom, and the service will provide factual, up-to-the-minute updates on local news stories. To register for the exclusive service, type NEWS and send the message to 7777. The service will be activated within 24 hours. And the service will be provided free of charge.

Last month Mobitel launched a breaking news alert service in partnership with JNW (Jasminenews.com), a local portal that provides news alerts through text messaging and the internet. To get JNW breaking news on Mobitel phones, simply text REG to 2233 to get registered. Registration will be free of charge until July 15th and Rs.100 pre month thereafter.

SLT IPTV within 6 months...

SLT, Sri Lanka’s number one communication provider recently obtained media broadcasting license to introduce IPTV services. With the noticeable growth of Cable TV industry in Sri Lanka, the plans for IPTV have also been on the cards for sometime now. SLT which owns about 60% of the island’s communication infrastructure is now able to provide the long-awaited IPTV services….

IPTV is expected to take customer experience beyond that of plain TV by integrating multimedia communication technology into the television experience. IPTV customers can use their TV’s to communicate and interact with friends and family through a variety of media, such as voice, instant messaging, video and picture sharing. SLT plans to offer affordable and competitive pricing for the TV packages using IP technology on wire line connectivity along with other value added services.

SLT IPTV services will pioneer the IP based TV broadcasting service in Sri Lanka as it being the most popular entertainment media in the world. It will revolutionize the delivery of TV programmes beyond any doubt. In order to deliver DVD quality video on MPEG 4 format IPTV requires an ADSL service of 2 mbps bandwidth.

SLT customers will be able to enjoy entertainment services delivered to their home via the same SLT wired connectivity. IPTV enables SLT, the country’s only wire line service provider to offer real-time TV broadcast programming, video-on-demand and other advanced services over broadband connections to televisions.

It is also revealed that a Decoder costing around $100 would be delivered for the subscribers to be used with the existing TV set. The SLT is yet to decide on a rental for this service and it is likely that IPTV would be billed on a usage basis.

According to the latest press release, the company assures to offer services within less than six months. But as usual it is most likely that the first stage of process will be restricted to Colombo and its suburb and then will move on to major cities like Kandy & Galle.

It will be great to see SLT IPTV having additional services such as Video On Demand, Pay Per View, EPG and etc. Coz none of the Cable/Satellite TV operators were able to provide these functions to their subscribers. One of the key features of a tool like VOD is that a subscriber has an opportunity of watching a programme that was already aired a few hours ago. And functions like Pay Per View allows subscribers to purchase different kind of material such as Live Events, Movies, Concerts, Award Shows, Beauty Pageants and even adult content through the On-Screen interactive panel.

DotMobi services to launch in Sri Lanka

Infotechs Limited, a company servicing the mobile communications business, is breaking new ground that will be welcomed by Sri Lanka's exponentially growing market of mobile users when it launches Sri Lanka's first mobile specific websites shortly bringing the Internet in a most appropriate manner to mobile users.

Logging on to the Internet via a mobile phone has been possible in the past using the WAP and GPRS protocols, but since DotCom websites were originally designed to be accessed using computers and not mobile phones, the experience was less than satisfactory and limited the numbers.

DotMobi is the first and only top level domain dedicated to delivering the Internet to mobile devices. The introduction of DotMobi revolutionizes the use of the Internet on mobile devices and is designed to guide mobile users to made-for-mobile Internet content and services that can be accessed with confidence.
Infotechs is currently testing its colombocity.mobi site and will launch it very shortly and follow it up with other sites.