Azzam Ameen @ NewsWire covered an interesting story today. A story long overdue. The good news of possible unlimited internet coming to Sri Lanka.The news article quotes a tweet by TRC that suggested that unlimited broadband is on its way to Sri Lanka, again.

TRC issued a directive to all operators to respond with Unlimited Internet Packages by 1st of March and currently in the process of assessing packages submitted by complying operators. Consumers could expect to have the first round of unlimited plans by April #TRCSL #lka pic.twitter.com/YWrDvFR5FY

— TRCSL (@TRCSL) March 19, 2021

The Internet is the most important communication tool developed by man. It enables us to effectively communicate not only with our loved ones but also with our colleagues and work work remotely. The socio economic benefits of an internet backed society is limitless. But for all this we need unrestricted and unlimited internet accessible to every one at an affordable price point. Some thing we don't have in Sri Lanka at the moment.

I am excited about this tweet! But my fingers are crossed!

History

Sri Lanka has a good history with internet and telecommunications. In the early 2000s I heard that telecommunication solutions were supplied through Sri Lanka to South India. I think this might be due to the merger of Sri Lanka Telecom with Sierra. How ever the fact that we served India made me proud.

First to show up was the dial-up internet connection. It wasn't the ideal solution - the more you went online, the more it cost you. Then I heard about the introduction of ISDN (by Sri Lanka Telecom) post 2002. Speeds were a minor improvement at 128kbps or little more. Unfortunately not available in Kurunegala where I lived and was also costly. In the same time I also heard about dedicated internet lines. But I think they were very costly.

Thereafter came the good old ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line initially serving 512kbps. They had 2 packages. One with 1.5GB bandwidth and another with unlimited. I heard it was a game changer, but I didn't get my hands on one until 2007 when we moved to Katugastota. YouTube would just load without buffering and oh boy wasn't it exhilarating! 🤯🎉

We got the "Unlimited" package by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) which I think was about Rs. 2000.00 / mo. It helped me a lot. I could roam the internet without worrying about the monthly rental rising sky high. I read and wrote the Wikipedia. Watched and produced YouTube videos. Life was great, right until it wasn't.

Unfortunately few years later they discontinued the unlimited package. It is merely a case of de-evolution and a huge disgrace. Society is supposed to move forward, not backward, especially in technology and telecommunications.

Competition from High Above

Any move to provide unlimited internet is a good move. How ever this is not coming out of the goodness of the governments heart or the service providers. This is a matter of evolution.

I believe you have already hear about "Rocket Man" Elon Musk. His company SpaceX is launching internet satellites to orby by the thousands. His aim is to give the world unrestricted, unlimited, gaming grade satellite internet to every corner of this planet. At the moment there are 1200 ish satellites in orbit and it could reach as much as 30,000.

Their offer: unlimited bandwidth for $99/mo.

Now many in developed nations would complain that this too costly. That is true. They get unlimited internet for about $40/mo. But even you further from a city, the chances are, you have really crappy internet even in the developed world. We should not forget that the $99/mo is its launch price. It will come down, it always does.

StarLinks will for the first time in human history truly connect every corner in the world. Will our governments like the idea of low cost internet they can't restrict? I doubt it.

Conclusion

I have my deposit on StarLink. I will try to get my hands on one. I am simply too tired to bother about the crap local ISPs give us. I am going to dump them the first chance I get.

To be honest, I don't think we will get truly unlimited internet. But as I said, my fingers are crossed and I am hoping for the best, for people in Sri Lanka deserve good internet for an affordable price. But the chances are we will get a ridiculous price tag, a significant speed compromise or both. But that is alright, I think it will be a a good step in the right direction for affordable high quality internet in Sri Lanka.