Telecom Regulatory and Policy Environment in Sri Lanka: Results and Analysis of the 2008 TRE Survey

The Telecom Rregulatory Environment (TRE) 2008 Survey was conducted in parallel in selected countries in South and South-East Asia. The Telecom Regulatory and Policy Environment study for Sri Lanka is based on the combined results of the 2008 TRE survey, on telecom indicator data from National Statistical Organizations, telecom operators and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and on key developments in the telecom regulatory and policy space in Sri Lanka in the period May 2007- May 2008. This year’s TRE survey includes the broadband sub-sector as a new component in the analysis of telecom sector performance. In this report, the TRE methodology is used to capture the perceptions of informed stakeholders on the telecom regulatory and policy environment of Sri Lanka, based on seven parameters: market entry; access to scarce resources; interconnection; tariff regulation; regulation of anti-competitive practices; universal service obligations (USOs); and, quality of service (QoS). The results of the 2008 TRE survey indicate a below average score across six of the seven dimensions, with the exception being mobile sector USOs. The key facts that emerge from a comparison of the two survey periods, 2006 and 2008, is that overall TRE scores have improved marginally in both the fixed sector and in the mobile sector; scores for market entry in the mobile sector have shown a significant drop; scores for fixed sector interconnection have increased significantly; and, scores for USOs in both sectors have recorded increases.