Major step towards making Sri Lanka become knowledge hub
Written by Administrator
Friday, 11 February 2011 05:22
Major step towards making Sri Lanka become knowledge hub.
The South Asian mobile content conference and workshop will contribute immensely to Sri Lanka becoming the knowledge hub envisaged in the Mahinda Chintana” Vision for the Future” says ICT Agency of Sri Lanka ( ICTA ) COO Reshan Dewapura. The ICTA Chief Operating Officer said so while participating at a media briefing held in Colombo recently.
Addressing the media briefing organized by ICTA at Hotel Taj Samudra Dewapura emphasized the importance of the conference and the workshop: “ The South Asian Mobile Content Conference and Workshop that will be held in Colombo on 10th and 11th instant will go a long way in making the benefits of ICT reach all especially the disadvantaged in South Asia. ICT has a significant role in taking the development drive forward, promoting ecomomic growth. Generating employment and thus making Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries be on a par with the “developed” world. During the past five to 10 years the mobile sector has developed fast and the different segments in society, whether in the Government or private sector, cannot on their-own, properly meet the growing needs of accessing information electronic transactions etc. The ICTA, the Digital Empowerment Foundation of India, the Ministry of ITC, the Government of India, hSenid Mobile (Pvt.) Ltd. And Etisalat Lanka Pvt. Ltd. Have joined together to facilitate the Mobile Content development in South Asia.”
Referring to the mBillionth 2010 Award jury process had taken place on 11th and 12th instant ICTA COO said that the current rate of mobile penetration in the region was astounding . with the current Indian Bangladesh and Sri Lankan mobile users being at the 700th 57th and 14th million mark, South Asia is sure to hit the billionth mark by the end of 2010, Dewapura said.
“Technology savy participants are able to participate in the competition aimed at rich Mobile Content projects under 10 core categories. The awards were presented in July 23rd 2010 in Delhi, India. This has provided an excellent opportunity for the mBillionth award participants to move towards to take part in the World Summit Award as well”. Devapura encouraged.
About 25 high-level speakers around the world had shared their views and strategic considerations at this first South Asian event on the fast developing subject of mobile content. The topics dealt with included Mobile Content Market Trends and Development, Mobile Applications, Enabling Rich Content to Mobile Consumers, Mobile Content Marketing and Revenue Modules in the Mobile Applications.
The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka(ICTA), which functioned under the Presidential Secretariat, hosted this first-ever South Asian Mobile Content Conference and Workshop with Etisalat, a leading mobile Company in Sri Lanka and hSenid Mobile Private Ltd., a world famous Sri Lankan Software Company, as strategic partners.
Currently most of the highly penetrated value added services are offered on mobile applications. However, the services such as forex Information, braking news alerts to cricket updates are limited as these are developed by a few. Yet the opportunities for mobile applications are immense starting from vary simple applications to complex ones. It is high time that application development is promoted by opening the door to anyone who is interested in this sphere. It is in the backdrop of this development Etisalat and hSenid Mobile are joining hands to power the first Mobile Application Developer Portal in Sri Lanka.
With this intention we have come forward as the strategic partner for the region’s very first conference on mobile content and applications. This we consider as an ideal platform to promote mobile application development for the first time in Sri Lanka, to all those who are interested, and area which was limited to a few professionals before. By ‘all’ we mean University students, free lance developers, professionals, software development companies”, said Dumindra Ratnayake, CEO , Etisalat Sri Lanka.
We will promise healthy and positive developed applications and provide attractive revenue shares – 70% - to the developer. Successful developers can also make a name for themselves nationally by hosting popular applications. We, at Etisalat, hope to revolutionize the local market by this platform, opening application development to everybody, which will help take Sri Lanka to the global mobile application development stage” Dumindra Ratnayake added.
“To facilitate this, hSenid Mobile together with Etisalat, will launch a Mobile Application Development Platform where anyone can download the required tools to develop mobile applications. The platform will provide seamless application development facilities to all interested” said Dinesh Saparamadu, CEO of hSenid Mobile.
Expressing a view that is sure to be a source of encouragement many the hSenid Mobile CEO said: “ Much knowledge is not necessary for becoming a valuable mobile content developer. What is vital is interest. The next killer application could come from someone who is working on mobile content development at night or weekend.”
