CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) is the hub of telecommunication in Sri Lanka and represents the role of the National Telecom Service provider for the country. Hence its a great pleasure to have my industrial training at SLT. We were given a special training at SLT Data Services section for six months. During that period I got the opportunity to actively participate in areas such as Data Services new connections, Data Services Maintenance, Network Management etc. And also I was able to gather vital practical knowledge of Metro Ethernet-VPLS and VLL, IP-VPN, Frame Relay, IPLC, Internet Leased Lines etc with field visits. During the training period; I got the opportunity to take part of the project work titled Network Redundancy Planning Project for Uva Province. The project addresses major aspects of telecommunication engineering such as network planning, traffic routing transmission and cost analysis.

The motive of SLT is to provide telecom services to each and every customer in the country. Telecommunication has undergone a rapid growth in the last fifty years, and the best example is the improvement in mobility. Telecommunication becomes a common option in all portions in the society such as residential use, business etc. The specialty is that it becomes a part of the life. SLT has the biggest customer base in telecommunications in Sri Lanka. And it provides a range of communication solutions to meet the targeted requirements of the domestic and commercial clients. And also its really important to figure out the role played by SLT as a responsible organization for Sri Lankan society.

The national transmission network consists of several methodologies. Digital microwave transmission system and fiber optic transmission system are the most widely used

techniques. SLT starts with the telegraph, and the first circuit was from Galle to Colombo. And the first international telegraph communication established between Ceylon and India. From that; the SLT telecommunication network has expand a long way over oceans and continents. And it provides a wide variety of services. Submarine cables; SEA-ME-WE II, SEA-ME-WE III, SEA-ME-WE IV complement the two Satellite Earth Stations which are of standard A earth stations located in Padukka. SLT has three gateways, which facilitates providing access to the global telecommunications network.

1.1 SLT Vision and Mission

Vision:

To lead Sri Lanka to become the hub of Telecommunications in South Asia.

Mission:

"To anticipate and fulfill the communications requirements of all sectors of the nation, in a service-oriented work ethic which will provide total customer satisfaction through the most modern telecommunications facilities"

1.2

History

The milestones of SLT history are listed as below.

Table 1.2.1: SLT History

1858 -

Established the first Telegraphic Circuit from Galle to Colombo. Established the first international telegraph communication between Ceylon and India.

1880 -

Integrate Telegraph and Postal services under the guidance of the Government of Ceylon.

1895 1896 -

Laid the first submarine cable from Ceylon to India. Oriental Telephone Company was taken by the Government of Ceylon with its manually operated exchange.

1911 1931 -

Opened the Central Telegraph Office. Automatic Telephone Exchange at Kahawatta (Ratnapura District) was installed.

1935 1941 -

Inaugurated the International Telephone Service. Cable & Wireless Company took over the guidance of the International operations.

1951 -

Cable & Wireless Company was taken back to the guidance of the Government of Ceylon.

1963 1966 1976 1980 -

Introduced the Telex Service. Introduced the Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) Service. First Earth Satellite Station (Standard A) commissioned in Padukka. Telecommunications and Postal departments were started by seperating Postal and Telegraph services.

1981 -

Introduced the International Direct Dialing (IDD) service. Installed the first Digital Master Exchange.

1985 1993 1994 -

SEA-ME-WE I analogue submarine cable was linked up. Introduced the Packet Switching Service. Second Satellite Earth Station (Standard B) commissioned in Colombo. SEA-ME-WE II (South East Asia - Middle East - Western Europe) digital fiber optic submarine cable was introduced to SLT international communication section.

1995 -

Third Satellite Earth Station (Standard A) commissioned in Padukka. (Fully digitized)

1996 1997 -

Introduced Internet and E-mail Services. Sri Lanka Telecom Corporation was transformed to a Public Company. Sri Lanka Telecom privatized with the collaboration of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation (NTT) of Japan (Thirty five percent stake from SLT).

1999 2000 2002 -

SEA-ME-WE III digital fiber optic submarine cable was linked up. Customer base excceds 600,000. Issue debenture of 1.5billion ruppess. First optical fiber ring transmission was introdued. (connecting 15 cities) Acquired the balance 60% of share of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd. Signed the MoU (Motion of Understanding) for SE-ME-WE IV digital fiber optic submarine cable project.

2003 -

SLT shares started trading on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

2005 -

Received license for CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology.

2006 -

SLT Hong Kong launched.

SLT and BSNL launch Bharat Lanka Submarine Cable System.

2007 -

SLT to broadcast TV (IPTV). SLT obtains BOI status and SLT Mobitel signs BOI agreement for Stage 3 GSM and 3G expansion project.

SLTnet goes1 Giga bps in international backbone.

2008 -

SLT boosts distance education in Sri Lanka through broadband connectivity, to National Online Distance Education System.

1.3 Services

SLT facilitates for wide variety of services for the domestic and corporate customers. They are presented below. Domestic Voice Services Customer Dialed Calls Operator Assisted Calls Enhanced Services o Call Waiting o Call Forwarding o Abbreviated Dialing o Absentee Service International Voice Services IDD Calls

International Operator Assisted Calls

Operator Assisted Services Domestic o Local Call Bookings (101) o Wakeup Calls (147) o Directory Information Services (161) o Faults Reporting Services (121) International o Operator Assistance Service (100) o International Directory Service (134) o Collect or Reverse Charge Service

SLT PLUS International Direct Dialing Call Forwarding Call Waiting Conference Calling Hot Line Abbreviated Dialing Absentee Service

IDD Globe link Gold Card Sri Lanka Directory Service Home Country Direct Direct Inward Dialing (DID) SLTNET Internet Services Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) 6

Concert Packet Service Frame Relay Data PAC Vision Carrier Leased Lines SLT FLY SLT DATA Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) Metro Ethernet

1.4 Organizational Structure

SLT has a hierarchical organizational structure. However it has undergone major structural changes in past few decades. Sri Lanka Telecom Corporation was transformed to a Public Company in 1996. According to the agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the NTT Corporation the Chairman was appointed by the Sri Lankan government and NTT recruited some directors for the top level management for SLT However in general, it is headed by a Board of Directors, which includes a Chairman and a Chief Executive Officer.

Top management structure of SLT is shown in Figure 1.1.

Chairman and Board of Directors

Secretary to the board

Chief Administrative Officer

CAO

Chief Internal Auditor CEO

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Operations and Technical Officer

COTO

Senior Advisor

CFO
Chief Financial Officer

Advisors

Security Consultant

Regional Sector

Head Quarters

Figure 1.1: Top Management Structure

The current top management composition is as follows. CEO Chairperson Board of Directors
:

Mr. P. A. Abeysekera (Acting) Mrs. Leisha De Silva Chandrasena Mr. Chan Chee Beng Mr. Sandip Das Mr. Jeffrey Jay Blatt Mr. Shelley Geoffrey William Mr. S.N. Kumar Mr. Sumith Wijesinghe Mr. P. A. Abeysekera Mr. Sidath Fernando

: :

Metro Region, Region 1, Region 2 and Region 3 are the four regional sectors. A Regional Head stays in the top of the hierarchichy while the provincial heads, deputy heads and engineers stay down in the hierarchichy. This regional sector is shown in Figure 1.2
Regional Sector

Metro Region
Metropolitan region from moratuwa to modara

Region 2
Western (South), Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Uva provinces

Central, North Central, North West and Western (North) Provinces

Region 1

Region 3
Eastern Province

Figure 1.2: Structure of Regional Sector

Head Quarters operations are carried out under several groups, and also Financial, Human resources , IT group , Administration , Network Planning and Construction are the sub divisions of those groups. The head quarters structure is shown in Figure 1.3.
Head Quarters

Customer Service
Billing and Collections New Connections Regulatory Matters Maintenance Operator Services INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY systems development

administraton
stores center facility management administration

network planning and construction International Services

network planning

finance
Accounting Budget

human resources

marketing IT GROUP

Figure 1.3: Structure of Head Quarters

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Apart from that the administrative hierarchy consists of different layers such as HG, HS, Engineer, DIT, IPT and assistants. The administrative hierarchy is shown in Figure 1.4.

Top Management

HG

HG
Head of Group

HG

Hs

Hs
Head of Section

Hs

ENG

Engineer

eng

dit

ipt

ipt

ipt

Assistant

Assistant

Figure 1.4: SLT Administrative Hierarchy 1.5 Social Responsibility

Just as every individual has a place in society and the community, so does SLT, as an institution. SLT occupies a place in peoples lives, not only because providing them with products and services; but also they are in the business of making people in touch with each other. SLT form relationships that allow both parties to enter the life of the other. Their issues become SLTs and vice versa. The one needs the other. And then, we share the

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world we live in, with all its pressing needs of conservation and protection of vital resources.

SLT share common goals in reaching for a life of value and dignity; a life of peace and prosperity within whatever social strata we exist.

Molding Intellect

SLT continued to partner The Asia Foundation, a leading non-profit organization working in Sri Lanka since 1954, in their Books for Asia program. SLT recognized the vital need that exists in Sri Lanka for providing the means for education as well as the promotion of English as a link language. Therefore the Company decided to make a substantial contribution to this program, which facilitated the initial distribution of 60,000 books valued at over US$ 2 million. SLT will evaluate the outcome of this initial contribution and plan further involvement with this program in the years ahead. The companys contribution was the single largest corporate donation the Foundation has received to date. In July 2004, SLT joined hands with The Asia Foundation once again under the Companys Spreading the Wealth of Knowledge program. Identifying the access to good books as a major requirement in the search for knowledge and skills, the Company entered into an agreement with The Asia Foundation to promote and provide practical opportunities for the young and the elderly to gain access to knowledge and learning.

The project kicked off in Anuradhapura where 250 English Language books were donated to the Rajarata Universitys library. Then in August, 850 books were presented through the Mawanella Provincial Council, whilst 150 books were presented to the Moratuwa University. A further consignment of books was presented to the Sarvodaya Movement. 12

The Company took its theme; Spreading the Wealth of Knowledge even further a field and commemorated Reading Month by presenting 3,500 books to the Central Province Library Services Board, in collaboration with The Asia Foundation. Another 2,000 books were presented to the Technical College, Maradana. There are, of course, other ways of molding intellect and sharpening wit. SLT presented a Challenge Trophy for the winners of the Inter-Schools Debating Competition. Thirty schools participated at this event which sought to hone their skills in the English Language as well as develop competence and knowledge. SLT sponsored the Sri Lankan delegation to the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in 2004. The team did extremely well, winning 1 Gold and 3 Bronze medals. This event basically tests technical skill in algorithmic programming, requiring contestants to compete individually in solving a set of programming issues. The Company also sponsored the Anatoly Karpov Chess Tournament conducted by the Russian Centre, Colombo.

The SLT - CIMA Partnership

For some years now, SLT has been partnering the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in furthering career opportunities through the avenues of training provided by CIMA. This signifies the working together of two top entities - SLT a top corporate and CIMA the custodian of a global management accounting qualification.

Partnering other Professional Institutes

SLT collaborated with four other professional bodies, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, The Institute of Personnel

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Management and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators to present a mega-program on the theme, To be Number One. Thus its clear that SLT is carrying out thousands of activities on behalf of the social responsibility.

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