Sri Lanka to launch smart city concept: telecom authority chairman

COLOMBO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's state owned telecom authority, the Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), on Tuesday said that plans were underway to transform the north central district of Polonnaruwa into the country's first "smart city" following several projects launched to upgrade education, health and transportation in the area.

SLT Chairman Kumarasinghe Sirisena told local media that the government was currently discussing the transformation of Polonnaruwa by launching the smart health, smart education, and smart transportation concept, which will accelerate economic development and social progress in the district.

Sirisena said that the smart city concept was a possibility as the SLT had now covered the entire country with ultra-fast fibre-optic connectivity. This would help upgrade education, health, and transportation.

Under the government's smart city project, 2,500 schools will be connected through a wireless connection to enable smart education in Sri Lanka. The initial discussions have been completed, and the government hopes to connect these schools within this year, Sirisena said.

The chairman added that SLT was also in discussion with the Power and Energy Ministry to establish smart Grids and smart Meters throughout the country.