The Hon. (Mrs.) Oshani Umanga

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today marks an important milestone on Sri Lanka’s journey towards a digital economy. We are debating regulations under the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act. We expected constructive proposals from the Opposition, but since morning we saw mud-slinging. We on the Government side will focus on these regulations.

¶ 02 A digital economy is no longer a choice; with globalization, it is a necessity. We cannot walk slowly while the world runs. The Regulations on Shared Use of Telecommunications Infrastructure (Act No. 1 of 2024) aim to minimize repeated construction, optimize and upgrade existing national telecom infrastructure. I rise to draw attention to a decisive factor shaping our future: the digital economy. Through these regulations we expect short-, medium- and long-term outcomes that lead us to prosperity. One is the rapid deployment of a national 5G network through shared sites, reducing national investment and delivering consumer benefits, breaking monopolies and opening opportunities for SMEs. With growing population and shrinking land, this enables efficient resource management, lowers operator costs, and frees capital for service innovation, improving quality, coverage, call drops and data speeds.

¶ 03 In the digital economy there are no borders. A youth in a remote village in Galle can work for a company in America if we provide these facilities. For a developing country, this is the bridge to developed status. Long-term, higher digital readiness delivers better services and economic growth. According to the World Bank, the digital economy is growing 2.5 times faster than the traditional economy; for a developing country this can be a shortcut — we cannot wait 50 years.

¶ 04 Look at India’s Digital India — from street vendors to large corporates transact via UPI. Vietnam has become a regional power by exporting tech devices. Estonia digitized its entire state, a global model. We aim to reduce monopolistic tendencies and build a more competitive telecom market, and deliver greener infrastructure with fewer towers and lower power use.

¶ 05 The current Government’s national policy is “A Prosperous Country — Beautiful Lives.” The digital economy directly contributes to making that a reality. Prosperity will not come only from traditional exports but from building a knowledge-based economy. Our policy declares that we will make IT an export industry earning billions of dollars, and build a corruption-free state that saves public funds. Beautiful lives come from an environment where citizens can live easily: instead of queuing for birth certificates, passports and driving licences, digitization can deliver them to homes. We saw chip-based driving licences issued without even deploying readers — fees charged without proper technological planning.

¶ 06 This will also create globally competitive jobs for our youth. We will develop the necessary infrastructure, take high-speed internet to villages, and make IT compulsory in the school curriculum. Technology is the key to break the lock called corruption and open the door called development. For too long, that key was kept in pockets; we are a Government ready to use it. Therefore, implementing these regulations is essential.

¶ 07 For decades we relied on agriculture and apparel. The world is now in the Fourth Industrial Revolution; the digital economy is the backbone of developed nations. We invite the Opposition, across party lines, to join. Yet you presented no constructive ideas on these regulations — only mud. Women in this House have been targeted with vile insults; today it is the Speaker. Uphold the dignity of Parliament and conduct politics with discipline; we will gladly cooperate. Join us to build a prosperous country by leveraging our skilled human capital, sound policies and digital technologies, for us and the next generation.

¶ 08 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member.