24 October 2025
Dialog Axiata has announced the expansion of its 5G trial network into 15 districts nationwide, as the company prepares for the country’s highly anticipated 5G spectrum auction scheduled for early December.
The trial network now covers major urban centres including Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Matara, Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi, with plans to extend further into additional urban and rural areas.
Dialog’s CTO, Ranga Kariyawasam, emphasised the importance of this milestone, stating that expanding the trial network represents a significant step in shaping Sri Lanka’s digital future. The company has been testing 5G since 2018, alongside rival SLT-Mobitel, which is also conducting trial services, as both await the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka’s (TRCSL) allocation of spectrum.
The spectrum auction process officially commenced on October 3 when the Ministry of Digital Economy issued the Notice of Assignment, nearly a year after the TRCSL announced plans to auction the 3.5-GHz and 27-GHz bands for 5G services, with a scheduled auction date in December 2024. Bidders have until November 10 to submit their bids for 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5-GHz band and 200 MHz in the 27-GHz band. The list of approved bidders will be announced on November 24, with the auction itself set for 3 December. The process will conclude by December 15, when the first payments are due.
Earlier this year, Dialog claimed to have conducted Sri Lanka’s first successful Voice over New Radio (VoNR) trial on a live standalone 5G network. In August, the company launched a low-cost 5G smartphone in partnership with ZTE, priced at LKR35,999, aiming to boost consumer adoption ahead of the commercial rollout of 5G services.
