brand logo

ICTA Chair slams PUCSL for long power cuts

31 Mar 2022

  • Highlights ‘major negative’ impact on ICT industry
  • Network quality deteriorates without power
  • Signal likely to drop to 2.5G from 4G during power cut
     By Imsha Iqbal  Following the announcement of 10-hour power cuts by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka Chairman Oshada Senanayake, taking to Twitter, blamed the PUCSL for prolonged power cuts, terming the decision “unacceptable” as it is taking a toll on the local technology sector.  Senanayake Tweeted: “Ten-hour power cuts are simply not acceptable and will have a major negative impact on the ICT industry. Appalling to see the lack of planning and misdirections by PUCSL which is compounding matters for the industry to sustain being a key forex earner for the country.” Moreover, due to the depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee (LKR), the rates on IDD (international direct dialing) calls and SMS (short message service) were increased recently, simultaneously to the cost of international operators.  Sri Lanka is experiencing a network quality deterioration due to the recurrent eight-to-10-hour-long power cuts, thereby impacting the country’s technology sector and its operations, according to experts in the field. Speaking to The Morning Business yesterday (30), technocrat Asela Waidyalankara stated: “Generally, what happens is all the telco towers don’t have backup generators, but some telco towers do. When we experience a 10-hour power cut, the towers are not equipped to handle it because it is dependent on steady power.”   Accordingly, even though the Ministry of Technology has expressed interest in providing the telecommunication companies with fuel for uninterrupted connectivity, the generators need to be provided with fuel sufficient for more than four hours, Waidyalankara explained.  The voice calls would be able to be made; however, data would gradually start to drain. “It will drop to a 4G signal, perhaps even to a 2.5G signal, which is extremely slow. You won’t be able to make Whatsapp calls, a Zoom call, or continue online learning, and certain mobile apps would not even be able to function,” he added.  Furthermore, during the previous power cuts, consumers lamented that low connectivity has disrupted their work-from-home (WFH) schedules as well as learning from home. On Twitter, a telecommunication service provider responded to a similar complaint saying that since their base stations are equipped with energy systems, prolonged outages may cause interruptions “due to constraints in backup systems”.


More News..