Sri Lanka offers 5-year tax break, grants for rural telco towers
Photo: EconomyNextAI summary · 1 min read
1 min readFrom 1 outlets- EconomyNext reports that Dissanayake said 700–800 new towers are needed to bring high-speed broadband to rural villages.
- EconomyNext reports that 573 towers are being built under the programme.
- EconomyNext reports that each new tower may receive a grant of up to 75% of construction costs, capped at 35 million rupees, plus 5 million rupees for an electricity connection.
- EconomyNext reports that the stated target is broadband coverage across the country by 2030.
EconomyNext reports that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced the incentives in his budget speech to Parliament on Thursday, as part of efforts to expand telecom coverage in rural Sri Lanka.
EconomyNext reports that Dissanayake said 700–800 additional towers were needed to deliver high-speed broadband in rural villages, and that 573 towers were already being built under the programme.
EconomyNext reports that the proposed support has three parts: a five-year tax break, a construction grant equal to 75% of the cost or 35 million rupees, whichever is lower, and 5 million rupees toward establishing an electricity connection. Dissanayake said some towers would be in hilltop locations requiring power lines to be extended.
EconomyNext reports that Dissanayake explained the incentives as a way to encourage private telecom companies to build in less densely populated areas, which he said they otherwise tend to prioritise less. The stated aim is broadband coverage in all parts of the country by 2030.
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