There are a lot of things to consider before travelling to Sri Lanka, one of which is the available prepaid phone cards in the country. Currently, there are five active GSM and 3G prepaid phone operators in Sri Lanka, namely: Dialog Telekom PLC, Mobitel (Pvt) Limited, Bharti Airtel Lanka (Private) Limited, ETISALAT Lanka (Private) Limited and Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (Pte) Limited. 1 Sri Lankan Rupee = 0,0064530777 Euro. The electricity available in Sri Lanka is 220 Volts with an electrical frequency of 50 Hertz. Time Zone is UTC +6.
The first and largest prepaid phone operator in Sri Lanka is the Dialog Telekom PLC or most commonly known as Dialog Axiata. The mobile communications company was established on August 27, 1993 that headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dialog Axiata’s services include 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G network services. They are the first prepaid phone operator to launch the international roaming services in 1997, also the first company to introduce 3G plus HSDPA+ operations in South Asia. In addition, Dialog Anxiata also was the first telecommunications company to offer 4G LTE network in Colomdo, Sri Lanka becoming the first LTE pilot network in South Asia. Currently, the company has 7 million subscribers all over Sri Lanka.
The prepaid phone card name for Dialog Axiata is called “Prepaid.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is LKR 1,600 with 1,000 free credits. The net frequency available for Dialog Anxiata are GSM 900/1800 and WCDMA 2100. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Dialog. There are two available voice tariffs under Prepaid, Per-second billing and Minute Package which offer calls from Monday to Sunday. Per second billing offers: on net calls for LKR 3.00, other calls for LKR 5.00 and national SMS for LKR 1.00. Minute package offers: on net calls for LKR 1.00, other calls for LKR 2.00 and national SMS for LKR 0.25.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging: International SMS for LKR 5.00
Voicemail: Same rate as the local voice calls
Data Calls: LKR 0.02/KB *APN: ppinternet (for wap only: ppwap);The service should be first activated at a Dialog shop
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here.
International Roaming: International roaming service available, see here.
Billing: 1/1 or 60/60 *Depending on the plan you choose
Second available prepaid phone card in Sri Lanka is the Mobitel (Pvt) Limited. Mobitel is a wholly owned by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) that was established in 1993. The mobile communications company offers services such as postpaid and prepaid phone plans, along with mobile broadband services. They currently operate in GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HDPA and 3.5G networks. Mobitel was the first telecommunications company in Sri Lanka to introduce 3.5G HSPA network.
The prepaid phone card name for Mobitel is called “Prepaid.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is LKR 400 with 300 free credits. The net frequencies for Mobitel are GSM 1800 and WCDMA 2100. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Mobitel. Prepaid operates in a voice tariff Per second billing that offers calls from Monday to Sunday: on net calls for LKR 1.00 and other calls for LKR 2.00.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- SMS to Mobitel – LKR 0.10
- Other national SMS – LKR 0.25
- International SMS – LKR 5.00
- MMS to Mobitel – LKR 1.00
- Other national MMS – LKR 5.00
Voicemail: Same rate as the local voice calls
Data Calls: LKR 0.02/KB plus LKR 2.00 connection fee (APN: isp)
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here.
International Roaming: International roaming service available, see here.
Billing: 60/60
Refills, Credit and Validity:
- LKR 20-49, 7 days
- LKR 50-74, 20 days
- LKR 75-99, 90 days
- LKR 100 and above, 180 days
3G Delight:
3G Weekly Delight 75: LKR 75.00 for 200MB/week; Dial *071*75*1#
3G Daily Delight 50: LKR 50.00 for 100MB/day; Dial *071*50*1#
3G Daily Delight 25: LKR 25.00 for 50MB/day; Dial *071*25*1#
Third on the list of prepaid phone operators available in Sri Lanka is the Bharti Airtel Lanka (Private) Limited or also known as Airtel Lanka. Airtel Lanka is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel which started operations on January 12, 2009. The company is considered the third largest mobile communications operator in the world with over 240 million subscribers. Airtel Lanka currently uses GSM and UMTS or HSDPA+ technologies offering 3.5G and 3.75 networks. They also offer cheaper call rates compared to other prepaid phone operators in Sri Lanka. As of the moment, Airtel Lanka GSM covers 1,000+ Base station on operation island-wide.
The prepaid phone card name for Airtel Lanka is called “Prepaid.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is LKR 99 with 51 free credits. The net frequencies for Airtel Lanka are GSM 900/1800 and WCDMA 2100. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Airtel while its net code is 413 05. Prepaid Standard Plan offers calls from Monday to Sunday: on net calls for LKR 1.00 and other calls for LKR 2.00.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- SMS to Airtel – LKR 0.10
- Other national SMS – LKR 0.25
- International SMS – LKR 5.00
Voicemail: Same rate as the local voice calls
Data Calls: LKR 0.01/KB
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here.
International Roaming: International roaming service available, see here.
Refills and Credit: LKR 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 or 1000
The fourth available prepaid phone operator in Sri Lanka is the ETISALAT Lanka (Private) Limited, known as Celltel until 2007 and Tigo (Sri Lanka) between 2007 and 2010 and now wholly owned by the giant Emirates Telecommunication Corporation in the United Arab Emirates. The mobile communications company was established in June 1989 and headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Etisalat Lanka consistently providing the widest coverage across Sri Lanka and host the Value Added Services. The company operates in GSM and EDGE network using 900/1800 MHz band. In 2011, they launched HSPA+ services over 2100 MHz band.
The prepaid phone card name for Etisalat Lanka is called “Pre-paid.” The activation fee for this prepaid phone card is LKR 25 with 25 free credits. The net frequency available for Etisalat Lanka is GSM 900/1800. The logo for this prepaid phone card is Etisalat LK. Pre-paid offers calls from Monday to Sunday: on net calls for LKR 1.00 and other calls for LKR 2.00.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging:
- SMS to Etisalat – LKR 0.10
- Other national SMS – LKR 0.25
- International SMS – LKR 5.00
Voicemail: Same rate as the local voice calls
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here.
International Roaming: International roaming service available, see here.
Refills and Credit: LKR 50, 100, 150, 450, 500 or 1000
The next prepaid phone operator available in Sri Lanka is the Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (Pte) Limited or commonly known as Hutch. The company offers 100% prepaid phone communications across Sri Lanka. The telecommunications company launched its GSM service in 2004. Hutch Lanka aims to be one of the leading nationwide operator in Sri Lanka, and in 2010 they already reached 70% of the entire island.
The prepaid phone card name for Hutch is called “Pre-paid.” The activation fee and validity for this prepaid phone card is available upon request. The net frequency for Hutch is GSM 900. The logo for this prepaid phone card is HUTCH LK. Pre-paid offers calls from Monday to Sunday: call to Hutch for LKR 0.02 per second and other calls for LKR 0.04 per second.
Additional Services and Costs:
Messaging: SMS to Hutch – LKR 0.25
Voicemail: Same rate as the local voice calls
Data Calls: LKR 0.20/MB
International Calls: International prepaid phone calls available, see here.
International Roaming: International roaming service available, see here.