Plugged In

December 2, 2006 (LBO) – Dialog Telekom said Saturday that it has taken full control of cable television operator CBN SAT, that was previously shut down by the government for not having necessary paperwork. Sri Lanka, which became the first South Asian nation to start mobile services, when Celltel Lanka began operations in 1989, now boasts over 4.28 million subscribers, according to Central Bank figures.

CBN SAT, a direct-to-home satellite TV service, was earlier owned by Communiq Broadband Network (Pvt) Ltd.

Dialog, a unit of Telekom Malaysia, paid 523.8 million rupees to take full control of the cable TV operator, which will be run by its fully owned subsidiary, Asset Media (Pvt) Ltd.

With over 20,000 customers todate, CBN SATs programme line up includes Sri Lankan television channels, and international content like CNN, BBC, HBO, Cinemax, AXN, ESPN, Discovery Channel, MTV (Music Television) and Cartoon Network.

Getting CBN SAT on board is a key milestone in Dialog's strategy to offer quadruple play (mobile, fixed, broadband, television media) or four-play products to Sri Lankans.

"This will result in Dialog Telekom making transformational investments in Digital Broadcast infrast