Chairman, LIRNEasia (International market research organisation)
Starlink, an innovative data communications provider, was granted a s. 17 license under the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act in 2024. The first thing to note about licenses of this type are that they are intended to give certainty to licensors.
The US has a persistent trade deficit with Sri Lanka. Despite almost universal agreement among economists that trade deficits, especially between two countries, are not meaningful, President Trump believes otherwise. As he assumed office, he asked his officials to “investigate and remedy” persistent US trade deficits. Sri Lanka-US trade shows a deficit of USD 2.6 billion following an increase of 6.3 percent in 2024. Sri Lanka was responsible for 0.28 percent of the total US trade deficit. Even if it were eliminated, there would be no discernible impact on the total.
If there is anything everyone supports, it’s digitalization of government. It’s seen as the panacea for all our ills: tax avoidance, corruption, inefficient agriculture, ...You name a problem, that is the answer, or at least part of the answer. We’ve been trying for over two decades but with meager returns.
“Did you hear that Adani is refusing to supply Bangladesh with electricity?” a friend asked me recently. I knew it was a loaded question, my friend being a nationalist. “You recall wehad no power because we couldn’t pay for shiploads of fuel and coal just a few years back?” I asked back.