Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka teamed with tower company edotco Services Lanka to conduct an open RAN trial using multi-purpose lampposts in an effort to lower infrastructure costs, Daily Mirror reported.

Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka CEO Thirukumar Nadarasa told the newspaper the project would deliver cost benefits across its 4G network of more than 2,400 base stations nationwide which would then be passed on to consumers.

Edotco country MD Gayan Koralage said the trial opens opportunities for connectivity in Sri Lanka and its 500 lampposts in the nation are compatible with open RAN.

The company manages 1,000 towers in Sri Lanka.

GSMA Intelligence estimates Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka ended 2021 with 4.5 million mobile subscribers, including nearly 700,000 LTE users.