Sri Lanka, China ink deal to build communications tower

Sri Lanka will sign an agreement with China today to construct a 350-metre high tower building in its capital Colombo, the government announced through its official news portal.

Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Director-General Anusha Pelpita said that the tower will make an impact on Sri Lanka’s communication and information technology sectors.

The multi-faceted tower will have allocations for 50 television service providers, 50 broadcasting service providers and 10 telecommunication providers.

The Lotus Tower Building and the Leisure Garden will be the tallest tower in South Asia and the 19th tallest tower in the world. An area of 3.03 hectares was earmarked for the project and the Sri Lankan cabinet recently approved the construction of the tower.

The 11-storey structure will have a revolving restaurant on the fourth floor. The lotus flower segment, that will have seven floors, will be erected from the fifth floor. A reception hall with capacity of 1,000 persons will be housed on the third floor.

The construction of the Lotus Tower Building is to be completed in 30 months at a cost of US$100 million which will be funded by Exim Bank of China