LIRNEasia regularly surveys SEC group D and E (the bottom of the pyramid) teleuse in emerging Asian countries. In the study it was found that less than one percent of the Sri Lankan BOP phone users who are aware of mobile 2.0 services regularly use it. Highlighting this fact we ran an advertisement in the Daily Mirror today.
The advertisement’s objective was to show what the policy makers and regulators can do and thereby what the service providers could do to boost up Mobile 2.0 services in Sri Lanka. The advertisement also indicated, that with these changes it can lead to a App-Store model where it can act as a platform (application store) for mobile content providers to add their applications, with standard contracts from telcos.
Mobile 2.0 at Bottom of the pyramid is project conducted by LIRNEasia. For more details click here
More info about Teleuse@BOP (Survey on SEC D and E) click here
The advertisement ran today in the Daily Mirror Business section

5 Comments
venura9
Well that has a lot to do with the comparatively higher charging for data via mobile devices. even if there are ways still the users are not aware of them and about the voice beyond services that they can get. Poor marketing strategies of the operators has a strong say in this.
Alison Gillwald
Fantastic initiative to give research policy relevance, well done, Alison Gillwald, South Africa.
Mobile
If someone takes a photo with a mobile phone cam, does it come under Mobile 2.0 or does it becomes Mobile 2.0 only when it is sent to someone through MMS?
Chanuka Wattegama
@Mobile,
It is common to have other electronic devices like radios, cameras, clocks bundled with mobile handsets. Whether they are part of the handset or an added component is a tricky question. So far we have treated mobile cameras separately. But perhaps in future, if mobile handsets replace non-professional cameras we may have to consider it as part of mobile 2.0.
Rethinking Sri Lanka’s Data Centre Hub Ambition
The idea of turning Sri Lanka into a regional data centre hub is an attractive one, particularly in the context of growing global demand for digital infrastructure and AI-driven services. However, it raises important economic questions, especially whether this is a viable and high-return investment strategy for a small, fiscally constrained economy like Sri Lanka.
Nepal’s digital crossroads: building a transparent data governance framework
Nepal’s evolving digital landscape highlights a growing tension between constitutional guarantees of privacy and access to information, and a fragmented, outdated data governance framework. In a recent article published in Republica on March 17, 2026, Avash Mainali, Country Researcher for Nepal for LIRNEasia’s D4D Asia project, argues that while the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Policy, 2082 (2025), marks a positive step, its impact will depend on whether it can move beyond aspirational language to enforceable rights.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya Shares Insights on AI and Labour at ISLE Conference 2026
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming labour markets worldwide. In the Global South, however, these changes are unfolding unevenly, shaped by labour markets defined by high levels of informality, uneven social protection, and large skills gaps.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific