Sri Lankan government encourages local biometric hardware development

Sri Lanka’s government is to pave the way for local manufacturers to develop biometric hardware in the digitalization of its economy.

Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne in an interview with the Biometric Update on Monday, said that digital ID island-wide will see a big demand for biometric hardware that local manufacturers can exploit.

“The Indian government grant to Sri Lanka will be utilized to establish the digital ID verification solutions. The Department of Registrar of Persons has launched the ENIC project which is a part of the Total Digital ID project. For both these we need biometric data capturing,” he explained, noting that the whole digital ID ecosystem will be built up around these two initiatives.

In this backdrop, gradually there will be an opportunity for local manufacturers to develop such biometric hardware, Weeraratna said.

The government, with the Telecommunication Regulation Commission (TRC), is also looking to free up spectrum space for 5G and other mobile communication resources.

TRC is to build 276 towers to boost mobile broadband connectivity and support the rollout of 5G, both of which are needed to help facilitate the government’s plan to expand the country’s digital economy to US$15 billion.

The digital economy is a transformative concept that involves deploying digital technologies like IoT, AI, and cloud computing across sectors like agriculture, tourism, and transportation, Dr. Wijeyasuriya told the Ignite Growth Forum in January, highlighting that digital transformation is about integrating digital technologies across all industries to create a comprehensive, connected economy.

Meanwhile, SLT-MOBITEL, Sri Lanka’s National ICT Solutions Provider, tested 5G-Advanced (5G-A) for the first time in the country last month.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital economy  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  identity verification  |  research and development  |  SL-UDI (Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity)  |  Sri Lanka