Dialog Axiata

Dialog Axiata PLC (Sinhala: ඩයලොග් ආසිආටා පීඑල්සී, romanized: Ḍayəlog Āsiāṭā PīElSī, Tamil: டயலொக் ஆசியாடா பிஎல்சி) (formerly known as MTN Networks and later Dialog Telekom), is one of Sri Lanka's largest[2] telecommunications service providers, and the country's largest mobile network operator with over 17 million subscribers which amounts to 57% of the Sri Lankan mobile market.

Dialog was the first mobile operator to cover the Jaffna peninsula in Northern Sri Lanka within 90 days of the ceasefire agreement in 2002[10] and again in 2009 was the first mobile operator to extend its GSM network to the areas in the North and East Province where the war was fought,[10] and presently has 80% market share in the region.

[12] Dialog was incorporated in 1993 as MTN Networks (Private) Limited with 90% of equity through Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and 10% by Capital Maharaja being the local promoters to the investment.

In 1996, the local promoters divested their stake providing complete ownership of MTN Networks to Telekom Malaysia.

MTN Networks was able to record its first operational profit for the financial year of 1998 when Dialog GSM had a subscriber base close to 75,000.

[15][16] In March 2005 MTN Networks Pvt Ltd unveiled its new corporate identity as Dialog Telekom Ltd at a shindig witnessed by Mahathir Mohamad, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, celebrating the Company's ten years of telecommunications infrastructure development in Sri Lanka.

[17] In 2005, Dialog Telekom launched the largest IPO seen by the Sri Lankan capital markets in an attempt to finance expanding the network.

[18] Offer was oversubscribed 3 times within an hour of opening and Dialog Telekom was able to raise LKR 8.55 Billion (US$77 million) in fresh capital making this the largest IPO to date in the country.

[20][21] At the time of Acquisition MTT was the leading digital transmission and backbone provider for other Cellular operators and television stations.

[22] In December 2006, Dialog Telekom completed the takeover of troubled DTH satellite television provider CBN SAT (Private) Ltd for LKR 523.8 million (US$4.6 million) marking Dialog's entry into the television segment thus positioning itself as a quadruple play service provider.

DialogGSM Logo (1995–2005)
DialogGSM Logo (1995–2005)
Hans Wijayasuriya in 2012
Dialog Telekom PLC Logo (2005–2010)