Airtel Sri Lanka, the most preferred telco by the youth, recently launched Sri Lanka’s first ever text-based mental health helpline in partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The service which went live on World Mental Health Day 2020, is free for Airtel customers and is also accessible for users of other mobile networks.

Connecting to the launch over video, CEO and Managing Director, Ashish Chandra said,“Digital technologies are transforming learning, socializing and communication among youth. Our brand is heavily engaged with young Sri Lankans and we are very much aware that they prefer to use digital platforms to engage and find solutions. At Airtel, we are always looking at ways to create meaningful connections for our customers by blending technology with human needs and this is one such initiative.”

The event took place alongside a panel discussion addressing this year’s theme for World Mental Health Day; “Mental health for all through greater investments and access”. The session was moderated by mental health advocate Shanuki De Alwis featuring, Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe – Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, National Institute of Mental Health, Nivendra Uduman – Psychologist, and Kanishka Ranaweera – Head of HR, Airtel Lanka.

Addressing the gathering, Airtel’s Head of HR, Kanishka Ranaweera said, “Outside our business operations, a majority of our work focuses on empowering the next generation of Sri Lankan’s. From sports, to vocational training to even cybersecurity training, Airtel has been in the forefront of creating a lasting impact in education, careers and the lives of young people.”

According to the latest survey conducted by the World Health Organization, the ongoing pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide. As Sri Lankan’s continue to engage in social distancing, the introduction of the chat-line will be an important means for the youth of the country to continue to receive professional assistance in mitigating their mental health concerns in a safe and anonymous environment.

The launch of the 1926 text based chat-line is the latest activity in relation to youth empowerment conducted by the telco. Recently, the telco commemorated World Youth Skills Day 2020 together with the USAID project, YouLead by engaging in a series of vocational guidance webinars focusing on “skills in the workplace”. Another notable activity by Airtel together with World Vision was a series of online safety awareness drives for school teachers and principals which reached over 6,000 educators across the country. Similarly, the telco has also engaged in multiple youth and sports skills Press Release development programmes including ‘Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest’ which concluded in 2019 and ‘Airtel Rising Stars’ the telco’s novelty youth sports programmes launched in association with Manchester United.

Image 1 – Mr. Ashish Chandra CEO & Managing Director of Airtel Lanka joining the launch over Airtel Blue Jeans from India
Image 2 – CEO & MD of Airtel Lanka Mr. Ashish Chandra, Chief Marketing Officer Airtel Lanka Mr. Chandrashekar Singh Chauhan , Senior Consultant Psychiatrist NIMH Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe, Director NIMH Dr. Dhammika Wijesinghe, Deputy Director General – Non
Image 3– The panellists Shanuki De Alwis – Mental Health Advocate, Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe – Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, National Institute of Mental Health, Nivendra Uduman – Psychologist, and Kanishka Ranaweera – Head of HR, Airtel Lanka.

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• Deploys 900 Mhz spectrum to cater to growing demand
• Initial tests confirm unmatched indoor experiences

Sri Lanka’s most preferred telco brand among youth, Airtel Lanka announced the successful completion of a superior 900MHz spectrum rollout aimed at drastically enhancing user experience across the Northern Province.

The deployment of the new spectrum will result in enhanced network experience and more importantly results in wider coverage catering to the geographically expanding population in the province. The network enhancement is set to pave the way for the anticipated launch of Airtel 4G services in that area.

“The deployment of the new spectrum is critical to our growth strategy. The spectrum allows better signal penetration enabling an enhanced indoor experience and frees up capacity on our higher frequency bands thereby enabling us to cater to the growing demand across a larger population spread across the region.” said Airtel Lanka Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Ashish Chandra said.

These developments are part of a bold strategy from Airtel Lanka that will see the company leapfrog ahead in order to drastically raise the bar on user experience.

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Airtel Lanka has achieved the best performance on Customer Service parameters as per the Quality of Service (QoS) Survey conducted by Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) for the first two quarters of 2020. This recognition comes during Sri Lanka’s initial lockdown period and as we all had to transition to a ‘Work from Home’ ecosystem. For Airtel, this also meant remote working for their ‘Call Centre’ associates, a set-up that was not tried before.

“We at Airtel want to ensure that a seamless service culture remains at our core which is lived, pursued and refined by everyone in the company. With benchmark world-class customer service, we aim to enrich the lives of our customers. Sustaining this goal and reaching new heights would not have been possible without a dedicated team who propelled this service standard beyond international benchmarks while adapting to the new normal,” stated Airtel CEO and Managing Director, Ashish Chandra.

According to the latest report by the TRCSL between the months of January to June 2020, Airtel Lanka exceled in Customer Service parameters. Similarly the telco is leading in the, ‘IVR Initial Response Time’, ‘Initial Human Operator Response Time after the IVR system refers the call for operator assistance’ and ‘Bill Correctness Complaints Resolution Time’ parameters.

The ‘Quality of Service Comparison Report for Mobile Telephony Services’ evaluates mobile operators on the quality of their network and customer service relative to the pre-set standards established by the TRCSL. These standards are set in accordance with the standards established by international bodies.

The report is circulated among Sri Lanka’s operators for their information and further development of the set parameters. The purpose of this report is to benchmark the QoS parameters commonly monitored by Mobile Operators on a quarterly basis.

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