• Recognized for innovations in Brand Leadership and HR
• Crowned Sri Lanka Best Employer Brand by HRD Congress

Consolidating its reputation as one of Sri Lanka’s most dynamic telcos and the preferred brand for young Sri Lankans, Airtel Lanka announced another exceptional performance at the recently concluded CMO Asia Awards 2019, bringing home a total of three awards.

In addition to being presented with the coveted Sri Lanka Brand Leadership Award by World Marketing Congress, Airtel was also crowned Sri Lanka Best Employer Brand, by the World HRD Congress, while the company’s pioneering Field Sales Executive (FSE) Retention Programme won resounding praise as well as the award for Best Innovation in Retention Strategy.

“Customer engagement and satisfaction are our number one priority at Airtel Lanka, and neither of these goals are possible without effective marketing and an enthusiastic and motivated team to back it up. The success we are enjoying as the fastest growing telco in Sri Lanka is a direct result of the investments we have made in our people, as well as understanding and communicating with our customers. Given the exciting developments taking place at Airtel to provide even greater value to our customers, we are confident that more success is around the corner,” Bharti Airtel Lanka’s Chief Executive Officer and MD, Jinesh Hegde said.

The Sri Lanka Best Employer Brand Awards are an annual regional event organized in the lead-up to the World HRD Congress Global Employer Brands. Attracting participation from Sri Lanka’s most exemplary leaders in HR, award-winners do not present submissions for the awards, but instead are selected on merit following intensive evaluation of strategies deployed by organisations to recruit, retain and hone the best talent in the industry.

Similarly, the Sri Lanka Brand Leadership Awards are presented to those corporates that are able to achieve extraordinary impact and reach, leveraging on innovative brand marketing and communications strategies to drive positive social changes that are aligned with organisational values. The awards are evaluated by a Special Jury and supported by a research in partnership with World CSR Day and World Federation of Marketing Professionals.

Particularly over the recent past, Airtel’s connection with young Sri Lankans has been on the rise, supported by products that are uniquely suited to the needs of Millennials and Gen Z, as well as unique engagements like Airtel Fastest – a pioneering contest to seek out and showcase Sri Lanka’s greatest undiscovered fast bowling talent.

Airtel Lanka is also ranked among the Top 25 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka by the Great Places to Work Institute, and is committed to instilling a workplace culture that is: ‘Alive, Inclusive and Respectful’. This commitment is also extended Airtel Lanka’s prized Field Sales Executives, who have been pivotal to Airtel’s rapid growth in market share. Aiming to increase engagement with these vital teams, over the past two years, Airtel has invested heavily in training and professional qualifications in marketing in order to improve their effectiveness, while also establishing opportunities for career development; strategies which have drastically enhanced FSE retention over the two years that the programme has been active.

Having commenced Sri Lankan operations in 2009, Bharti Airtel is the island’s fastest operator to reach 1 million customers. A subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Limited, which is one of Asia’s leading integrated telecom services providers with over 100 million mobile customers, the brand has been featured in Forbes Asia’s Fab 50 list, rated amongst the best performing companies in the world.

CMO Asia is dedicated to high level knowledge exchange through leadership and networking amongst senior CMOs and brand decision makers across Industry segments. CMO Asia is organized and run by full-time professionals who are also committed to encouraging marketing professionals to share knowledge and experiences. Through this network, CMO Asia aims to generate high level thought leadership and peer networking amongst decision makers across industry segments in Asia.

Download English PDF  Download Sinhala PDF  Download Tamil PDF

• First Telco in Sri Lanka to partner with EFC to provide workplace training for people with disabilities

October 15, 2019:As a brand that resonates with empowering the youth of Sri Lanka, Airtel Lanka signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), to open up on-the-job training opportunities for people with disabilities.The initiative began as a pilot project when Airtel recruited a partially,visually impaired individualon a six months training period through EFC’s Employers’ Network on Disability.“The advancement of technology has empowered people with disabilitiesas individuals capable of contributing to society on a much greater scale by achieving their fullest potential. The diversity of thought and experience that such individuals bring to a workplace is invaluable”.“The onus is therefore on each of us as employers to understand the obstacles which people with disabilities face, and work to find solutions that will enable these individuals to enter the workforce, understand corporate and business dynamics, and be given the same chance as everyone else to deploy and develop their talents in a professional setting. Airtel Lanka is therefore proud and honoured to be the first telco to partner with the EFC on this vital initiative,” said JineshHegde, Airtel Lanka Chief Executive Officer.With the agreement finalised, Airtel will now commence a half-yearly training programme that will offer moreparticipants a chance to gain practical experience and insights into the different aspects of the Airtel business model and consumer lifecycle, while the company continues to maintain a holistic and comprehensive policy of inclusion and diversity in the workplace.“It is indeed a privilege to partner with Airtel Lanka, which is a leading internationally renowned telco within our membership. Their involvement in the Employers Network on Disability by systematically creating opportunities for on-the-job training for people with disabilities has to be lauded. Whilst many initiatives have been taken by employers in this country to offer such opportunities, there still exists much apprehension surrounding people with disabilities that often hinder their ability to enter the workforce and enhance their financial independence. That is why we consider the network’s partnership with Airtel as a shining example to other organisations to implement disability-inclusive strategies at their workplaces.” The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, Director General/ CEO, Kanishka Weerasinghesaid.The scope of training will include an in-depth focus on key aspects of the dynamic telco working environment, including exposure to sales and customer interaction. Airtel will also seek to actively recruit participants of the programme upon completion based on company requirements.Operating on the core values of ‘Alive, Inclusive and Respectful,’ this partnership is a reflection of how the organisation champions diversity and promotes equal opportunity for all.Ranked among the top 25 Best Workplaces and a Top 10 Best Workplace for Women by Great Places to Work in Sri Lanka,the mobile service provider recently was also crowned the Best Employer Brand by the World HRD Congress in recognition of Airtel’s efforts to recruit, retain and hone the best talent in the industry while promoting an enabling work environment and an enriching work experience.

Download English PDF  Download Sinhala PDF  Download Tamil PDF

– Enables upgrade of voice and data experience

November 13, 2019: Sri Lanka’s most preferred telco brand among youth, Bharti Airtel Lanka (“Airtel Lanka”), announced that it had secured the allocation of 5MHz of the 900MHz spectrum band from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).

The allocation was on an “administrative basis” and based on a pre-published criteria. The criteria mentioned, among other things, “in order to create a level playing field for all 4 Mobile Operators where every operator shall have equal amount of spectrum at all possible times in such economical bands. Therefore, during evaluation of applications the prominence will be given to minimize unequal distribution of radio frequency spectrum (if any) within the above band.” The criteria further mentioned that the “evaluation will be based on to guarantee interference free spectrum”.

“I would like to thank the TRCSL for taking an approach to create a level playing field, which ultimately benefits the end consumer. We have been awarded the spectrum through a transparent process and have already begun using the allocated frequency after paying the required fee to use this 5MHz of spectrum which had been determined on a formula that was applied to all other operators.” Airtel Lanka Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Jinesh Hegde said.

The said spectrum results in wider coverage providing Airtel users with enhanced voice and data experience. This is the first step in a bold strategy from Airtel which aims to leapfrog current benchmarks in order to provide an unbeatable user experience.

Download English PDF  Download Sinhala PDF  Download Tamil PDF

Recently Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to declare e-sports as a national sport, and with 32 million mobile subscriptions and counting, we have been on a fast track to a digitally inclusive society.

Apps are big businesses, and even locally, they have contributed to a surge in the local gaming industry, home-based businesses and overall entertainment. However, limited traditional payment options such as cash-on-delivery & pre-order bank deposits, have created hurdles for localization of the digital experience. Given these limitations, are we truly ready to embracethe rising tide of in-app purchases?

With the emergence of Airtel’s “Airpay” Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) service, it has been clear that most young Sri Lankans are not just open, but are also eager to start transacting online, they just need convenient platforms, easy access and assured reliability. This dynamic can readily be seen in the massive 10x growth that Airpay has recorded on transactions made within the Google Play Store by Sri Lankan youth, leveraging on Airtel Lanka’s increasingly popular DCB service over the past two years since its launch.

What is Airtel Airpay and Direct Carrier Billing (DCB)?

Launched in 2017, Airpay was the first very first Direct Carrier Billing (“DCB”) service to hit the Sri Lankan market. DCB is an online payment method which allows users to make purchases on Google Play Store by charging payments to their phone bill or by using their pre-paid balance.

To avoid accidental purchases, Airpay is bundled with an easy-to-use refund option which is visible immediately on the purchased app and lasts for two hours. Users can keep a full track of their Airpay purchases via the ‘Order History’ in their Google Play account menu.

How secure is Airpay?

Forget instilling multiple buffer zones between fraudand your checking account or your personal cash because AirtelAirpay offers several layers of security when conducting transactions. The most customary security detail is the user verifying their identity by providing their google account password prior to any purchase.Airtel Airpay is directly linked to the user’s phone credit and the DCB service does not call for you to store your card or any other personal information on your device. This means that throughout all your purchases, Airpay will not gather your data or share any data points with a third party. This also means that with Airpay, unlike a card swipe or even an e-wallet, there is no static datawhich can be skimmed at any future date.

Why is DCB more popular?

Youno longer have to own a credit card, debit card or even a bank account to shop on Google Play Store. This is great news for the average Sri Lankan online shopper and even so for younger usersas they can be wary of saving card details and personal information online over fears of identity theft, accidental purchases and the additional banking charges.

As more young Sri Lankans flock to online portals to meet their demand for everything from shopping to entertainment, cashless payments would likely take on special significance for young Sri Lankans who live outside of the Western Province, who typically do not have access to credit or debit cards until they leave school or start their first job.

So how do you use Airpay?

Customers can easily access Airpay on their android handsets by adding ‘Use Airtel Billing’ in the payment methods of their Google Play account menu. Once the selection process is complete, the user can simply click on ‘Buy’ on their favourite content, select ‘Bill my Airtel account’ and provide their Google account password to confirm the purchase.

Download English PDF  Download Sinhala PDF  Download Tamil PDF

Airtel Lanka received the ‘Runner Up’ award in the ‘Other Services/Other Sectors’ category and was the only mobile telecom operator to be recognised at the 16th National Business Excellence Awards (NBEA) 2019.

The telco has been on a winning streak with prestigious awards such as ‘The Top 25 Best Workplaces’ in Sri Lanka, the only telco among the ‘10 Best Workplaces for Women’ in Sri Lanka, awarded by the Institute of Great Place to Work. Simultaneously, Airtel was recognised at the CMO Awards as Sri Lanka’s ‘Best Brand’, ‘Best Employer Brand’ and ‘Best Innovation for Retention Strategy’ by the World HRD Congress. Airtel was also awarded as a ‘Company with Great Managers’ along with 3 individual Great Manager Awards presented by the Colombo Leadership Academy in partnership with People Business India. They also secured a Gold and Bronze awards in the Sales Executive/Supervisor in Telecommunication and Territory Manager in Telecommunication categories at SLIM NASCO organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing, all in the concluding year.

These recognition’s are a true result of Airtel’s continued investments in creating an enabling work environment and an enriching work experience for its employees, reflecting the success of the organisation as an employer of choice in the telecommunication industry providing exceptional employment experience whilst displaying business excellence.

The NBEA is one of Sri Lanka’s pioneering award competitions initiated by The National Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka in 2004 and has maintained a reputation of unparalleled corporate excellence, gaining much recognition as the symbol of excellence for the best of the best businesses in Sri Lanka.

 From Left: Lakmal Ranasinghe (Finance), Rumal Warnakulasuriya (Marketing), Kushani Ambawatte (Customer Experience), Surangi Rajapakse (CEO’s Office) , Kanishka Ranaweera (Head HR), Jinesh Hegde (CEO/MD), Sureni Dayaratne Wijesinghe (HR) , Shara Rajaguru (HR), Savini Pandikorala (Finance), Shafiya Careem (Marketing), Dumindu Thilakaratne (Network), Suhaib Bishrul (Sales), Ishan Malwattage (Sales)

Download English PDF  Download Sinhala PDF  Download Tamil PDF