Etisalat Lanka, the arm of Etisalat Group in Sri Lanka, has walked away with the prestigious m-billionth award for their AppZone, the mobile application development platform, the one stop-shop of all consumers communications needs in Sri Lanka. The selection committee was headed by Dr. Amir Ullah Khan, Deputy Director, strategy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and membership of senior dignitaries from the various walks of the industry. This ceremony is organised every year in recognition of those who drive mobile latest technological innovations and latent potential within the mobile and telecommunication sector, providing cost effective solutions, content and applications to be delivered to the masses, as well as technology and platforms that assist application developers and content providers in reaching the said masses. Dumindra Ratnayaka, ‘Etisalat Lanka’ CEO, said, “We are honored to win this award as a true translation of our commitment to serve our customers better. AppZone was the first independent, 3rd party application development platform to be introduced in Sri Lanka by a Telco.”He added, “We promised to provide our customers with exceptional communications experience more than just a voice service but complete lifestyle solutions. Ratnayaka also elaborated on the increasing divergence of services and platforms in mobile telecommunications, “We also wanted to see the platform itself grow; as our role as Mobile Telecommunications Provider continues to expand, we have to consider the establishment and development of more value adding platforms such as the AppZone and develop the skills of those who will become the content providers on these platforms.This is why we are pleased with the way AppZone came out to help develop the skills of young technocrats in Sri Lanka by becoming a vehicle through which they have been able to get their first taste of the business, as developers and entrepreneurs. We also have to thankful to  hSenid our partner to develop this significant platform to realise our intention.” Ratnayak said. Chitranganie  Mubarak Senior Programme Heade-Society Programme ICT Agency of Sri Lanka  and  Jury Host said, “Etisalat Lanka is one of the most powerful players in Sri Lanka’s telecommunications industry today.  This award has been presented to them for their continuous commitment to develop and improve the way people communicate and to enrich the developer community with vibrant software. “Etisalat Lanka” is extending people Reach and bringing out more cutting edge solutions based on mobile network capabilities - to serve the community better.This Platform was introduced by “Etisalat Lanka”   in conjunction with hSenid Mobile. The platform allows innovative tech savvy individuals to use the platform to develop mobile phone applications by providing all the necessary tools. It also acts as an avenue through which these tech talented entrepreneurs can upload their applications for sale to the public, and “Etisalat Lanka” even offers them 70 per cent of the revenue earned through their Apps. This in turn has made AppZone double as a one-stop-shop in Sri Lanka for consumers to log onto and satisfy their mobile application needs. As one of the most powerful players in Sri Lanka’s telecommunications industry, ‘Etisalat Lanka’ continues to discover new horizons and explore new possibilities in the domain. “Etisalat Lanka” further offers Sri Lanka’s most cutting edge Internet solutions with the launch if it’s 3.75G technology. Offering a variety of Value Added Services, Sales Offerings, Affinity Packages and other service, they stand atop of the ladder in innovation, quality and customer service. Having passed an impressive 3.5 million subscribers in a record time since its launch, “Etisalat Lanka” remains dedicated to increasing its subscriber base and taking the company into greater heights. From / Gulf Today