Mobitel, a unit of fixed access carrier Sri Lanka Telecom will spend up to 30 million US dollars expanding in to former war zones in the north and the east of the country, a top official said.

Chief executive Suren Amarasekera said the firm would be spending about 5 million US dollars immediately to cover the ‘A-9’ highway, which gives access to Jaffna.

The firm expects to have the northern network running before the end of the year. The government wiped out the last remnants of Tamil Tiger separatists in May.

"The timeline depends of defence authority clearance," he said. "We will also provide high speed data access so that people can access the best technology."

Amarasekera said over the next "2-3 years" up to 30 million US dollars would be spent on the north and the east.