Sri Lanka is set to establish a dedicated research centre focused on 6G and next-generation wireless technologies by the third quarter of 2026, with discussions currently in their final stages.
Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne confirmed the development in an interview with The Sunday Morning Business, disclosing that the initiative would be pursued in partnership with international stakeholders and private sector participants, though specific partners were not named.
“We expect to establish this research centre within the third quarter of 2026,” Weeraratne said, indicating that talks had progressed significantly.
Despite the research centre timeline, the Deputy Minister was measured about when Sri Lankans could expect 6G on their phones. He noted that 5G infrastructure in the country still needs time to mature, and that telcos would need to recover existing investments before any transition to the next generation becomes viable.
The push into 6G research comes as global development of the standard accelerates. Dr. (Eng) Samiru Gayan, writing in the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka’s official e-newsletter, described 6G as going well beyond faster speeds, designed to integrate communication, computing, and sensing into a single unified platform, creating what he termed a smart, immersive, and sustainable network built for a deeply interconnected digital society.
Establishing a research hub ahead of full standardisation, the ITU and 3GPP are still in early 6G specification work globally, could position Sri Lanka to contribute to how next-generation networks take shape, rather than simply adopting finished standards later. Sustained funding and industry buy-in will determine whether that ambition holds.