Dialog News Services
Description
Till year 2006/07, Sri Lankans were confined to Traditional News Delivery Medium – TV, Radio and Press to get their news requirements. These had inherent issues of not having accessibility at all times (TV, Radio) and in the speed of news delivery (Press). There was a serious “gap” in the market for Near-Real-Time news updates – that can be accessed wherever a person is. We realized that Dialog having over 5 Million Sri Lankans with a Dialog Mobile connection in their hands steers the way in fulfilling this gap effectively. Thus, “Dialog News Services” started with the intention of providing Fast, Accurate and Unbiased news to the Customer, realizing that such information would be of most value if it could be channeled direct to their Mobile phones. Having started with SMS Breaking News, today we have a comprehensive range of services extending into Video News Alerts (3G/GPRS), News over IVR (Breaking News, daily Newspaper headline stories), Breaking News clips on wap, and the ability to watch Local and International news channels by Streaming. We offered these services in a language of choice (English / Sinhala / Tamil) as well as in numerous Genres (Local / International / Sports / Financial).
What we deliver?
•October 29, 2008: LTTE terrorists dropped bombs on the main power station in Colombo, triggering panic in the night and an island-wide blackout. There was NO TV, NO Radio or any other way for Sri Lankans to get to know what was happening, as a result of the power cut. All they saw was streaks of fire criss-crossing the sky and the sound of gunfire echoing from all sides, amidst total darkness. When the whole of Sri Lanka was in total panic, our Breaking News Services were the ONLY Source! Web Links to the Example: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/srilanka/LTTE-aircraft-drops-bombs-in-Colombo/Article1-347738.aspx http://lankalibrary.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4497 • The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake devastated Sri Lanka, with more than 40,000 dead and staggering 2.5 million people displaced. Though years have passed, people still remember that day like yesterday. The fear of a similar situation happening still haunts in the minds of many a Sri Lankan. What our SMS News Alerts did was giving a “promise” to the Citizens of the country that we will inform them of any Tsunami warning or major earthquake as and when the information is released, and thus reduce any agonizing thought that one might have of such disaster. Web Links to the Example: http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=7794 http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=7495 http://www.adaderana.lk/news_comment_post.php?blogmode=7794 • Michael Jackson’s death – at 5.30am in the morning (SL Time), when the whole country was asleep/waking up, Dialog SMS News Services were the first to inform Michael Jackson’s death. Many confessed tearing while reading our SMS News Alert. • May 19th 2009: An Unforgettable day for Sri Lankans, with the LTTE leader Prabakaran’s body discovered lying on the Nanthikkadal bank. There were many rumors that spread about his death, even more than 10 days before it really occurred. Come May 19th, People knew it better…the entire country was waiting for our News Services to confirm Prabakaran’s death. And just before the afternoon that day, we were able to confirm Prabakaran’s death with highly reliable sources confirming.
Why is the project unique?
Year 2006/07, Sri Lanka – A snapshot: Over 2 decades of brutal terrorism; 1/3rd of land area fallen into the hands of terrorists; Bombs exploding in the Country’s Capital; Thousands of lives lost; People concerned about their loved ones / their selves; Political instability; Economic Development amidst War; Corruption; Sri Lankan Sports (specially Cricket) thriving amidst controversy. The need for news, which reported things as and when they occurred, and accessible wherever one was, and offered at a price one can afford was felt like never before! Sources of News: Sri Lankans mainly replied on TV, Radio and Press. These had accessibility (TV, Radio) and timeliness issues (Press). The opportunity was there to create a Blue Ocean; which we did by giving “NEWS ON THE MOVE”: I.E., by informing Customers of the latest happenings, as and when they occur, WEREVER THEY ARE – because the news was sent directly to their mobile phones by way of SMS. Further, this satisfied the: – Need to know “both sides of the story” through different content providers – Need to receive information in a language of choice – Need to stay informed of a SUMMARY IMPORTANT FACTS
Contact
Dialog Telekom
Hasrath Munasinghe
28, Premier Pacific Pinnacle, R. A. De Mel Mawatha,
Colombo 04, Sri Lanka
URL/Website – www.dialog.com
