Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- SLT Mobitel has aggressively built up its dollar reserves and retired expensive foreign debts ahead of schedule to self-fund its network expansion while shielding the telecom operator from future currency fluctuations.

Speaking at a media briefing held in Colombo this week to announce the group's financial results for the first half of 2026, SLT Group Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mothilal De Silva outlined the company's strategic shift to clean up its balance sheet.

He noted that the telco is proactively managing its currency mismatch, as the company primarily earns in local currency but incurs heavy capital expenditure in foreign exchange for imported tech infrastructure.

"We built up dollar reserves at the same...