(Telecompaper) Sri Lanka Telecom has been licensed to operate a national backbone network. Other operators will be given access to this national backbone network (NBN), the Lanka Business Online reports. "Our comprehensive fibre rollout provides the basis for the NBN to provide coverage, capacity and capability that allows for the increased demand," Sri Lanka Telecom CEO Lalith De Silva said. The company said its fibre network covers most of the country and revealed plans to cover all 329 divisional secretariats and 24 districts in the country with high speed broadband connectivity over the NBN within the next five years.