Dialog Axiata to Acquire H One, Sri Lanka’s Leading Microsoft Solutions Provider

Dialog Axiata PLC (“Dialog”), Sri Lanka’s premier converged connectivity provider, announced on 23 December 2020 that it had entered into an agreement to acquire 100% shareholding in H One (Private) Limited, through Dialog Broadband Network (Private) Limited (“DBN”), a fully owned subsidiary of Dialog. H One founded in 2008 as a subsidiary of Hirdaramani Group, is the largest reseller of Microsoft (MSFT) enterprise solutions in Sri Lanka with an Annual Turnover of circa LKR 1.6 Billion. The transaction is expected to be completed before end of January 2021, at a Purchase Consideration of between LKR 300 Mn to LKR 350 Mn on a cash free debt free basis.

“The acquisition of H One by Dialog would supplement Dialog’s expansive suite of enterprise solutions and would facilitate acceleration of the digital transformation of Sri Lanka’s Enterprise Sector. The combine of Dialog’s expertise in advanced digital technologies and the leading edge capabilities of H-One will create a Centre of Excellence for the scaling of Microsoft Platforms and Enterprise Solutions” stated Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC.

“H One is the leading Microsoft services provider in Sri Lanka delivering innovative solutions to many top corporates in the country. We are confident that Dialog will continue to drive the consistent growth and innovation that has been a huge part of the company’s success to date. Hirdaramani Group will support H One’s progress, as one of the largest users of Microsoft technologies in Sri Lanka, while focusing on our own digital transformation journey in the years to come” said Ranil Pathirana, Managing Director, Hirdaramani Group.

“It has been an exciting journey so far at H One. We’ve become the largest Enterprise player in Sri Lanka for Microsoft Solutions and have partnered with many wonderful customers over the years. I am grateful to the Hirdaramani Board for the vision, trust and support in scaling this business to where it is today. The Team and I look forward to joining the Dialog family, where we hope to rapidly scale the business in the region whilst maintaining the close-knit customer-centricity and DNA that has made us an award-winning team.” said Samath Fernando, CEO, H One.

About H One Private Limited

H One was founded in 2008, as a trusted digital solutions and strategies provider of the Hirdaramani Group. With the passion for transformation at their heart, H One delivers innovative digital transformation solutions for businesses in the region and their clientele ranges from medium scale businesses to large conglomerates. The company has earned a reputation for empowering clients across industries with the most innovative technology solutions. A premier cloud deployment partner and regional consultant to Microsoft Services, H One specializes in complex migrations and the adoption of global best practices. H One’s award winning engineers also focus on IT strategy, end to end infrastructure solutions, ERP deployment and Enterprise Grade support services. H One has also maintained a consistent track record as Microsoft’s No.1 Partner in Sri Lanka, earning recognition for excellence in performance and service over the years.

About the Dialog Axiata Group

The Dialog Axiata Group, a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata), operates Sri Lanka’s Leading Quad-Play Connectivity Provider. Dialog Axiata PLC, listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, supplements its market leading position in the Mobile Telecommunications sector with a robust footprint and market presence in Sri Lanka’s Fixed Telecommunications and Digital Television markets through its fully owned subsidiaries Dialog Broadband Networks (Private) Ltd (DBN) and Dialog Television (Private) Ltd., (DTV). Dialog Axiata Group is Sri Lanka's largest Foreign Direct Investor (FDI) with investments totaling USD 2.7 Billion.

The winner of six Global Mobile Awards, Dialog has the distinction of being voted by Sri Lankan Consumers as the Telecom Service Provider of the Year and Internet Service Provider of the Year for the eighth and seventh consecutive years respectively at the SLIM-Nielsen Peoples Awards. The Company has topped Sri Lanka’s Corporate Accountability Rankings for the past eight cycles in succession. The Company was awarded Sri Lanka’s ‘Most Valuable Consumer Brand 2019’ and ‘Top Telecommunications Brand’ in the Brand Finance league table and also won the ‘Industrial IoT Initiative of the Year’ award at the Global Telecoms Awards 2019. Dialog is an ISO 9001 certified company and has received numerous local and international awards, including the National Quality Award, the Sri Lanka Business Excellence Award and endorses the worldwide Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to build a sustainable future for all by 2030.

Dialog has been at the forefront of innovation and digitisation in the mobile industry in Sri Lanka since the late 90’s, propelling the nation’s mobile telephony infrastructure to a level of advancement on par with the developed world. The company delivers advanced mobile telephony and high speed mobile broadband services to a subscriber base of ~ 15 Million Sri Lankans, via 2.5G and 3G/3.5G and 4G/4.5G networks, and in December 2018, Dialog showcased the first 5G pilot transmission in South Asia.