State-controlled Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) is set to become the third operator in the country to launch a CDMA network. In October, SLT, which has a virtual monopoly in the fixed line sector, awarded ZTE Corporation a $150,000 contract to roll out its CDMA network. SLT plans to provide 150,000 connections in the first year, and then increase it to 450,000 within the next three years. The introduction of CDMA will help shorten SLT's waiting list for telephones, which currently stands at about 300,000 applicants.