Dialog Axiata launches 5G-powered water-surface cleaning robot

Details: John Tanner; Category: Enterprise Ecosystems; 14 November 2025; 37684 views

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata says it has partnered with the Ministry of Environment’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to launch a 5G-enabled autonomous water-surface cleaning robot.

Designed to collect floating waste and monitor environmental conditions in real time, the robot – unveiled on Wednesday – combines 5G connectivity, AI and robotics to navigate lakes, rivers, and canals to collect floating debris such as plastic bottles, bags and leaves.

According to Dialog, its 5G network enables the robot to use real-time HD video streaming, and allows operators to guide it remotely via from anywhere in the country. The robot – which is powered by a carbon-neutral electric system – also uses AI for garbage detection, obstacle avoidance, and centimetre-level positioning.

Dialog said the robot can clean 50–100 acres of surface water per mission and collect up to 50 kg of waste per run, preventing plastics from entering the ocean.

“This is a powerful example of how 5G can serve a purpose far greater than connectivity,” said Dialog Axiata group CEO Supun Weerasinghe in a statement.

“Initiatives such as this reflect the importance of cross-sector collaboration in achieving our environmental objectives,” added environmemt minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi.

Technically 5G is still in the trial stage in Sri Lanka. Dialog has been trialling 5G since 2018, as it and rival SLT-Mobitel (which is also offering 5G on a trial basis) wait for the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) to allocate 5G spectrum, which it has been promising to do since at least 2021.

The TRCSL finally kicked off the 5G spectrum auction process in October. The final list of approved bidders is slated to be released November 24. The auction will take place on December 3 and officially close on December 15.