Nepal Telecommunications Authority was established 11 years ago on 20 Falgun, 2054 B.S. (04 March, 1998) with the aim of making the telecommunications service reliable and easily available to the public, making necessary arrangement to avail basic telecommunications service and facilities in all rural and urban areas throughout Nepal, protecting the rights and interests of consumers by ensuring the provision of quality service and making arrangement for the coordination and healthy competition among the persons providing Telecommunications Service and facilities. Tremendous achievements have been obtained in that period. Facilitation for the investment of private sector in Telecom sector has sprouted four service providers providing basic Telephony and Mobile Telephony service. Combined (basic plus mobile) Penetration Rate is still lurking at 19 with near about 5.3 million Telephone connections. Telephone service has reached 3469 out of 3915 Village Development Committees of Nepal. More operators are already in the pipeline to extend service in the rural areas. Likewise, 40 Internet Service Providers are providing internet (with E-mail) service. Fifty-nine districts have point of presence (PoP) facilitating dial up internet service using local dialing facility. Seventy-five districts are availing internet facility through CDMA technology and mobile service. Broadband Internet service is available in major cities through ADSL, Optical Fiber and Radio technology.

 

Even though above mentioned outcomes have been achieved, in the context of preparing the necessary environment for making the Telecom service reliable, affordable and to take the benefits of the rapid development, expansion and diversification of the Telecommunication Technology to urban and rural areas of the country and help in an overall economic and social development, our efforts and steps can not be taken as an enough initiative.

 

As the market itself is a regulator in a competitive market, the authority also feels that the market itself is a regulator in the development of Telecom sector as well and as such we are also intercepting much less in course of regulating this sector. However, in a country like Nepal, to extend service in rural areas, to bridge the digital divide that exists between rural and urban areas, to provide broadband as well as new services being developed in the telecom sector, to improve the quality of service, to make an environment conducive for easily affordable quality service and to make the slogan "mobile at each hand and internet to each home" a reality, the Authority has felt that more concrete steps has to be taken in the future.

 

We are at the crossroad of building a new Nepal. At the time when the framework for a developed peaceful Nepal through Federal Democratic republic is in the offing, the significance of various services of communication technology has increased significantly. In this context, Authority would like to pledge the following with Nepal Government and all Nepalese people in the days ahead.

 

1.      Continuous monitoring system will be implemented in coordination with the service providers to provide quality and affordable service to the Telecommunication subscribers.

2.      All Village Development Committees (VDCs) will have Telephone service within one year.

3.      All VDCs will have Internet service within the next five year.

4.      The development of necessary Telecom infrastructure to materialize the vision of the E-governance of the Government of Nepal will be initiated immediately and made available in all the VDCs of Nepal within the next five years.

5.      The scarce resources like Frequency which are necessary for providing Telecom service based on wireless technology will be distributed in a transparent and reliable manner.

6.      Alternative Information Superhighway will be established in the next five years utilizing the appropriate technology suitable for the country's terrain.

7.      All district headquarters will avail the Broadband facility through Optical Fiber in the next five years.

 

The authority is determined to achieve the above mentioned targets and expects in getting helping hand from all the related facets of the society.

 

Thank you
Chairman
NTA