Internet connection in 75 percent of the area

Under the project launched by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority with the aim of providing high-speed broadband internet across the country, 75 percent of the area has been connected by mid-February.

NEA has implemented the project of providing broadband internet service in 18 packages using the funds of the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund. According to NEA, high-speed internet connection has been completed in 74.89 percent of places by mid-February.

NEA spokesperson Min Prasad Aryal informed that the connection has been completed in 50 districts under the 13 packages. According to him, out of 15 thousand 982 places of 18 packages, internet connection has been completed in 11 thousand 969 places so far. Similarly, according to NEA, 4,769 places are yet to be connected to the internet.

According to NEA, 550 out of 702 local bodies have an internet connection and 152 local level connections are underway. Similarly, out of five thousand 933 ward offices, four thousand 474, out of five thousand 225 secondary schools, three thousand 792, and out of four thousand 122 health institutions, three thousand 153 places have been connected to the internet so far.

According to NEA, more than 50 percent of the work has been completed in 10 districts under the two packages. Spokesperson Aryal informed that service providers are being selected for the network and connectivity in the districts as specified in the 14 districts under the three packages.

According to him, out of the completed projects, monitoring and verification of five projects have been completed so far and monitoring and verification of the first phase are being carried out by the consultants appointed by the authority of the two projects. Similarly, monitoring and verification work is being done under the second phase of four projects and monitoring work of one project is being done.

Out of the total amount of Rs 5.26 billion, Rs 2.98 billion has been paid to the service provider for the broadband project so far, said spokesperson Aryal. According to him, the project aims to provide free broadband internet service to municipalities, villages, ward offices, educational institutions, and health institutions across the country.

NEA has not included the three districts of Kathmandu Valley, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur in the Broadband Internet Expansion Project under the Rural Telecommunication Fund.