Internet base slips to 7.59 million

The internet subscriber base in the country has slipped to 7.59 million in mid-December from 7.66 million a month earlier, according to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA).

The internet penetration rate has also dropped slightly to 28.63 per cent, it said, adding that Ncell has 3.58 million mobile internet (GPRS, Edge, WCDMA) users, up from 3.80 million in mid-November and UTL's EV-DO mobile internet base stood at 99,265, unchanged from a month earlier.
Likewise, Nepal Telecom's total internet base stood at 3.68 million, the same as in November. NT's dial-up base fell to 4,756 from 4,765 but its ADSL base was up at 121,279 versus 106,970 in November.

Nepal Telecom also served 3.54 million mobile internet subscribers, up from 3.43 million, and 136,573 EV-DO subscribers, the same as reported a month ago. The company further reported 6,049 customers for its new Wimax service, up from 5,382 a month earlier. Other ISPs served 97,691 internet customers through dial-up (10,197), wireless and fibre (63,040) and cable modem (24,454). Other ISPs connected 89,216 internet subscribers last month.

NTA to improve GPRS for smooth communication during disaster

Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) is preparing a National Emergency Telecom Plan to help save people from natural disasters.

The authority will send the draft plan to the Ministry of Information and Communications for endorsement, according to the regulatory authority of the telecom operators.
Satellite phones equipped with GPRS for sending and receiving is the most effective medium when most of the terrestrial telecom infrastructures are prone to damage during disasters. However, the authority is yet to estimate the cost and expertise required to develop the technology, said an expert engineer Shree Bhadra Wagle.
The information just two seconds earlier than disaster can reduce human casualties by 25 per cent, whereas the information received five seconds before the disaster can prevent 80 per cent of deaths, said deputy executive director of the National Society for Earthquake Technology Ramesh Guragain.
The society's study in 2009 revealed that nine out of 13 mobile towers are too fragile to withstand a strong tremor. The authority has to bring the regulation to manage the vulnerable towers and replacing the fragile ones.

chief of Disaster Management Section at the Ministry of Home Affairs Pradip Koirala, on the occasion, said that there is a lack of proper policy to work with private partners who have shown interest in bolstering disaster response mechanism. "There is a need to increase power backup at 83 identified open spaces by the ministry," he added.

Internet base grows to 7.66 million in November

The internet subscriber base stood at 7.66 million in mid-November, up from 7.40 million in mid-October, according to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA).

The internet penetration rate has been up to 28.92 per cent in mid-November versus 27.92 per cent a month earlier, it said, adding that Ncell witnessed its mobile internet base (GPRS, Edge,WCDMA) go up to 3.80 million from 3.65 million a month earlier, whereas UTL's EV-DO internet base was stable at 99,265 and Nepal Telecom's total internet base stood at 3.68 million. The Nepal Telecom's dial-up base slipped to 4,765 from 4,770 but its ADSL base was up at 106,970 from 103,462 in October. It also served 3.43 million mobile internet subscribers, up from 3.31 million, and 136,573 EV-DO subscribers, the same as reported a month ago.

Nepal Telecom further reported 5,382 customers for its new Wimax service, up from 4,451 a month earlier, the regulatory authority's monthly report stated, adding that other ISPs served 89,216 internet customers, down slightly from 89,219 reported in October.

Internet base increases to 7.2 million

The internet user base grew to 7.20 million in mid-September, up from 7.14 million in mid-August.

The internet penetration rate stood at 27.18 per cent, up from 26.93 per cent a month earlier, figures from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) show.

Ncell saw its mobile internet base – GPRS, Edge,WCDMA – slip to 3.53 million from 3.55 million a month earlier while UTL's EV-DO base grew to 98,151 from 97,104 in August.

Nepal Telecom's dial-up base go down to 4,794 from 4,804 but its ADSL base grew to 116,990 from 115,927 a month earlier.

The company also served 3.22 million mobile internet subscribers, up from 3.14 million, and 136,573 EV-DO subscribers, the same as the company reported in the previous month. Nepal Telecom also had 3,689 customers for its new Wimax service, up from 3,177 in August. Other ISPs served 89,219 internet customers, up from 88,568 a month earlier, the regulator added.

Likewise, the country has 847,008 fixed telephony users in mid-September, down from 847,062 in mid-August. The total includes 648,181 PSTN subscribers and 198,827 WLL telephony users.

Nepal Telecom led with 642,353 PSTN customers, down from 642,754 a month earlier, while STM Telecom Sanchar's base remained constant at 5,230 customers, it revealed. "Smart had 598 PSTN public phone centres."
However, the telephone penetration rate reached to 82.49 per cent as of mid September as some 21.85 million Nepalis have access to telecom services out of the total population of 26.4 million.

Nepal Telecom offers discounts

Nepal Telecom (NT) today announced discounts on phone calls made from land-line (PSTN), CDMA and mobile (GSM services) within the company´s network effective from November 15 for three months period.

The Nepse-listed telecom service provider said that calls made from PSTN/C-postpaid fixed phones will be charged Re 1 for every four minutes for calls between 10 pm to 8 am from Friday to Sunday. "Likesiwe, ISTD calls made from PSTN/C postpaid fixed phones/VSAT will be charged Re 1 per 90 seconds," it announced, adding that the call, however, has to be made in between 10 pm and 8 pm in weekdays (from Friday to Sunday).

The company will charge 75 paisa per minute for calls made through mobile or GSM and CDMA postpaid phones in between 6 am to 10 pm on Saturdays, the weekly holiday. "Calls made through GSM and CDMA prepaid phones during the same period on Saturdays will be charged at Re 1 per minute," it said. "Meanwhile, Nepal Telecom also announced that data (3G/GPRS) service will be available for customers using international roaming services while visiting Nepal from November 15."