Padmashree College
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Empowering the Journey of Digital Nepal through Connectivity and Data

Technology 01 Jan 2021 650 0

Empowering the Journey of Digital Nepal through Connectivity and Data:

- William Zhang

For the past 21 years, Huawei has been serving Nepal's ICT industry. As the world's leading provider of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei is committed to bringing digital to a fully connected, intelligent world for every individual, home, and organization. Sustainable and large investment in R&D is a key factor in Huawei's leading position in technology. Huawei connects more than three billion people in more than 170 countries, with Nepal being one of them.

Through joint efforts with telecom operators in Nepal, Huawei has brought 2G / 3G / 4G technology to Nepal and extended connectivity across the country from the Himalayas to the Terai. Along with phage technology, Nepal has seen a huge increase in internet usage with high quality and speed in recent years. This technology has made the country progressive not only for the communication sector but also for e-commerce, online education, digital finance, online video streaming, online social networking, and other online activities that benefit the overall socio-economic sector.

In addition to building connectivity, Huawei's ICT technology and ecosystem are helping organizations from the government to financial institutions, airlines, internet service providers, media, etc. It has helped accelerate the pace of digital transformation by making ICT technology more efficient, easier, and faster processing of internal competencies, and their services. . In the consumer business, Huawei is the most popular smartphone and smart device brand in Nepal's market. Huawei smartphones are widely used by people from all walks of life in Nepal which is making their lives more convenient.

Huawei has always valued our corporate social responsibility in Nepal. We have succeeded in developing more than ten thousand ICT talents in Nepal for the last 21 years. Many experienced talents at Huawei Nepal are now working in top telecom operators, government projects, and Nepal's IT sectors. Huawei Nepal has become an attractive institution for outstanding talent, and a gateway to the international technology sector for aspiring technologists.

The dedication of Huawei Nepal is reflected in the continuous work and efforts in natural disasters like the Great Earthquake of 2015, floods and storms in the Terai region in 2017 and 2019. In the wake of the 2015 earthquake, Huawei worked really fast to fix the telecom and helped in the operation of the communication system and rescue. We also helped telecom operators build a wireless base station site at Everest Base Camp, which helped to fully connect the communication blind spot to the outside world. Even during the Covid (19 epidemic), the team remained with telecom operators to ensure smooth operation of the network.

The sudden outbreak of Covid 19 in 2020 has had an irreversible and blinding effect on all of us and changed the world we live in forever. 4G / 5G mobile broadband network coverage, data centers, cloud platforms and other robust ICT infrastructure enable not only digital methods such as telemedicine and online virus contact tracking to fight the epidemic but also build a platform for the digital economy to improve the economy.

Internet data consumption in Nepal has increased day by day after the epidemic. Online activities have also increased during the day as more and more people are moving from home to work and study from home. However, especially in rural areas, the number of people using online platforms is limited due to poor internet broadband coverage. With the exception of major cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal, Chitwan, most of the remote parts of Nepal are still not covered by broadband connectivity which is affecting the daily life and economic activities of the people.

The government has also suggested digital education to schools, but students have been deprived of education for months due to lack of connectivity in rural areas. The Government of Nepal has also suggested, “Digital Nepal's vision is not only to provide internet services to major cities but also to make them accessible in rural areas.” Therefore, we must all work together to bring broadband connectivity to all people, especially epidemics Later, so that everyone can benefit from the digital world and digital applications such as ecommerce, online education, digital finance, online video streaming, and online social networking.

Increasing connectivity will significantly increase the use of data affecting the vast majority of the population. However, smooth and good performance of connectivity, flow of data and demand for IT resources will require ICT infrastructure and data centers. It helps to provide business opportunities and boost the digital economy market. Connectivity from the city center to rural areas changes the graph of data traffic. This will definitely affect the rapid growth of the data center concept. With the connectivity and growth of data flow, the needs of the data center will increase with other ICT setups. Building data centers in different parts of the country helps to connect securely and seamlessly.

We believe that with the increase in connectivity across the country, many governments and support offices will no longer have to rely on city centers. Increased connectivity allows them to build their offices across the country. With the growth of ICT infrastructure in both government and private institutions, data centers will have to be built. Similarly, as international bandwidth connectivity from Nepal's neighboring countries begins to increase, data flow from this region will also increase. Therefore, the need for a database center as well as other infrastructures will be a major requirement. It not only helps to build a good ICT platform but also has a positive impact on employment opportunities and contributes to the economy.

As a responsible corporate organization in Nepal, Huawei is committed to contributing to the Digital Foundation with high quality, wide coverage and affordable broadband connectivity, and advanced data centers with all telecom operators, ISPs, governments, and all ICT partners in Nepal.

The Government of Nepal has launched the Digital Nepal framework with various sectors such as energy, tourism, finance, agriculture, health, education, and urban development. In our view, the Digital Foundation, as a broadband connectivity and data center, is the most important foundation for making all these areas digitally possible. We take connectivity and the data center as the root of the tree, providing water and nutrition, and bringing fruitful results of digitization in various fields. More factors like friendly ICT policy, advanced technology, better local service, and ICT talent can enable to make the big tree of digital Nepal healthy. We are confident that through the joint efforts of all ICT stakeholders in Nepal, we will make all Nepalis benefit from the digital world to fulfill the dream of a prosperous Nepal and happy Nepalis.

Huawei Nepal is constantly working with its dream and mission of "Bring Digital to Nepal, a country where peace and love never ends". In Nepal, for Nepal! Finally, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope for a better and prosperous time ahead with new hope.

William Zhang is the Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Nepal

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