Under the project launched by the Telecommunication Authority of Nepal (NTA) with the aim of providing high-speed broadband internet, 663 local level internet connections have been made by mid-July.
NEA has been operating the project in 18 packages to provide the service with the financial support of the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund. By mid-July, 94.44 percent of the places have high-speed internet connections.
Out of the 18 packages, 15 packages have 100 percent internet connectivity in designated places in 60 districts and two packages have 10 percent internet connectivity in 10 districts. Similarly, NEA spokesperson Santosh Poudel informed that service providers have been selected for the expansion of the network in the specified places of the four districts.
According to him, out of 15,982 places in 18 packages, 14,218 places have been connected to the internet so far and 1,764 places are yet to be connected. Out of 702 local bodies, the internet has been connected in 663 places by mid-July and 39 local levels are being connected.
Similarly, out of 5,933 ward offices, 5,264 places, 4,640 out of 5,225 secondary schools and 3,651 out of 4,122 health institutions have been connected to the internet so far.
Of the completed projects, six projects have been monitored and verified so far, two projects are being monitored and certified under the first phase by a consultant appointed by the authority and two projects are being monitored and certified under the second phase.
Out of the total amount of Rs 5.26 billion, Rs 3.38 billion has been paid to the service providers for the broadband project so far, said NEA spokesperson Poudel.
According to him, the project aims to provide free internet service to municipalities, rural municipalities, ward offices, educational institutions, and health institutions across the country. The Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts of the valley are not included in the project.
