NTA to finalize broadband policy

Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) is known to finalize the broadband policy within some period. As per the Himalayan News Service, the Telecommunication regulator will come up with the policy within a week.

We all know the Policy has a key role in the development of the ICT sector of the country. The news reports quoting NTA Director Mr. Anand Raj Khanal as they are doing their best to formulate the broadband policy as inclusive and comprehensive as possible.

After the finalization of the policy draft, they will forward it to the Ministry of Information and Communication which has the authority to endorse it.

Although major points of the policy are not known, we can expect it to include the minimum speeds to qualify for broadband (in download and upload).

The policy will definitely try to cover the quality of service of the internet to the people. The ISPs now provide the broadband service on a shared basis which largely decreases the speed of the service. The higher the number of users to share a minimum speed, the lower will be the speed during the busy hours. Then there are some dedicated internet services that shall also be regulated with the policy.

A working committee was formed in December 2008 to recommend the policy draft to the regulator. Some of the recommendations are known to be incorporated into this policy.

It is also known that the minimum speed of 256 kbps downloads and 64 Kbps upload will be considered as a broadband service in Nepal. One of the major internet services in Nepal, the ADSL offers 128 Kbps and 256 kbps internet to the general people while there is a 512 kbps internet service for corporates or organizations. While some of the cable and wired internet connection from Private ISPs do provide speed in Mbps but are still limited to some areas.

Tell us what do you expect with the upcoming broadband policy of Nepal.

Source: Telegeography