PM KP Oli inaugurates Mid-Hill highway Optical fiber information highway

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has inaugurated the works for the optical fiber project in the Mid-hill highway on May 20, 2019 (Jestha 6, 2076). PM Oli makes the start of the optical fiber works by shoveling the soil at an event in Galchi, Dhading. NTA and Nepal Telecom jointly organized the event.

Although there are three separate projects for this Mid hill optical fiber information highway, the inauguration is for the project in Province 1, 2 and 3. NTA has awarded this Mid Hill optical fiber project to Nepal Telecom (NTC) for which they have already done contract with 5 separate tenders.

Similarly, there were events held in Hile, Dhankuta District of Province No. 1 and Khurkot, Sidhuli district Provine No. 3, for the optical fiber work start.

The Mid hill optical fiber project is fully funded by Nepal Telecommunication Authority, NTA which comes as a part of the RTDF (Rural Telecommunication Development fund) project. Nepal Telecom and NTA signed the Mid hill highway optical fiber project deal on 2073 Ashoj 12. Due to the slow or no progress in the project, Government once tried to scrap all of the projects and start from scratch. But if they had scrapped the project, it would have taken more time for the start of the project works.

Information for the Nepal Telecom Mid-hill highway optical fiber project

Nepal Telecom’s Mid Hill optical fiber project runs from Pachthar district’s Chiyo Bhanjyang to Gorkha/Dhading border Arughat. The fiber along the Mid hill highway has a length of 804 km whereas the spur link’s length is 1572 km towards north & south. The spur link will connect the district headquarter, Village bodies, Municipalities to the information highway.

The main link along the highway will have 96 core optical fiber. Whereas the spur link to district headquarters will have 48 core fiber. Similarly, the spur link to local village bodies/municipalities will have 24 core fiber.

As per Nepal Telecom’s MD Mr. Dilli Ram Adhikari, the project will be completed within 2 years time.

The speed of the Mid hill highway optical fiber will be 100 Gbps.

ALSO READ: What is Information highway and why Nepal needs it?

Services with the information highway

Minister for MoCIT Mr. Gokul Baskota has expressed his firm belief that the high-speed information highway will be instrumental in providing:

• Advanced telecommunication services
• Tele-medicine services
• Distance learning
• E-commerce
• E-Agriculture
• E-tourism
• E-banking

Meanwhile, several people’s representative from Dhading constituencies, senior officials of Nepal Telecom, NTA were present in the event.

Details of Nepal Telecom Mid Hill information highway

Here is the major information of the Nepal Telecom mid hill information highway.

• Optical fiber length total: 2376 (including main and spur link)
• Pachthar’s Chiyo bhanjyang to Gorkha’s Arughat
• Cover 32 districts in Province 1, 2 and 3
• Cost: Rs 4 billion, 880 million.

The tenders that Nepal Telecom has inked for the completion of optical fiber laying and equipment installation are:

• Province 1, 596 km of optical fiber awarded to LS cables
• Province 2. 1028 km of optical fiber awarded to JV  of Arogya Construction Nepal, China Railway and China Fuel.
• Province 3. 555 km of optical fiber awarded to CCSI (China communication services international), Hong Kong
• DWDM equipment: CCSi, Hong Kong
• Router Equipment: CTS communication, Singapore

Get the details of Information highway in Nepal and existing/new projects.

Government has believed that the Mid-hill optical fiber information highway will be a milestone to help them achieve the Digital Nepal concept. The information highway will bring people, businesses and corporates near to each other for better productivity, efficient business and more.