There are a very few areas that have continued to blossom during COVID19’s hard-hit economy and internet service can be one of them. Over the period of 10 months pandemic period, Nepal’s leading telco NTC (Nepal Telecom) has added more than 63 thousand new subscribers over fiber. Similarly, the leading ISP WorldLink follows Ntc to add nearly a similar number (63 thousand) new subscribers, NTA’s latest MIS report reveals.
Nepal went into nationwide lockdown on Chaitra 11 last year. Since then People were forced to confine within their domestic walls and online became the only way to work or utilize their forced leisure.
Read this: Internet Usage Skyrockets After Lockdown
Education, business, and various service sectors took to online mediums to continue their assignments. As a result, internet service providers saw a monumental boom in their customers’ graph.
NTA’s Stats For Internet Subscribers
There is stiff competition among ISPs in Nepal to extend their internet base and they are particularly keen on expanding their fiber net service.
According to Nepal Telecom Authority’s stats, Nepal Telecom a government-owned company, and WorldLink, a private venture have been leading the race with the customer base.
Both the companies have added over 63 thousand new subscribers in the period of 10 months from Baisakh to Magh. The data reveals that Nepal Telecom has the slight upper hand in fiber net service against WorldLink in terms of the numbers of new customers added.
As per NTA, Nepal Telecom added 63,866 new fiber net customers from Baisakh to Magh. Meanwhile, WorldLink trails just behind with 63,320 within the same period.
Nepal Telecom took their tally to 90,876 till Magh and WorldLink boasted 4,49,528 till the same month after the surge in their fiber internet demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Fiber Net Providers | New customers | Total Customers Till Magh |
| NTC (Nepal Telecom) | 63,866 | 90,876 |
| Worldlink | 63,320 | 4,49,528 |
It must be noted that Nepal telecom started its FTTH service only in 2019 meanwhile WorldLink has been a leading fiber net service provider in the country for much longer. Nepal telecom is currently replacing its dated ADSL that runs on copper wires with Fiber to improve their overall service.
Check out: How to convert Ntc ADSL to FTTH?
How Have Other ISPs Fared?
There are over 3 dozens of ISPs operating in Nepal. While Nepal Telecom and WorldLink were the major beneficiaries of the pandemic, other ISPs have also performed well garnering new customers over the10 months period.
Subisu, another prominent ISP in Nepal added 32,451 subscribers between Baisakh to Magh.
Vianet has also seen its numbers rise during the pandemic. They found a respectable 26,417 new additions. Similarly, Websurfer was also able to increase its customers by 10,677.
| ISPs | Newly Added Customers in 2077 |
| Subisu | 32,451 |
| Vianet | 26,417 |
| Websurfer | 10,667 |
COVID-19 forced lockdown has been a silver lining for ISPs. As people stayed at home, they had to work, learn and enjoy time over the internet. As a result, ISPs in Nepal have found huge numbers of new subscribers each month since. Find the best ISPs in Nepal for your home internet solution.
But high internet usage can be a harbinger for issues related to online such as hate, body shaming, hacking, etc. It is important that government initiate digital literacy as well as online ethics programs to enable internet users to use with purpose and protect them from online abuses.
Check out: Toll Free Numbers of ISPs in Nepal
The ISPs have seen their graphs rise during the pandemic but are you satisfied with their services? Let us know in the comments section below.
