CAN Asks for Dialogue to Avert Internet Outage

CAN Federation has called for multilateral dialogue to avert the possible internet outage in Nepal. Releasing a notice, it called for all the responsible parties to act responsibly to derive a solution from a lingering issue that could potentially see an internet outage across the country.

Recently, ISPAN warned that Nepal could face a possible internet shutdown next week. The association said that it has not been able to pay Indian upstream providers for 6 months. Besides, there is no immediate likelihood that it could make the payment soon. The association accused the government of obstructing the private Internet Service Providers to pay for their bandwidth vendors in India.

ISPAN alleged that the government was intentionally disallowing foreign exchange recommendations to pay for Indian bandwidth providers. Keep in mind that Nepal buys internet bandwidth from Indian companies aka upstream providers such as Tata, and Airtel.

Likewise, it also announced not to engage in anything that relates to the National ICT Day this Baisakh 19.

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CAN Federation Expresses Concern Over possible Internet Shut Down

CAN Federation has now expressed its concern over the lingering issue. As the conflict between MoCIT, and ISPAN heats up, it has called on the responsible parties for dialogue with a notice on Sunday, May 1^st.  

In its notice, the federation says its attention has been drawn to the views expressed by responsible bodies regarding the flow of the internet.

It highlights the possible internet shut down in Nepal over payment delays for bandwidth. It also points out the misunderstanding between various bodies on payment based on recommendations for forex and the Auditor General’s annual report for payment clearance.

Later, it expresses concern that internet service could halt in Nepal if concerned bodies fail to make payment.

In solution, it says, “We urge all the concerned bodies to come to dialogue and act responsibly.”  

Check out: Causes of Network Outage and what you should do?

It is possible that we could bear with an internet outage but do you think CAN Federation should up its effort or stakeholders be more responsible? Do share your opinions in the comments below.