| dbo:abstract
|
- Although in 2011 only about 9.0% percent of Nepal's population used the Internet, use of the Internet in Nepal is growing rapidly. As of July 2021, 90.56% of the population has access to the Internet according to Nepal Telecommunications Authority(NTA). Internet penetration stands at 90.56 percent of the population and that of fixed broadband internet service providers stands at 25 percent of the population, a significant increase from 2018, when total internet penetration was 56 percent of the population and fixed broadband users stood at 12 percent of the population, according to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority. The competition between major telecom operators encouraged them to provide cellular coverage to different parts of the country. The cellular/ mobile coverage is one of the main driver of this internet connectivity and usage. As per the TKP data, around 95.62 percent of people live within the coverage area of the mobile tower. Other drivers for increment in internet users include the inexpensive internet-enabled cellular phone and availability of cheap broadband internet. This is the result of a competitive Internet service provider (ISP) market. As of April 2020, more than 39 ISPs offer Internet access to businesses and regular consumers, Although few ISPs like Broadlink, Worldlink, Subisu, Websurfer and Mercantile, dominate the market with a combined share of more than 70 percent. Around 2010-2015, Cyber cafés were important sources of Internet access for Nepalis; the country was believed to have the highest concentration of cybercafés in the world. Much of Nepal's Internet access is concentrated in the more-developed Kathmandu Valley region, as the mountainous terrain and low income in remote regions of the country make access more difficult. However, projects to bring Internet access to rural populations like the Nepal Wireless Networking Project has already wirelessly connected seven remote mountain villages to the Internet, with plans to network twenty-one villages in all. With recent availability of the Chaudhary Group owned cheap ISP, CG Net in 2021, broadband prices are expected to come down as a result of cheap Internet service provided by CG Net. (en)
|
