Kathmandu: Nepal Telecom (NT) has started the installation of optical fiber in 20 districts of Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces as well as Banke and Bardiya of Province 5, aiming to improve Internet services in the region.
The spokesperson for the NT, Ms. Pratibha Vaidya, said that the public utility has already initiated a detailed study of the project. With the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA), state-owned telecommunication service providers have paved the way for the project to move forward.
Earlier in September 2017, the NTA had signed an agreement with Smart Telecom, a GSM operator to implement the project. However, the telecom sector regulator pointed to the slow progress of work, dismissing the contract in October.
According to the NTA, Smart Telecom had reached an agreement to install around 2,500-kilometer optical fiber cables in different parts of the two provinces. However, the company can hold cables in only 20 kilometers in two years.
The NTA, through the Rural Telecommunications Development Fund, is investing in placing optical fiber cables in all seven provinces. Nepal Telecom has received an agreement to install optical fiber cable across Provinces 1, 2 and 3, but it has just started a project of different procedural hurdles. Similarly, United Telecom Ltd (UTL) is allowed to set up cables in Gandaki Province and Province 5.
Vaidya said the NT has accelerated project works in Provinces 1, 2, and 3. She added-“We will soon call for tender after completing detailed study in Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces.” Through the study, the NT will estimate the actual cost of the project.
With the signing of the new agreement, the NT has assumed the responsibility of connecting the optical fiber cables to the two provinces of East-West Highway, Mid-Hill Highway, and Post-Highway. The project area is in two provinces from Musikkot of Rukum to Jhulaghat of Baitadi district and Banke and Bardiya of province 5.
According to Vaidya, NT will lay at least 96 Core optical fiber cables along the three highways and 48 Core cables along routes connecting the highway with district headquarters of 20 districts. Similarly, various municipalities in these districts plans to install 24 Core cables on highway connecting routes.
The NT will also be upgrading its routers with the ports capacity of 100 Gigabits per second, with an extension capacity of 400 Gigabits per second. The public enterprise will be installing Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), a device to increase bandwidth, at 26 locations and routers at 52 locations of the optical network.
NT will also upgrade the router with a port capacity of 100 gigabits per second, with an extension capacity of 400 Gigabits per second.
The Public Enterprises will set up the Dense Wavelength Division Multiplex ((DWDM)) to increase bandwidth at 26 locations and the routers at 52 locations of the optical network.
Source: My Republica
