Telecommunication Authority spends Rs 4.5 billion on substandard internet in public places

Telecommunication Authority spends Rs 4.5 billion on substandard internet in public places

It has been found that the internet expanded by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority in various public places and institutions is not working and the quality is poor.

A government report has pointed out that billions of rupees have been spent by the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund to provide free internet access to hundreds of public places in the country.

NEA has entered into agreements with various internet service providers to provide free broadband internet service for two years under the broadband network project. As per the agreement, they are expanding the internet in villages, municipalities, community schools and health institutions.

The NEA has prepared a report that the internet has reached some places without monitoring as the required quality has not been achieved due to the agreement to provide low capacity internet at the beginning of the project.

According to the Auditor General’s 58th Annual Report, about 10,000 sites he has visited so far are not in good condition and the amount he has spent is unavailable.

The accountant general has mentioned that there is nothing available by spending billions of rupees without evaluating the cost and benefits of the project even before it is started.

“Before the construction of the project started, the project operated at a cost of Rs.

NEA is working to provide internet to 16 thousand 601 sites through 18 packages. Of them, 9,833 or 59.23 percent have internet connection so far. However, according to the data made public by NEA in July, out of the total 15,982 sites, 91.87 percent have reached the internet. Financial progress is 59.71 percent.

NEA has provided 512 kbps capacity broadband internet service to these institutions. If the internet of this capacity is not working, it is said that the internet has reached some schools and health posts by hanging wires.

The annual report of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology also states that there is a problem in the sustainability of the project due to insufficient internet capacity. Ignoring the report of the Ministry of Taluk, NEA is emphasizing on the expansion of low quality internet.

According to the report of the ministry, the NEA has the responsibility to increase the capacity of the service recipients by adding a small amount and provide connectivity to the concerned sector and the concerned body should prepare a plan for its long-term consumption.

In the white paper issued by NEA in May 2076, it is mentioned that the current bandwidth capacity of the internet is 512 kbps and the minimum capacity should be 5 Mbps instead.

The Auditor General has also instructed NEA to conduct the program in such a way that the demand, use and effectiveness of internet service is assessed and the service of internet service is maintained.

The accountant general noted that the project was supposed to be completed within a year, but it took a long time. As the contract period is one year and the physical and financial progress is low, the project is not expected to be completed within the stipulated period and NEA should show readiness to complete the project on time, the AG pointed out.

NEA had signed an agreement worth Rs 5.26 billion to provide free internet to more than 16,600 sites under 18 packages. Out of that, Rs 2.38 billion or 45.29 percent has been spent.

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Rabins Sharma Lamichhane

Rabins Sharma Lamichhane is senior ICT professional who talks about #it, #cloud, #servers, #software, and #innovation. Rabins is also the first initiator of Digital Nepal. Facebook: rabinsxp Instagram: rabinsxp

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