Net surfers to get high speed internet at affordable rate soon

Net users troubled by slow internet connectivity that sometimes consumes lot of their time just to open a homepage and taxes them dearly in phone bills are in for a treat as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been granted the permission to operate high-speed dial-up internet access service or ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) by the Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA).

This became possible after Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA) gave Nepal Telecom (NT) including private sector ISPs to sell the service that allows their internet subscribers to enjoy high speed internet service without interrupting their phone lines. The customers have to install a separate device in their phones for the service.

At a press conference Sunday, NTA spokesperson Kailash Prasad Neupane said that the telecom authority took the decision to also allow the private sector internet providers to sell the service with a view to increase market competitiveness.

It may be recalled that after NT insisted on having a monopoly on distributing the new service to and said that it won't allow private internet providers to sell it, the ISPs had moved the appellate court, NTA and the Supreme Court calling it a foul play.

Following the decision of the telecom authority to allow both NT and private sector internet providers to sell the service, the state-owned NT officials said they are preparing to start the high-speed internet service within two weeks time.

Sugat Ratna Kansakar, managing director of NT, said that they are ready to begin the service within one or two weeks in the Kathmandu valley and in a couple of months outside the capital. He also assured that through the service the customers would enjoy cheaper and better internet browsing.

The telecom authority has also fixed the monthly tariff rates for the proposed ADSL service. As per which, the monthly charge for unlimited dial up internet service rated at 128 kbps has been fixed at Rs 900. Similarly, for unlimited dial up internet service rated at 256 kbps the customers have to pay Rs 1500 a month, for 512 kbps the customers have to pay Rs 2,700 a month, for 1 mbps it is Rs 5,000 and for 2mbps it is Rs 9,000.

Private sector internet service providers say that with NTA's decision to allow them to operate the service the customers would be mostly benefiting, insisting that an enabling atmosphere should be there to allow both NT and private ISP's to sell the service without any hassle. nepalnews.com ag Apr 28 08