Communications Minister Directs Focus on Expanding and Improving Quality of Telecommunications Services

Communications Minister Dr. Bikram Timilsina has instructed relevant agencies to prioritize enhancing the quality of telecommunications services and expanding their reach through results-oriented efforts. Highlighting the state’s paramount responsibility to connect citizens in remote areas with communication services, he emphasized the effective utilization of funds from the Rural Telecommunications Development Fund (RTDF).

Sangita Pahadi, Managing Director of Nepal Telecom, noted the need for additional frequency allocations and support from the RTDF to extend services to remote regions. Minister Timilsina pointed out that citizens continue to report weaknesses in telephone and internet services, urging regulatory bodies and service providers to undertake serious and results-driven initiatives to expand services and improve quality.

The minister also acknowledged that, while some urban areas and remote regions still lack satisfactory telephone and internet services, the funds collected for rural telecommunications development through the RTDF have not been effectively deployed. He directed Nepal Telecom to develop clear business plans for service expansion and quality enhancement.

Arjun Ghimire, Chairman of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, stated that although the authority has been working for a long time to expand services using RTDF funds, some projects remain incomplete. Nepal Telecom aims to extend approximately one thousand kilometers of optical fiber during this fiscal year.