KATHMANDU, AUGUST 15

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) and Nepal Telecommunications Company Ltd (NTC) have signed an agreement to implement a project aimed at expanding optical fiber connectivity in the Gandaki and Lumbini provinces.

The initiative will be carried out under the Rural Telecommunications Development Fund (RTDF).

The agreement was formalized on Friday during a program attended by Minister for Communications and Information Technology (CIT) Prithvi Subba Gurung and Ministry Secretary Radhika Aryal. NTA Chair Bhupendra Bhandari and NTC Acting Managing Director Sabina Maskey signed and exchanged the documents on behalf of their respective organizations.

Secretary Aryal emphasized the importance of completing the project on time, noting that its timely execution would make it an exemplary undertaking.

According to NTA Chair Bhandari, previous attempts to install optical fiber under the RTDF, assigned to UTL and Smart Telecom, had failed to meet the required obligations. The new project is set to span three years and is estimated to cost around Rs 2 billion.

Bhandari pledged to ensure its timely implementation, highlighting its significance in realizing the government's vision for the 'Digital Nepal Framework'.

NTC Acting Managing Director Maskey stated that the company has been actively working on broadband optical fiber expansion for the past nine years.

Under this project, optical fiber will be extended to 23 districts across Gandaki and Lumbini provinces, with approximately 1,900 kilometers of cable to be installed, covering a total of 194 local levels.

(With inputs from Rastriya Samchar Samaiti)