The Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAN), an umbrella organization of Internet service providers, has warned that internet services across Nepal could be shut down from next week.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has stopped recommending foreign currency to upstream providers, including Tata and Airtel among others, for the past six months.
“It simply came to our notice then that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) had deliberately blocked foreign exchange recommendations to block essential internet services. This is because the Public Accounts Committee of the Federal Parliament of our sovereign country Nepal has directed the Ministry to remove the inaccurate data as per Rule 26 and Schedule 6 (a) of the Telecommunication Rules 1997, non-telecommunication services such as support charges, annual maintenance, technical fee, monitoring charge. I think so. ‘
The statement further said, “Without following the decision, the ministry has been tempted to shut down the private sector internet service by withholding foreign exchange recommendations on various pretexts.”
Meanwhile, ISPAN, is set to boycott this year’s National Information and Communication Technology Day (National ICT Day) because the government has not taken any initiative to address the problem in the Internet sector.
