Telecommunication systems: general assessment:
poverty, inconsistent electricity, and mountainous topography stymie development of telecom infrastructure; mobile market is developed and has been extended to all districts covering 90% of Nepal; fixed broadband is low due to limited number of fixed-lines and preeminence of the mobile platform; increasing 3G and 4G subscribers; fiber-optic networks developing under private and public funding to meet demand for Internet; government supports digital society, whereby 90% of the population will have access to broadband and free Internet access for students; plans to launch a Nepalese satellite by 2022; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021)
(2020)domestic: 3G coverage is available in 20 major cities (2019); disparity between high coverage in cities and coverage available in underdeveloped rural regions; fixed-line 3 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular 139 per 100 persons; fair radiotelephone communication service; 20% of the market share is fixed (wired) broadband, 2% is fixed (wireless) broadband, and 78% is mobile broadband (2019)
international: country code - 977; Nepal, China and Tibet connected across borders with underground and all-dielectric self-supporting (ADSS) fiber-optic cables; radiotelephone communications; microwave and fiber landlines to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2019)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Definition: This entry includes a brief general assessment of a country's telecommunications system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Source: CIA World Factbook - This page was last updated on Saturday, September 18, 2021
