Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Nepal are on the race to up their ante in terms of price and speed of late. However, the problem of not getting the promised internet speed lingers among consumers.
No ISP provided internet package of over 100 Mbps in the Nepali market until May this year. This, however, has changes in the last six months as consumers are now offered 600 Mbps internet at a competitive price.
WorldLink Communications recently unveiled a 600 Mbps internet package for the first time in Nepal. The day after WorldLink announced the package with the assurance of providing at least 150 Mbps internet speed, another ISP, ClassicTech, announced on its social media that it will soon offer 1 Gbps internet speed.
The ‘war of speed at an affordable price’ among ISPs began in Nepal since CG Communications of Chaudhary Group in June announced 120 Mbps speed internet package for Rs 999 per month. Other ISPs felt the heat after CG started offering high speed internet at cheaper rates.
Meanwhile, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), a self-regulatory body, is not convinced that ISPs announcing high-speed internet packages are able to provide speed as promised.
NTA said it was unaware that service providers were on the ‘speed war’. As per the law of the land, the price of internet service should be approved by NTA.
However, ISPs are reportedly increasing the speed and fixing the price arbitrarily without informing the Authority.
NTA issued a notice last Thursday stating that licensed telecommunication service providers must be approved by the Authority in accordance with Article 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2053 BS and the conditions of the license.
There is a legal provision that the ISP should implement service fee/tariff rate only after publishing the information about the renewed rate/fee with the date of implementation for the customers as well as general public.
NEA has drawn serious attention to the situation as ISPs have published new speed packages and updated tariffs on their social media accounts, newspapers and various websites without getting approval from the Authority.
According to NEA Director Min Prasad Aryal, there are three types of internet speeds: maximum, minimum and normal. Aryal said it was not clear what kind of high-speed internet service would be provided.
Subekshya Neupane, a registered nurse, shared her experience with botched offer by her internet service provider. She uses WorldLink and recently received a text message from her ISP saying that her internet speed was “massively increased from 30 Mbps to 225 Mbps”, the upload speed being 110.
“The text was exciting, but I barely feel any difference in my internet speed. When I checked for the speed, it fluctuates between 41-40 Mbps for download and 50-85 Mbps for upload. So I don’t really think the ISPs actually provide the speed they promise,” she said.