Page 90 - SAMENA Trends - January 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The number of Nepalis on the internet has increased dramatically technological limitations and unreliable connectivity even as
during the pandemic, with high-speed mobile connectivity Nepalis have rapidly built an extensive virtual presence during
accounting for 59% of the total internet users, new figures by the the pandemic. The bandwidth is often too narrow to support
Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) this week show. Some heavy traffic in Nepal’s international gateway and local networks.
96% of Nepali households own mobile phones, and the proportion The cross-border connections are through underground fiber
of smartphones with data rose rapidly during the pandemic optic cable that connects ISPs to India’s Airtel and Tata. As it is,
in 2020. Some 24 million Nepalis, which is 80% of the 2011 internet consumption went up 35% during the first four months
population, currently use fixed broadband and mobile internet of the lockdown as Nepalis shifted their social and professional
to browse the internet. While a majority of mobile users have lives—education, employment, and entertainment—online.
3G internet, 4G is rising fast as telecom companies encourage Nepal’s baby steps towards distance learning got a boost as the
users to buy the service through affordable packages. Three lockdown replaced schools with virtual classes. But the pandemic
telecommunications companies provide 4G Internet services in also brought to light the glaring digital divide despite widespread
Nepal: Nepal Telecom, Ncell, and Smart Telecom. Some 6.3 million mobile connectivity even as it was aided by digital education
mobile users currently have access to 4G services— 2.04 million packages from Nepal Telecom and Ncell. Meanwhile, Nepal’s
Nepal Telecom users, 4.08 million through Ncell, and 199,000 who fledgling e-commerce industry is taking flight as safety concerns
are on Smart Telecom. Meanwhile, 5.2 million users have fixed and convenience drive internet users to buy and sell online. The
cable and wireless broadband, with 4.8 million among them using pandemic has made Nepalis health-conscious and tech-savvy,
wireless services. There are currently 127 registered internet with sales of healthy food, fitness and gadgets on the rise. Nepal
service providers in Nepal, out of which only 40 companies have has also seen an upsurge in digital payments as more and more
active users—only six among them are main players in Nepal’s people use e-wallets to conduct transactions. Nepali internet
internet market. WorldLink is the biggest service provider in the users, already increasingly hooked on YouTube, sought greener
country with 422,000 active customers. Nepal Telecom, which pastures on relatively newer social media like TikTok during the
provides internet services to 900,000 users across the country, lockdown, helped by special offers from telecom companies. The
has the WiMAX Wi-Fi service, ADSL internet, as well as its recent TikTok boom, which now takes up 25% of the bandwidth in Nepal,
Fiber to the Home (FTTH)—which includes voice, mobile data, saw netizens making use of the short-form-video application as
and IPTV package. FTTH has already reached 300,000 users. a creative and professional outlet.
Nepal’s internet market has long been hampered by high prices, (January 6, 2021) nepalitimes.com

Oman

The Chief Executive Officer of Telecommunications Regulatory OFT include a number of Omani institutions such as government
Authority (TRA), has made field visits to some governorates of the pensions and investment funds, as well as a group of private
Sultanate to understand requests and complaints of the people. investors. The new provider will, however, launch using the
A statement issued online by the TRA said: "His Excellency Vodafone brand, based on a strategic partnership with the global
Eng. Omar bin Hamdan Al-Ismaili, Chief Executive Officer of the powerhouse, which operates mobile and fixed networks in 21
Authority, is on a field visit to a number of villages in the North countries and partners with mobile networks in 48 more. In fact
Al-Batinah, Al-Buraimi and Al-Dhahirah governorates, in the Vodafone Group and OFT announced the strategic partnership
presence of telecommunications companies, in order to discuss agreement in late 2019 as part of Vodafone’s Partner Markets
the telecommunications companies’ plans and understand the program. The non-equity agreement said that the companies
requests and complaints of the people. would work together to roll out a new mobile network and
(January 10, 2021) timesofoman.com develop a number of new services using the Vodafone brand in
Oman to drive the next stage in the development of the country’s
Vodafone is now formerly recognized as the third mobile operator telecommunications market. At the time commercial launch was
in Oman. A recent royal decree has mean that the company has planned for the second half of 2020. The launch of Vodafone
obtained a first-class license to establish and operate public Oman is undoubtedly a significant development, bringing greater
telecommunications services in the Sultanate. Strictly speaking, competition to a market where operators Ooredoo and Omantel
as a number of local press reports have pointed out, Oman has currently share about 5.7 million connections. The country has a
approved the licensing of Oman Future Telecommunications population estimated at just over five million.
(OFT) as the country’s third mobile operator. Shareholders of (January 6, 2021) developingtelecoms.com

90 JANUARY 2021