Communication Minister Says All Government Activities to be Operated Digitally By 2025

25th September 2022, Kathmandu

The government is going to operate and implement all kinds of government activities through digital systems by 2025.

Information and Communication Minister of Nepal  Gyanendra Bahadur Karki have said that he aims to connect all activities digitally by 2025 by making policy reforms and new laws.

In the opening program of the three-day workshop of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulatory Council (SATRC) starting on Tuesday in Dhulikhel, Kavre, he informed that the government has emphasized building the necessary infrastructure for this.

Through a written message, Minister Karki said that initiatives such as starting the trial of the 5G network, providing broadband internet to all schools, and creating a domain where real-time studies can be done through the establishment of smart studios have been initiated.

He informed that the government is using the Rural Telecommunication Fund to expand the network across the country. “Through this fund, we are building the optical fiber backbone network and expanding the broadband access network across the country,” he said.

Similarly, he said that through the implementation of the Digital Nepal Framework, the initiative to provide most of the public services through a digital system has been started.

He also informed that with the implementation of the telecommunication policy in 2004, Nepal has opened the way for competition in the telecommunication sector. He said that this policy provided services not only to the people of urban areas but also to the people living in rural areas.

Similarly, he informed that although geographical difficulties and high infrastructure costs have slowed down the development of telecommunication facilities, almost every part of the country is connected to the Internet.

Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Dr. Baikuntha Aryal said that despite the negative impact of Covid in many areas, it has contributed positively to the development of the digital sector. He informed that since mobile technology has become an essential means of daily life, the government is making more efforts for its further development.

Chairman of Nepal Telecommunication Authority Purushottam Khanal informed that the member countries of SATRC have moved forward in the process of 5G implementation and Nepal has also started the process for testing.

He expressed his belief that in the workshop, there will be an in-depth discussion on topics such as AI, machine learning, and digital code of conduct developed in the recent past, and suggestions will be received for the preparation of plans.

Masanori Kondo, Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Telecommunication Community (APT), said that building digital infrastructure has become important for the development of the economy and society.

Regulators, service providers, and telecommunication infrastructure manufacturers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Iran are participating in the workshop.