'Passengers can play music, watch movies offline'
KATHMANDU, June 27: Nepal Telecom (NT), in collaboration with Cybernetics Pvt Ltd, has started providing free Internet service to bus passengers of both longer and shorter routes.

Pradip Raj Upadhyaya, chief marketing officer of NT, and James Nachayole, president of Cybernatics, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the service amid a function on Monday.

The state-owned operator started the service - NT Bus Internet Service -- from Monday itself. 

Shobhan Adhikari, deputy spokesperson of NT, said that the new service is aimed at providing easy and quality Internet service to passengers travelling all over the country.

“Buses traveling to different parts of the country can take permission from NT to operate the service. We provide a R-UIM card with 10GB data to each bus free of cost,” Adhikari said, adding: “Once the data is consumed, bus owners will have to pay certain amount of money to NT every month.”

He further added that Cybernetics install a router in the vehicle after NT provides permission to operate the service to the vehicles.

To begin with, seven vehicle plying different routes have subscribed to NT Bus Internet Service in the first phase, according to Adhikari.

“We are hopeful that huge number of vehicles will approach us to start the service in the coming days. As the service uses WCDMA and CDMA technology, passengers can enjoy 'NT Bus Internet Service' in area connected with those networks,” Adhikari said, adding, “Likewise, with the help of GPS service, NT can track the location of the buses from its office.”

According to NT, passengers' device will be automatically directed to the 'Bus Wi-Fi Network' while opening the Internet browser. “Once the network is connected, passengers can enjoy the service in their smartphone, laptop, and tablet PC, among others,” a press statement issued by NT reads. “Passengers can also enjoy the service offline as the router installed in the vehicle can save music videos, movies, applications, among others in its storage. The data saved in the router can also be downloaded in the offline mode,” the statement added.

Speaking at the program, Ram Kaji Kone, a former president of Nepal Association of Tours and Travel Agents (NATTA), said that passengers can benefit a lot from the new service. “The free service will become successful. But NT must provide high speed Internet, he said, adding, “As the service can also to locate passengers through GPS system, it will help us to track our clients heading to different parts of the country,” added Kone.

Kone also said he was hopeful that this new business strategy will also help the state-owned operator to make its data service popular among foreign tourists.

 
• nepal telecom
 
• cybernetics pvt ltd
 
• internet services
 
• bus passengers