The committee under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) is headed by the secretary of judicial council. [break]
The dispute arose in 2009 after NTA instructed NT to allow ISPs to use cable of fixed line for ADSL service. NTA chairman Bhesh Raj Khanel said, “Since we couldn´t bring the two parties to a consensus, we are taking the case to the committee.”
NTA in 2009 had instructed ISPs that they could use the cable for ADSL service which however couldn´t get implemented after NT disagreed to comply with NTA decision. “NT talks a lot about infrastructure sharing but when it comes to implementation, it drags its feet,” an official at NTA said. The regulator had also asked a penalty of Rs 25,000 for not following the decision which was later dismissed by the appellate committee.
NT is offering ADSL service of 192 kbps at Rs 1,017 a month.
“As soon as we get the permission to share the cable, we are positive about offering ADSL service and definitely at a cheaper rate than what NT is offering currently,” Binaya Bohra, president of Internet Service Providers´ Association of Nepal (ISPAN), said. Latest NTA data shows that there are over 70,000 ADSL users which is one of the most popular Internet services for home users.
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