KATHMANDU, April 30: Internet service provider companies have warned that the country’s internet service could be disrupted from next week as they are unable to receive adequate foreign currencies to pay for the bandwidth purchase.

Issuing a public notice on Saturday, the Internet Service Providers’ Association of Nepal (ISPAN) said they have been facing problems getting foreign currencies for the past six months.The ISPAN said the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has been dilly-dallying to provide recommendations for both internet service providing companies and number of television services.

“On pretext of the arrears of these companies, the ministry has stopped issuing recommendations to release the foreign currencies necessary to pay to the foreign companies,” reads the press statement.

According to ISPAN, the Supreme Court through its verdict on June 26, 2020 ordered the government authorities concerned to stop the process to recover the arrears of the internet service providers.Domestic internet service providing companies purchase bandwidth from upstream internet service providers like Tata Communications, SiFi and Airtel, among others.

 
• internet
 
• foreign_currency
 
• Nepal