The internet service provider (ISP) also launched a new voice-over-internet (VOIP) service called D2D, charging Rs 500 per month, excluding the initial cost of the devices. A subscriber requires two VOIP devices (provided by WorldLink), and an account to use the Device-to-Device VOIP service. Each device costs Rs 4,500, while those without a router cost Rs 4,000.
“At Rs 500 a month a subscriber can call the other end. The talk-time is unlimited,” Rupesh Shakya, senior marketing executive at WorldLink told myrepublica.com, adding that the service was mostly targeted at offices with regional branches. The service works on a broadband of a minimum 64 kbps at both ends. Although not targeted towards international calls, the service may be used in such a way that if someone sends one of the VOIP devices to the other country, it is possible for users at both ends to make calls to each other using two accounts.
Calling abroad
Another ISP, WebSurfer, has also launched VOIP services at CAN Info-Tech. Although most tariffs are yet to be finalized, the service can be availed at Rs 4,000 for the VOIP device, while a call to a telephone in the US would cost around Rs 2 per minute, Suman Manandhar, marketing executive at WebSurfer said. The minimum prepaid account offer is worth US$ 25, he said.
WorldLink’s CAN Info-Tech scheme for a similar VOIP service called WorldCall includes a SIP phone adapter worth Rs 4,000 for a WorldCall prepaid account charge worth Rs 7,000, and 50 percent off on the phone adaptor on an account charge of Rs 5,000. Per minute call rates offered include Rs 1.77 to the US, Rs 1.99 to the UK, Rs 2.50 to Australia, Rs 4.44 to India, Rs 1.55 to Canada, and Rs 1.99 to Malaysia, while call rates to gulf countries are higher, such as Rs 8.50 to Saudi Arabia, Rs 14 to Qatar and Rs 14.50 to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
vianet communications has offered a 30 percent discount on international calls, as well as a free VOIP phone adapter on its broadband bundled services. It offers prepaid accounts of Rs 250, Rs 500 and Rs 1000 for VOIP directly through a PC using software, without the need for a separate phone adaptor. Subscribers of the Rs 1000 account get 30 percent off on call rates, which are Rs 2 to the US, Rs 2 to the UK, Rs 6 to India, Rs 2 to Canada, and Rs 3 to Malaysia.
Its Home Surf Plus scheme, which comes with the free VOIP phone adaptor plus 30 percent call discount, comes at an annual charge of Rs 19,800 for 128kbps, and Rs 23,388 for 256 kbps, plus installation charges of Rs 3,000. A year’s subscription without the VOIP service costs Rs 16,200 for 128 kbps and Rs 22,800 for 256 kbps.
Net on the fast lane
WorldLink again has the best offer on the broadband internet front, with cable internet of 128 kbps coming in at Rs 1,000 when you buy a year’s subscription package. Access for this package, called Cable Surfwell, is limited to a single computer. WorldLink is offering a 10 percent discount on advance yearly payment, and five percent on six-monthly payments, a WorldCall card worth Rs 500 free, Rs 1000 off on the Rs 2,500 installation charges, and waived the Rs 2,000 subscription and activation charges on its cable internet. Its regular cable services come at annual charges of Rs 15,600 for 128 kbps, Rs 21,000 for 160 kbps, and Rs 30,000 for 192 kbps, while the 256 kbps service comes in three packages of Rs 38,400, Rs 58,200 and Rs 75,000, depending on whether it is a shared or dedicated line, or for the number of computers using it at a single time.
WorldLink’s night-surfing package for 128 kbps comes in at Rs 7,500 a year, with a choice between three periods - 7 pm to 7 am, 8 pm to 8 am, and 9 pm to 9 am. WorldLink’s special wireless internet scheme is Rs 15,000 for a year for a 128 kbps connection.
Mercantile Communications, the company which brought internet to Nepal, have slashed rates on 64kbps single-user wireless accounts, from Rs 3,999 a month to Rs 2,500, on 128 kbps from Rs 7,499 to Rs 4,000, and on from Rs 12,999 on 256 kpbs to Rs 7,500. Per year equipment charge has been offered at Rs 2,000 less.
WebSurfer’s cable internet comes at Rs 3,000 per month for 64 kbps, Rs 5,500 per month on 128 kbps, and Rs 10,000 on 256 kbps. It has offered 50 percent off installation and other charges. Its optical fiber connection comes at Rs 4,500 per month for 64 kbps, Rs 8,500 for 128 kbps, and Rs 13,000 for 256 kbps. It was waived Rs 10,000 on other charges and offered 25 percent off fiber charges.
Dial-up: Low cost or back up for power cuts
Dial-up may seem like a slow trudging dinosaur from yesteryears, but it will still be a long time before it goes extinct as speed comes with quite a price tag. The cost difference between most broadband services and dial-ups is pretty big, even when you consider the telephone costs. So for those who use internet less frequently, dial-up is still the most economic option.
Then again, for those who use wireless or ADSL, welcome to the era of ever increasing power cuts and to the uncertainty of whether they are going to add more load-shedding hours again. If you happen to be using these services and the internet is like air to you, dial-up suddenly is back in vogue. Even if you can ´boil a cup of tea while you wait for the page to load´ with dial-up you can at least be online on your laptops. Better late than never, right?
Mercantile has a slightly better offer than its competitor in prepaid dial-up internet, offering 365 hours for Rs 3,250; 200 hours for Rs 2,250; 100 hours for Rs 1,350; 75 hours for Rs 1,100; 50 hours for Rs 800 and 30 hours for Rs 600.
WorldLink has offered equal hours free in annual prepaid dial-up which comes in two packages - Rs 1,500 for 55 hours (plus 55 bonus hours), and Rs 2,500 for 110 hours (plus 110 hours as bonus).
Unlimited dial-up internet from Mercantile comes at Rs 13,000 per year, while that of WorldLink is Rs 3,500 per year for a single telephone line access, and Rs 5,000 per year for two telephone line access.
Mercantile also has other dial-up packages like office dial-up pack (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at Rs 7,800 a year, home dial-up pack (6 p.m. – 11 p.m.) at Rs 5,000 a year and Wee Hour Pack (10 pm to 7 am) at Rs 3,000 a year.
All ISPs also have different packages for monthly, quarterly and half-yearly advanced payments plus other offers for access in different periods, limited data transfer per month service, optical fiber access, plus discounts on mail service, data backup and others.
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