According to Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) - the telecom sector regulator, the number of dial-up internet users dropped to 19,827 in February, 2011, from 28,259 recorded a year earlier. The number was growing until February, 2010.[break]
The number of dial-up internet users started declining with the introduction of broadband internet service. The country had a total of 27,686 dial-up internet users until July, 2010.
Binay Bohra, president of Internet Service Providers´ Association of Nepal (ISPAN), said the dial-up technology is fast being replaced because of high-speed and cheaper tariff that new technology offers. “Who would like to buy slow speed internet package when they can get high-speed internet at reasonable price?” Bohra wondered.
Dial-up internet offers a maximum speed of 56 kbps, while the speed of broadband internet starts from 128 kbps. Wi-Fi, cable, ADSL and wireless broadband are popular internet packages in the country at present.
IT is the dial-up technology that introduced internet to household. But the number of dial-up customers is decreasing because of poor quality and uncompetitive tariff.
“Dial-up internet service is mostly used for back-up purpose these days,” said Bohra, hinting that the number of dial-up users would decrease further in the future.
“It´s natural for the customers to switch to newer technology.”
The number of GPRS users, however, increased by four times during the period. There were more than two million GPRS users in the country until February, 2011. Similarly, subscribers of ADSL and CDMA internet service also doubled during the period.
“The use of internet is no longer limited to sending or receiving mails, people today need high-speed internet for video conferencing, downloads and other purposes,” he added.
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