KATHMANDU: Mobile phone has become a major service to reach in the hand of rural people. The annual household survey (AHS) 2012-13 shows that nearly 80 per cent of rural households have access to mobile phone facility. Thanks to increased service network of telecom companies.
The survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and released on Sunday said that 79.5 per cent of rural household are using mobile phone service which used to be tagged as luxury service for rich people. There is only 14.1 per cent point difference between households of urban and rural having mobile phone facility.
In total, mobile phone has reached in 82.1 per cent household and access of urban household to this service stands at 93.6 per cent. However, compared to wireless mobile, access to wire line telephone is very low both in urban and rural parts of the country.
According to the AHS, 20.3 per cent in urban and 3.6 per cent in rural households have access to telephone service. Similarly, email/internet service has reached in 16.1 per cent household in urban area while in rural, the rate is at 3.1 per cent. Country’s total per cent of households having access to telephone and email/internet service are at 6.7 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively.
The AHS, first of its kind is based on study of total of 8,400 rural and 806 urban wards as sample frame to assess the situation of consumption of different services, among others. Internet/email service was first launched in the country during the mid 1990s. Similarly, mobile phone service had started in 1999.
Ananda Raj Khanal, officiating chief of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)--the telecom regulator--said that survey had portrayed how important the mobile service has become. “Cheaper technology, free incoming calls and provision of pre-paid mobile service are the facts that attracted rural customers to use mobile,” he added.
Entry of private sector telecom companies through policy intervention in telecom sector and licence condition put to small operators like Smart Telecom, Nepal Satellite Telecom and STM Telecom Sanchar to expand service in rural areas were instrumental to help increase mobile service network. NTA officials said that the next big development would be in data service for the huge demand in broadband connections.
A World Bank study has concluded 10 per cent growth in broadband penetration rate help achieve 1.38 percentage point growth in the GDP. Currently, the country’s rate of broadband penetration ranges below 10 per cent. Khanal said that there has been need of broadband infrastructure like optical fibre to expand the high speed data service—fibre to the home irrespective of locations.
The survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and released on Sunday said that 79.5 per cent of rural household are using mobile phone service which used to be tagged as luxury service for rich people. There is only 14.1 per cent point difference between households of urban and rural having mobile phone facility.
In total, mobile phone has reached in 82.1 per cent household and access of urban household to this service stands at 93.6 per cent. However, compared to wireless mobile, access to wire line telephone is very low both in urban and rural parts of the country.
According to the AHS, 20.3 per cent in urban and 3.6 per cent in rural households have access to telephone service. Similarly, email/internet service has reached in 16.1 per cent household in urban area while in rural, the rate is at 3.1 per cent. Country’s total per cent of households having access to telephone and email/internet service are at 6.7 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively.
The AHS, first of its kind is based on study of total of 8,400 rural and 806 urban wards as sample frame to assess the situation of consumption of different services, among others. Internet/email service was first launched in the country during the mid 1990s. Similarly, mobile phone service had started in 1999.
Ananda Raj Khanal, officiating chief of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)--the telecom regulator--said that survey had portrayed how important the mobile service has become. “Cheaper technology, free incoming calls and provision of pre-paid mobile service are the facts that attracted rural customers to use mobile,” he added.
Entry of private sector telecom companies through policy intervention in telecom sector and licence condition put to small operators like Smart Telecom, Nepal Satellite Telecom and STM Telecom Sanchar to expand service in rural areas were instrumental to help increase mobile service network. NTA officials said that the next big development would be in data service for the huge demand in broadband connections.
A World Bank study has concluded 10 per cent growth in broadband penetration rate help achieve 1.38 percentage point growth in the GDP. Currently, the country’s rate of broadband penetration ranges below 10 per cent. Khanal said that there has been need of broadband infrastructure like optical fibre to expand the high speed data service—fibre to the home irrespective of locations.
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