Universal Connectivity Project (Phase II)

This project is funded by the Ford Foundation , South Asia Regional Office. The quality of the present Internet connectivity is at the bottom end of the international standard and global averages.

Framing pathways to IT infrastructure development in Nepal (Phase-2)

This project is funded by the Ford Foundation , South Asia Regional Office.

The quality of the present Internet connectivity is at the bottom end of the international standard and global averages. The user experience of the IT infrastructure on the ground is fraught with problems of feeble household Internet adoption and poor quality of service. To change the picture, the government plans for fostering IT through increased diffusion and by installing new infrastructure. Many projects are underway utilizing the universal service fund (RTDF) to extend connectivity. Many new infrastructure will also be built in the wake of recent elections utilizing RTDF, local and international funds. The current approach, however, appears to be unaware of findings from numerous infrastructure studies and unsustainable projects in the South Asian region. Infrastructure development efforts in Nepal have largely followed a top-down strategy. Such a development model is usually rigid and apathetic to both demand and use, and thus triggers complex socio-political struggles among actors for ownership, share or rent. Such models have also been seen as a move away from ‘self-sufficiency’.

Information technology is yet largely untested for the complex socio-political realities to derive any lesson for planning purposes, as is evident from the fact that many of the targets in the existing IT policy are global averages (or averages across developing nations) rather than ascertaining it from empirical studies. We believe parallels from infrastructure development initiatives in other sectors are necessary. The two-year project will conduct comparative historical analyses of both IT and related infrastructure (road and energy) in Nepal. It will pilot the collaborative bottom-up approach to develop local IT infrastructure plans in order to demonstrate the viability of an alternative to the dominant practice.

Newspapers and Blogs

The bandwidth bottleneck. The Kathmandu Post
By Shailesh Pandey

Access and the internet - Clearing up four misconceptions about digital connectivity in Nepal. The Kathmandu Post
By Shailesh B. Pandey

Four misconceptions about Nepali Internet. MC Blog
By Shailesh B. Pandey

पूर्वाधार र विकास – सूचना प्रविधिले सिखाएको पाठ. MC Blog
By Nischal Regmi

Research Sites

Changunarayan

Partner Institution: Pragatisheel Mahila Samaj
Changunarayan municipality is located 19.1 km. from the Kathmandu city and is most famous for the Changunarayan temple situated at the hill-top. The location provides a rich cultural experience with hiking routes to Nagarkot, a popular destination for national and international visitors. The municipality and the selected sites are a vibrant composition of mainly Tamang, Newar and Brahmah-hill residents.

Panauti

Partner Institution: Nasancha Pucha:
Panauti is an important city in the Kavrepalanchowk district situated at 32 km. south-east of the Kathmandu city. Panauti municipality exhibits diverse ethnicities but the city is largely a majority of the Newari households. Agriculture and related businesses can be seen as the major sources of income for the residents. The city is a unique mixture of the use of modern day technologies whilst deeply drenched in the cultural heritage that dates back a long period. The residents claim initiatives have been taken to bring Panauti to the economic levels of Banepa and Dhulikhel.

Tangting

Partner Institution: Himalaya Milan Secondary School
Tangting is a village situated in the south of the Annapurna conservation area project (ACAP). Tangting falls within the Namarjung VDC which is situated 24 km. North-East of Pokhara, a difficult terrain in the lap of Annapurna-II and Lamjung mountains. The terrain provides attractive routes for trekking tourism from home and abroad. Most of the households have somebody abroad for employment opportunities. The male population has aspirations of being in the army abroad which dates back to the First World War.

Discussions

Policy and Standard vs. Practice: A Case Study of Urban Roads in Kathmandu Valley (14 August 2018) - Keshab Sharma, PhD candidate University of Alberta and Apil KC, Urban Planner
Who has been Benefitted by the Undefined Legal Status of Nepal Telecom? (24 June 2018) - Uttam Shrestha, Advocate, Nepal Telecom
Digital Transition of Nepali News Media: A Case of Kantipur Publications (20 May 2018) - Harsha Man Maharjan, PhD Candidate, Kyoto University, Japan
What Type of Road is Suitable for Kathmandu Valley? (29 April 2018) - Bhushan Tuladhar, Environmentalists
Problematic Internet Use: An Introduction and Current Status in Nepal (4 February 2018) - Dr. Rabi Shakya, Associate Professor, Patan Academy of Health Science
Rights-oriented Development: Road Widening and Displacement Issues (30 January 2018) - Suman Sayami, Chair, Struggle Committee for the Victims of the Road Widening Project in Kathmandu Valley; and Shankar Limbu, Advocate, Lawyers' Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)
काठमाडौँ उपत्यकामा दिगो शहरी यातायात व्यवस्थाः मुद्दा र रणनीति (10 October 2017) - डा. सूर्यराज आचार्य, इन्जिनियर/नीति विश्लेषक (City Seminar Jointly Organized with Collective Pahal)
Nepali Software Industry: Prospects and Challenges (27 August 2017) - Birodh Rijal, CEO, Integrated ICT
West East Nepal Highway Cycling (M2M 2016): Personal Experiences (13 August 2017) - Usha Titikshu, Cyclist/Photo Journalist
नेपालको सन्दर्भमा भौतिक पूर्वाधार र आर्थिक विकास (12 February 2017) - डा. रुद्र सुवाल, उप-महानिर्देशक, सामाजिक तथ्याङ्क महाशाखा, केन्द्रीय तथ्याङ्क विभाग
Life in a Metro: Unpacking Kathmandu’s ‘Metro Rail’ Vision and Discussing Alternatives (7 February 2017) - Prashanta Khanal, Environmentalist, 'Modernized Pedicabs Vehicles Project', Asian Development Bank and Shail Shrestha, Researcher, Global Car-free Movement (City Seminar Jointly Organized with Collective Pahal)