Kathmandu, March 24: Under Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)'s Broadband Internet Expansion Project, 75 per cent area of target districts has been connected with the internet till mid-March.    

The project relating to providing broadband internet service by using the Rural Telecommunications Fund has been implemented in 18 packages. The NEA said till mid-March, 7,489 new areas have been connected with high-speed internet.    

According to NTA spokesperson Meen Prasad Aryal, target areas of 50 districts under 13 packages have been connected with the internet.    
Similarly, 11 thousand 969 places out 15 thousand 982 of 18 packages have got high-speed internet. As said by NTA, internet fixing is awaited in 4,769 places.    

According to data made available by the NTA, 550 local levels out of 702, have access to the internet and internet fixing is underway at 152 local levels. Similarly, among 5933 wards offices, 4,474 ward offices; 3,792 secondary schools out of 5225 and 3,153 health institutes out of 4,122 have access to internet facility.    

Under NTA two packages, over 50 per cent of work progress has been reported in ten districts and under three packages, network and connectivity fixing goes in selected areas in 14 districts.    

Out of the total Rs five billion 269 million 770 thousand, so far Rs two billion 988 million 700 thousand has been paid to the service providers for the broadband project, spokesperson Aryal said.    

According to him, under the project free broadband internet service would be provided to municipalities, rural municipalities, ward offices, educational institutions and health institutions across the country.    

NTA has not incorporated the three districts in Kathmandu valley- Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur – in the Broadband Internet Expansion Project under the Rural Telecommunications Fund.