Nepal made its first step to space entry with the official launch of its maiden telecommunication satellite project on March 12, 2019.

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has officially signed an agreement with a French aerospace manufacturer Thales Alenia Space for this joint venture project.

“The Nepal Telecommunications Authority and France-based Thales Alenia Space, a Joint Venture between Thales (67 %) and Leonardo (33 %), have signed today an agreement under which, Thales Alenia Space will build the national satellite telecommunication system for Nepal,” NTA said in an official release.

This agreement is in response to the ‘Letter of Intent’ signed between Nepal Minister for Communication & Information Technology Gokul Prasad Baskota and the Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, in Paris on March 5, 2019.

“Thales Alenia Space to support Nepal in its official entry into the space community,” NTA noted in its release.

Nepal is yet to name this very high-performance C/Ku Band satellite that is expected to be launched by 2022.

Nepal’s Maiden Telecom Satellite

The French partner has expressed its full-fledged commitment to supporting Nepal in its telecom satellite project.

“We believe the project will be a key asset to bridge the digital divide and a strong vector of economic growth. We are also thrilled to embark into this long-term cooperation with Nepal and support the country develop its space capabilities and services for the benefit of all its citizens,” Eric Imbert, Sales Vice-President of Thales Alenia Space, confirmed in a statement.

Speaking on the project, Baskota expressed hope that the project will ensure high-speed communication and internet facilities to Nepali citizens.

“To successfully compete with other countries, to give high speed internet to all our citizens and to be recognized regionally, we want Nepal to accelerate its pace on the way to digitization. Our National Satellite will help us jump into a better future,” Baskota added.

Elated at the partnership, Baskota stated that the partnership with Thales Alenia Space will Nepal become self-dependent and establish self-identity in space technology and to pace towards prosperity of digital Nepal.

 Launch by 2022

As per the release, the satellite will be positioned at the 123.3° E orbital slot reserved for Nepal by the International Tele-communications Union (ITU) based on the SpaceBus National Satellite System solution developed by Thales Alenia Space.

Upon implementation, the project will provide Nepal with high-speed internet facility along with advancements in specialty fields such as TV Broadcasting, telemedicine, e-learning, e-government, disaster management, Information Technology, agriculture, tourism, hydropower and other value-added services.

“The versatile communication services provided by the satellite are primarily targeted at reducing the digital divide, especially in the underserved rural areas,” NTA said in the release.

Hope the project would add to Nepal’s in its long-standing digital transformation and tech-savvy efforts.

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The growing number of internet users and increasing mobile phone usage among Nepalis is adding to the digital media trend in Nepal, driven by existing social media platforms.

As the latest reports say, many companies in Nepal are considering social media marketing as an effective means to promote products and services on low budgets.

High rise in use of digital devices among populace is making many companies rely on digital marketing for a healthy business growth.

Growing number of social media users is key to the growth of the digital marketing business in Nepal, say the local digital advertising agencies and entrepreneurs.

According to them, big brands of Nepal are investing around NPR 3 million on digital marketing business, annually, compared to NPR 500,000/- few years ago.

“The benefit of social media is that we get more data and insights about our consumers and their habits. This helps us to connect to the targeted group and enables us to create content specific to their liking,” says Ujaya Shakya, Managing Director Of Outreach Nepal.

The share of digital advertising compared to other forms of media such as print, TV and radio has increased from 5 percent (two years ago) to 10 percent, adds the Advertising Association of Nepal.

With high usage of social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Viber, Nepal is witnessing a fast growth in number of internet users. The country has 8.7 million Facebook users as of December 2017.

According to domestic social media marketers, the country has 93.5 percent Facebook & Instagram users and around 4.3 percent YouTube users.

Affordable internet prices, easy internet access and growing smartphone usage are adding to the boom!

“Nowadays, big brands have started allocating budgets for digital marketing,” says Bishes Karki, manager of Social Aves.

“The concept of influencer marketing can play a key role to drive brand awareness, build perception and increase purchase intent and trend with the next generation of consumers through creative content they trust,” says Sushant Biyali, Brand Manager at Uptrendly.

“Traditional media is very expensive and least impactful. The platform is less expensive and hits the target group directly. The use of social media has also helped us to achieve sales growth,” says Ramesh Danekhu, Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications & Marketing at MAW Enterprises.

These statements depict the level of digital media trend in Nepal, giving a larger scope for the country in technology-related development.

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We heard about the launch of the Ministry of Health’s mobile-based healthcare services, Safa Hawa for clean air and many others.

Nepal’s transportation is another sector that has seen a revolutionary application called ‘Tootle’, a car-sharing app.

Continuing the trend, here is another announcement with regard to technology deployment in the transport sector.

In a recent move, Nepali Department of Transport Management (DoTM) informed that it is working on introduction of the Global Positioning System (GPS) services in the country’s transportation sector.

Through the implementation of GPS-based vehicle tracking system, the government is aiming to achieve improvement in regulation and effective management of Nepal’s transportation sector, says Lawanya Prasad Dhakal, Director General at DoTM.

“We have developed a concept paper on introducing GPS system in the transportation sector. We will hold detailed discussions with various stakeholders, including donor agencies on this paper and try to implement this system as soon as possible,” said Dhakal.

According to the official, the Government of Nepal is keen on approaching the World Bank for technical and financial support to implement the GPS vehicle tracking system.

As the World Bank had earlier showed interest to work together with the government to enhance the country’s transportation sector, we will coordinate with the World Bank to implement this system,” added Dhakal.

According to Dhakal, the new service will help the government to easily track vehicle movement and specific events that result in loss of time or lives on road.

“Through the system, we can easily detect vehicles violating traffic rules, their speed and other details. In a sense, the government can constantly monitor every vehicle through GPS,” adds Dhakal.

Besides, the GPS service will also give due boost to the operations in the transport business as by helping in predicting the delivery time of goods and tracking commercial vehicles.

The government is keen on implementing GPS services and also make them mandatory for all vehicles across the country.

Will have to wait to see to what extent that GPS services will fit in the Nepal transportation sector.

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According to a latest update, the country is gearing up for its first fully-digital cabinet meeting in Kathmandu on July 26, 2018.

Towards the move, the government has already distributed laptops to all the concerned cabinet ministers participating in the meet.

As the officials enter Cabinet Hall at PMO, they will receive separate usernames and One Time Passwords (OTP), through which they get to know the agenda of that particular cabinet meeting.

As part of security measures, the Cabinet Secretary will generate fresh usernames and password for the Prime Ministers and other ministers for every Cabinet meeting.

PMO has put in place a special software that can send and receive relevant documents and meeting agendas to all ministries, electronically.

This software, upon full-fledged implementation, will also provide public an access to view cabinet meetings.

The latest move is as a result of the PM Oli’s strong commitment to bring in digital governance across the government functioning.

Current Scenario
In the current system, PM will first approve the Cabinet and then the PMO forwards the same in individual letters and relevant documents to all the respective ministers in papers.

Each Minster may get from hundred to thousand pages of papers based on agenda of the meeting and their numbers, says a PMO official, citing the current system.

According to Kunwar, the new software will reduce the manual operations and help ministers keep track of their cabinet discussions on a regular basis.

‘Get Updated’: Oli to Ministers
As part of the digital move, the Prime Minister has made strict mentions asking his cabinet to stay updated with using the digital devices, especially the laptops.

In this regard, PM already issued a serious warning asking PMO to dismiss any minister lacking awareness on laptop usage.

Concerned over the lack of related skillset among ministers, the PMO’s IT Department has already announced their readiness to train the ministry officials with computer skills.

I have already said in the Council of Ministers meeting that we will make the office paperless within six months. The meeting’s programmes and agenda will be discussed using laptops, said PM Oli at the 12^th general convention of the Nepal National Teachers Organization in Kathmandu on May 30, 2018.

The software was installed at the PMO two years ago, however couldn’t be fully-functional in the erstwhile government.

“We aim to dispatch Cabinet meetings’ agenda to ministers electronically in the early days of the new fiscal year beginning mid-July,” PMO said in a statement earlier.

Later than never, let’s hope the Oli administration will drive Nepal’s digital governance efforts towards expected results!

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The US Ambassador to Nepal Alaina B Teplitz and the Department of Environment (DoE) Director General Durga Prasad Dawadi launched the app at a function held in Kathmandu on March 29, 2018.

Speaking on the occasion, Teplitz said, “Our goal is for the Safa Hawa app and the information that it makes available to help reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from air pollution and strengthen Nepal’s capacity to manage national health risks.”

The app, which also contributes to Digital Nepal initiative, was jointly developed by Bidhee Pvt Ltd. and the US Embassy in Kathmandu. It is available for free in both iOS and Android versions.

Key Areas That Need Attention

In her address at the launch event, Teplitz raised air pollution concerns in Nepal citing the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) findings by the Yale University and Columbia University released in January 2018.

EPI 2018 had termed Nepal as the country with the highest air quality concerns among 180 countries.

The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology records show as many as 35,000 deaths due to air pollution in Nepal, every year. 

 “Globally, air pollution is one of the leading risk factors for disease.  Experts say that over 7 million deaths can be attributed to air pollution every year. As we all know, many countries in South Asia, including Nepal, struggle with severe air pollution issues which impact the health and well-being of local populations,” says Teplitz.

Teplitz pointed out that the air pollution, especially in Kathmandu, could affect potential international investors’ willingness to invest in business and tourism, among other sectors of Nepal.

“From a very practical point, Kathmandu presents a very challenging aviation environment, given its terrain and congested airport.  As pollution increases in Kathmandu Valley, visibility is limited, leading to more delays for aircraft approaching Tribhuvan International Airport,” said Teplitz.

Safa Hawa, A Savior

According to the US Ambassador Teplitz, solutions such as installation of air filters, new manufacturing processes, timely recycling of wastage and data-informed policies can address Nepal’s air pollution concerns to some extent.

“We can halt the burning of garbage and plastics in our neighborhood and plant trees. The government can control vehicle emissions and business can change their processes as well as develop solutions to environmental issues,” she adds.

As part of its contribution, the US Embassy in Kathmandu had set up two Air Quality Monitors in Kathmandu in the Embassy grounds and at Fohora Durbar in Kathmandu’s central Thamel area, which provide real-time data on air pollution for both PM 2.5 particles and ozone.

Now, Safa Hawa will retrieve information recorded by two air-quality monitoring stations, informed Teplitz, while hoping that the app will contribute to a healthier Kathmandu.

She also hoped that the app information will also help the government in its efforts towards addressing air pollution concerns in the country, especially in the Valley.

“We hope this knowledge would spread awareness, and that breathers – and policy-makers – can use this information to push for changes in policy that will make communities cleaner and healthier,” read her statement.

Durga Prasad also hoped that Safa Hawa would soon disseminate the data collected by all the ten air-quality monitoring systems operating across the country.

The app, available in both English and Nepali languages, sends hourly notifications to the user on air-quality and also sends out health tips on a regular basis, say the developers.

For Clean Environment

Nepal has welcomed many such initiatives and campaigns to ensure a clean environment for its citizens.

Some of such key initiatives include measures to tackle climate change, introduction of horn-ban policy, promotion of green energy solutions, Everest Clean-up Campaign 2018, call for ban on old vehicles and effective waste management solutions, among others.

Also Read:
        1. Nepal For Clean Energy Solutions, Bets Big on Hydropower

        2. Tidy Nepal: Waste Management a Norm in Nepal, Dhankuta An Inspiration

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With car-sharing on one side, there is another trend bike-sharing that is gaining popularity among the populace.

Many countries are already witnessing the burgeoning renting vehicles market with some witnessing a gradual rise in the bike-sharing market trend. Following the similar lines, Nepal is already riding high on this trend as is evident from its famous motorbike-sharing app called Tootle.

The local motorbike-sharing app Tootle means a lot for Kathmandu which has been facing severe traffic woes since the past.

Launched in early 2017, Tootle has been serving as a top solution for motorbike-sharing services among thousands of young and tech-savvy commuters.

With its services that are five times cheaper than traditional taxis, Tootle has drawn a wider attention among Nepali public and is today trending in Google as the top bike-sharing app in Nepal.

Today, Tootle is operating in around three cities of Kathmandu Valley serving as a bike-sharing option for almost 4 million population of the Valley with around 50,000 dedicated user-base and providing 700 rides a day.

Moving Beyond

Now, with the growing adoption of digital services in the Nepali society, Tootle is looking at expanding its services beyond the bike-sharing business.

Extending its support to Tootle’s digital efforts, the United Nations Capital Development Fund entered into a deal with the start-up on February 15, 2018 announcing a financial support to Tootle in building a digital payment platform for offering payment services such as shopping and food deliveries.

While this project is expected to take a six months’ time for completion, Tootle is planning to expand its services to two other locations in Nepal such as Narayangadh and Pokhara in the meantime, along with further plans to launch its services in the foreign market.

“Sharing taxis is an existing behavior, but bike-sharing is new. Our service, though, is ideally suited to navigate the traffic-choked streets. Transportation is a big problem here … We lack freedom of mobility,” says Sixit Bhatta (37), Founder of Tootle.

“I was thinking of buying a motorbike myself, but this is so convenient that I no longer feel it necessary,” says a Sushil Shrestha, a 24-year-old Tootle user working as web developer in Kathmandu.

According to Bhatta, “there are almost half a million motorbikes in the Kathmandu Valley and this is the most convenient mode of transport to get around in the Valley”.

Transport services like this can address traffic congestion in the Valley and not just this app, Nepal has been making major strides in adopting technology across sectors, which include introduction of digital signature system in the country’s police department,  Immigration mobile app, Parliament’s website and mobile application, RTI Nepal app, among others.

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The Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) Nepal said this in on November 16, 2017 making the rule mandatory as per the government’s earlier plan, starting from November 15, 2017.

“We had given enough time to cable service providers and the customers to migrate to the digital television system as it is a gradual process. However, the government will now monitor cable service providers from November 16, 2017 to check whether the cable viewers have switched to digital format or not,” informed Prem Kumar Shrestha, Acting Secretary of MoIC.

According to Prem Kumar, the government will initiate necessary action on cable operators not digitizing the TV broadcasting.

The government has set mid-May deadline for cable TV operators in rural municipalities to adopt digital system.

The Government of Nepal’s decision to digitise TV broadcasting is in line with the 2017 deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) asking all its member countries to go digital.

The government has set the mid of May 2018 as the deadline for all cable TV operators in rural municipalities of the country to adopt digital system.

“We have been appealing to customers to adopt the digital cable broadcasting system as soon as possible. However, customers are still in the wait-and-see mode,” says Sudhir Parajuli, President of the Federation of Nepal Cable Television Association.

Nepal has over 3.2 million cable subscribers as per the estimates, of which, only 20 percent have switched to the digital TV broadcasting so far, say the cable service providers.

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