NT Claims Mid-Hill Optical Fiber will Meet Set Deadline

Completing almost 70 percent of the work to lay fiber along the mid-hill highway, Nepal Telecom(NT) has claimed that the project is on track and will be completed within the designated time.

According to the agreement signed with Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) on September 2016, NT will have to complete the project within two years which schedules the deadline to be in September 2018.

“A wrong message has been delivered in the market that NT is facing delays in implementing the Mid-Hill optical fiber project. However, the project is running as per schedule and almost 70 percent of the works of the project has been completed.”, said Kamini Rajbhandari, managing director of NT.

NT has already completed the detailed site survey of the project. The project that stretches over 2,376 kilometers covering up to 36 districts will be funded by NTA through Rural Telecommunication Development Fund. While NT will have to lay 96-core optical fiber cables along the Mid-Hill Highway, 48-core optical fiber cables will be laid along routes connecting the highway with the headquarters of 32 different districts.

As for now, NT has not been able to call the tender for procurement of fiber equipment. It is expected to call the tender for the procurement of fiber equipment once it gets approval from the board. This delay and the lengthy legal process have been the set back for the execution of the project.

But the project is expected to run on a full swing once the selected company starts supplying the equipment as NT has assured that it is closely watching the progress of the project. The company is also thinking about using its own fiber equipment in case the tendering process delays since the company is obliged to complete the Mid-Hill highway optical fiber Project within the given time-frame.