Nepal Telecom Suffers Rs 88.51 Million in Flood Damages, Recovery Efforts Underway
Nepal Telecom incurred Rs 88.51 million in infrastructure damages from the August 26 Bhotekoshi-Trishuli flood, disrupting services at 83 of 120 sites in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading. Most services have been restored, with three sites completely destroyed and alternative measures deployed to maintain connectivity.
KATHMANDU, Sept 30 — Nepal Telecom (NT) has sustained infrastructure damages worth Rs 88.51 million following the catastrophic Bhotekoshi-Trishuli flood that struck the region on August 26.
Speaking at a session of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Wednesday, Minister for Information and Communications Bikram Timilsina informed that NT suffered major damages to its mobile, wireline, and backbone transmission systems.
Of the 120 sites located in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading, services at 83 sites were disrupted by the tsunami-like flood. Among these, structures at three sites—Trishuli-3 'B', Chilime Khola, and Timure—were completely destroyed.
Timilsina stated that, with the exception of the three completely destroyed sites, all other disrupted services have been restored. Although the three sites could not be immediately rehabilitated, mobile network connectivity has been maintained by installing alternative towers at necessary locations. NT services via the Timure-based tower were restored this week after solar power equipment was transported by helicopter.
Minister Timilsina reported that of the total 65.3 kilometers of fiber network in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading—37.9 kilometers of which were damaged by the flood—27.4 kilometers have already been repaired. Regarding the wireline network, three Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) in Rasuwa and Nuwakot were completely destroyed, and some Fiber to the Home (FTTH) broadband infrastructure also sustained damage. However, most of these OLTs have been recovered and services restored.
Similarly, fiber and microwave infrastructure in the Timure and Rasuwagadhi areas sustained damage. Minister Timilsina stated that backbone transmission service has now been restored using microwave technology as a substitute for the fiber connection.
Meanwhile, the government has planned to mark the current Fiscal Year as a "Year of Transformation" for Nepal's telecommunications sector. Under the targeted program, the government is focusing on:
- Expanding mobile services
- Improving service quality
- Enhancing reliability
Minister Timilsina informed that the tender process for the construction of 200 new NT towers—aimed at improving mobile service quality and expanding access—is currently in the evaluation stage. He also stated that a separate tender for the equipment required to launch 4G services at 1,597 locations—intended to resolve mobile network issues across the country—is set to be issued this week.
According to Timilsina, work is underway to upgrade power backup capacities at NT towers nationwide to ensure uninterrupted mobile service during power outages. Over the past three months, battery backup systems have been replaced at more than 600 locations across all seven provinces, according to government records.