Accelerating Digital Transformation in Challenging Times​

The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2021 program concludes with the message that digital transformation is needed to tackle the problem of corona infection. The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), the regulatory body of the telecommunications sector, has drawn the attention of the government and stakeholders through a virtual program on the occasion of WTIS Day on May 17, 2021.

On the occasion of the day, NTA organized a special program on “Accelerating Digital Transformation of Nepal in Challenging Times”. The participants in the program stressed the need to build the infrastructure of information and communication technology for the digital transformation in the current situation. Experts presented working papers at the event and panel discussions were also held among various resource persons.

Addressing the program, Hon’ble Minister of Communications and Information Technology Parbat Gurung said that the ministry would take the lead in formulating the policy and making necessary changes based on the suggestions of the experts present at the forum.

“Telecommunications services need to be more reliable in the current COVID transition. We must now make the telecom sector more reliable, and we must commit to continue in any situation and remain united to serve humanity, even as we continue to do so.”

Similarly, Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Hari Basyal, said that information technology was the only functional sector when no other infrastructure was working during the time of COVID. “It has been realized that the biggest thing in COVID’s time is information and technology. At this critical juncture, no infrastructure other than information and technology infrastructure contributes enough.”

Basyal stressed the need to reduce the ‘digital divide’ between urban and rural areas. According to him, “Information technology helps in maintaining good governance, transparency, and accountability in the state.”

Similarly, the organizer of the program, Chairman of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, Purushottam Khanal, said that the commitment and cooperation of all were needed for the development of the region.

“Digital transformation is not difficult if we move forward in a planned manner with commitment,” Khanal said. Emphasizing that commitment should come from every private or government body, he said that he has been working for digital transformation in Nepal for a long time. He was of the view that in order to make the digital transformation successful; the policy, rules, and regulations should be clear. According to Khanal, “Unless the law makes it binding, it is difficult to achieve and the policy must be legally binding to implement it.”

The message sent by ITU Secretary-General Holin Jao was also broadcast on the program. He said in his message, “Information society has emerged as a major frontline of defense against COVID-19. There have been many success stories that have highlighted the profound importance of ICT and highlighted the deep digital disparities within countries. ”

ICT expert Manohar Bhattarai presented a working paper on ‘Accelerating Digital Transformation in Challenging Times in Nepal’.

Stating that various plans for digital transformation have been made in Nepal, Bhattarai said that it was not clear about it and suggested that the government should clarify it. According to him, the private sector is moving ahead in the field of digital transformation but it lacks the coordination and cooperation of the government. He stressed the need to formulate necessary policies and rules for transformation through detailed study and expressed the view that political commitment is essential for this.

The panel discussion was also held on “Accelerating Digital Transformation in Challenging Times”.

Member Secretary of the National Planning Commission Kewal Prasad Bhandari, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Shobha Kant Poudel, Deputy Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Bam Bahadur Mishra, Managing Director of Nepal Telecom Dilli Adhikari, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of ICT Development Committee Mangesh Lal Shrestha Director of the Telecommunications Authority Meen Prasad Aryal was present. The discussion program was conducted by ICT expert Hempal Shrestha.

Speaking on the occasion, Member Secretary of the National Planning Commission Kewal Prasad Bhandari said that the 15th Plan of the National Planning Commission has paid special attention to the Information Technology sector and a policy has been taken to provide communication access to all citizens and run industries based on communication and information technology.

Emphasizing that connectivity is important for the development of the telecom sector, Bhandari also mentioned that the use of digital technology in the world is increasing by 20 to 25 percent due to COVID. Stating that the payment service is also moving ahead as a ‘financial’ service, Bhandari stressed the need for the government to invest in the information technology sector.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Shobhakant Poudel said that technology should be given priority for our functioning and development. According to Poudel, the concerned bodies should focus on integrating the digital services provided by the government on a single platform and how to bring digital applications to consumers, how to reduce prices, and increase services.

Similarly, Bam Bahadur Mishra, Deputy Director, Nepal Rastra Bank, gave a detailed presentation on the work being done in the digital economy in Nepal. He said it was important for consumers to know how to use cheap, accessible, and easy technology. “We are moving towards full digitization but it is evolving at different levels,” Mishra said.

Chairman of the ICT Development Committee of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mangesh Lal Shrestha, stressed the need for a digital economy in the country. According to Shrestha, the private sector and the government should focus on how to work together. The government alone cannot do much in digital transformation, Shrestha said, adding that the government should work with the private sector as the private sector has come a long way in this regard.

Managing Director of Nepal Telecom, Dilli Adhikari, said that digital connectivity is no longer a big problem and its consumption should be increased for proper use of technology, services, and facilities. Stating that high-speed mobile and internet services will reach most parts of the country within a few years, he said that digital literacy should be enhanced now and emphasis should be laid on the proper use of Nepali contents/services.

NTA Director Min Prasad Aryal said that the country was working in various ways for the development of telecommunications and further improvement was needed at the current level.

On behalf of the Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAN), Chairman Sudhir Parajuli stressed the need to reduce the cost for the development of the telecommunications sector. He also drew the government’s attention to the fact that more than 46 percent tax has been levied on the internet in Nepal and said that the service can be made cheaper according to the cost.

Other stakeholders and speakers at the event said that Nepal should now accelerate its pace for digital transformation. Although we have made some progress in this area, we are still lagging behind other countries. According to the ITU report of 2017, Nepal is ranked 140th on the list of ICT development. Nepal is ranked 95th in the Innovation Index and 94th in the Cyber ​​Security Index. Although the rank has been rising a bit lately, the pace has been slow and the ‘digital conversion’ has not been easy, experts said at the event.

The objective of the special program on May 17 is to reduce digital discrimination by developing digital connectivity and digital foundations for rural areas with maximum emphasis on the use of information technology. The main purpose of the program was to show how we are working on digital transformation and how we have adapted to the epidemic of COVID-19.

More than 250 people were present in the virtual program conducted by the Telecommunication Authority of Nepal. The program was broadcast live from the Facebook pages of three online medias including Living With ICT, in which more than 7,000 people have watched the program so far.