Strategic Partnerships: Securing the Digital Frontier
Strategic Partnerships: Securing the Digital Frontier
At ISPAN, our mission extends beyond immediate advocacy; we are the guardians of the foundational health of Nepal’s digital ecosystem. We believe that a stable operating environment is the prerequisite for innovation, which is why we work in constant coordination with the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) and various government bodies to protect both service providers and citizens.
1. Collaborative Governance
The digital landscape moves faster than legislation. ISPAN bridges this gap by acting as a technical consultant and a strategic partner to the government.
Working with the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)
We align closely with the NTA to ensure that regulatory frameworks are both practical and progressive:
- Licensing & Compliance: We assist member ISPs in navigating the complex legal, technical, and financial requirements for registration, ensuring that every provider in our network is safe and reliable.
- Standard Setting: We participate in the formulation of the Ten-Year Master Plan for telecommunications, ensuring the industry is ready for 5G, IPv6, and beyond.
- Consumer Protection: We help implement the NTA Customer Service Charter, creating a standardized culture of accountability across all 77 districts.
2. Inter-Agency Coordination
ISPAN frequently negotiates with multiple ministries to solve “bottleneck” issues that threaten network stability:
- MoCIT (Ministry of Communication): Advocating for foreign exchange approvals to ensure international bandwidth payments are never delayed.
- NEA (Nepal Electricity Authority): Working toward a sustainable “Single Bucket” infrastructure model to prevent arbitrary cable cutting.
- Local Municipalities: Preventing unconstitutional local taxes on internet services to keep your bills affordable.
3. Infrastructure Security as a National Priority
ISPAN treats internet infrastructure as an Essential Service. Our strategic work ensures that the physical and digital backbone of the country remains resilient against external shocks.
- Redundancy Planning: We work with government bodies to establish multiple international gateway entries, ensuring Nepal stays connected even if a primary subsea cable link is damaged.
- Disaster Resilience: In the event of natural disasters, ISPAN coordinates a unified industry response to restore connectivity to emergency services and remote communities first.
- Cybersecurity Standards: We partner with the National Cybersecurity Center to create unified frameworks that protect Nepali data from evolving global threats.
Our Commitment to “Digital Nepal 2030”
As the apex body, we are the engine behind the Digital Nepal Framework. Our partnerships are designed to achieve:
- Universal Access: Reaching the final 20% of the population in the most difficult Himalayan terrains.
- Affordability: Ensuring that regulatory costs do not become a burden on the end consumer.
- Economic Growth: Supporting the “IT Decade” goal of generating billions in ICT exports by providing world-class connectivity.