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Ministry of Commerce And Supplies - Enhanced Integrated ...

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N T I S2010Cost and Quality <strong>of</strong> Infrastructure: The cost and quality <strong>of</strong> infrastructure is a major problem for the sector.Electricity, telecommunication, and oil/fuel (for backup power) are essential infrastructure components.Companies face load-shedding up to 18 hours per day. Electricity generated by diesel is much more expensive,which is made more critical due to occasional shortage <strong>of</strong> fuel.Regarding telecommunication infrastructure, previously Nepal only had a satellite connection. Now thecountry has a fibre-optic cable routed through India and another one with Tibet/China has recently beenconnected as well. Though there are plans to increase the bandwidth capacity, the existing capacity is stillseen as a constraint and some respondents said it was insufficient to provide IT services that require constantconnectivity to the client. Data bandwidth cost is very high, according to some industry sources, five timeshigher than in India. 109Domestic Demand: The domestic demand for IT services comes from government, travel and tourismindustry, banks, engineering consulting houses, and other IT companies, but the services provided are <strong>of</strong>tenvery different than the ones provided by export-oriented firms.Business Environment: The general business environment is not good, in particular due to poor infrastructure(mainly electricity). Service providers reported also about a lack <strong>of</strong> venture capital. crimes, inflation, and theunstable political situation have also been stated as being hindrances to investments in the sector. However,the country has a favourable FDI regime, with no legal restrictions for repatriating earnings. Administrativesupport is not considered to be good due to some informal costs.Government Initiatives and Donor Involvement: Government initiatives include the formulation <strong>of</strong> theInformation Technology Policy 2000 and its subsequent revision in 2004, the passing <strong>of</strong> the ElectronicTransaction Act 2061 and the establishment <strong>of</strong> HLCIT. Private sector exporters are provided with VAT (ValueAdded Tax) exemption in the foreign currency earned (0 per cent VAT for s<strong>of</strong>tware export). There is a UNDPproject on ICT for Development. UNCTAD (2010) currently completed the policy review <strong>of</strong> the sector. 110 ADBis implementing a US$25 million project that is primarily addressing access to ICT services in rural areas<strong>of</strong> Nepal.The major institutions involved in the development <strong>of</strong> the IT sector in Nepal include the HLCIT, NationalInformation Technology Centre <strong>of</strong> Nepal, Nepal Academy <strong>of</strong> Science and Technology (NAST), ComputerAssociation <strong>of</strong> Nepal (CAN), Internet Service Provider Association <strong>of</strong> Nepal (ISPAN), IT Park 111 , and FNCCI.Prospect for Domestic Supply Conditions: There are prospect for adding new products like CAD, 3-D animationand developing s<strong>of</strong>tware for new sectors such as banks, transport and telecommunication R&D, better training,quality education and better internet connectivity could improve value addition.109See Artha Express, http://www.arthaexpress.com.np/news.php?ncat=9&nid=649. An optical fibre backbone has been laid across the EastWest Highway <strong>of</strong> Nepal and so the country has an optical fibre backbone in the entire length. The country is now connected to India throughfibre links via different connecting points and it is also now connected with China through a 110 km long optical fibre backbone, <strong>of</strong>feringNepal the leverage to establish a transit communication route between China and India. The fragmented effort <strong>of</strong> acquiring bandwidth frominternational network service providers is also responsible for increased cost <strong>of</strong> bandwidth.110According to the report, despite having lots <strong>of</strong> challenges and problems, Nepal has plenty <strong>of</strong> opportunities for local and export-oriented IT andcomputer services. The US, EU, Asia Pacific countries and Japan are the main export destinations.111Currently, the only IT park <strong>of</strong> Nepal is located at Banepa, which is an outskirt <strong>of</strong> Kathmandu. Due to the frequent strikes and blockade <strong>of</strong> roadand traffic, it is still not fully occupied. Recently, HLCIT signed an MoU with IBM, which has already established a research centre in the ITPark.NEPAL TRADE INTEGRATION STRATEGY 2010BACKGROUND REPORT103

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