Even FTTH Fails To Halt Decline Of Landline Phone Market
पुस २४, २०८२ १३:१४
Kathmandu: Even fiber-based technology has failed to revive the landline telephone market operated by Nepal Telecom. Although the company has upgraded its old copper network to FTTH, which delivers internet, IPTV, and voice through a single fiber cable, landline usage continues to decline.
Telecommunication services in Nepal began in 1916 with the installation of the first telephone line in Kathmandu. Landline services dominated communication for decades. However, their relevance has steadily declined with the rise of mobile technology.
According to available data, Nepal Telecom had 379,235 landline subscribers in Kartik 2060 BS. The number continued to grow and crossed 685,000 nationwide by 2074 BS. Data from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority shows that the number of PSTN subscribers peaked at 689,373 in Chaitra 2074, just before FTTH voice services were introduced.
As technology shifted, Nepal Telecom began migrating PSTN services from copper wires to fiber cables. With this forced migration to FTTH, the number of PSTN customers started to drop sharply.
By December 2077 BS, PSTN users had fallen to just 66,857. This was a dramatic decline from nearly 700,000 users only three years earlier. The company had expected FTTH expansion to revive landline usage.
From January 2077 BS, the Telecommunications Authority began recording FTTH voice users separately. As of Magh 2077, total landline users stood at 693,248, including 598,608 PSTN users and 94,640 FTTH voice users.
Compared to Poush 2077, landline users increased by 14.23 percent in Magh after combining PSTN and FTTH voice data. This was the highest recorded number of landline users. However, over the next five years, the number dropped by nearly 40 percent, falling sharply by Mangsir 2082.
As of Mangsir 2082, PSTN users had declined to just 32,041. FTTH voice users stood at 382,273, taking the total FTTH landline figure to 414,314.
Nepal Telecom Deputy Manager and Joint Spokesperson Prakshet Thapa Chhetri said the decline does not mean customers have stopped using Telecom’s services altogether. He said users have shifted due to service diversification.
“Mobile services have become extremely popular and more convenient than landlines,” Chhetri told Tekpana. “Another reason is the mandatory monthly rental fee for landlines, even when they are not used. Many users prefer mobile services where they can recharge only when needed.”
He added that landlines were once necessary for ADSL internet. “With FTTH, users can access the internet without subscribing to voice services. That has also contributed to the decline in landline users,” he said.
Chhetri said more than 770,000 customers are currently using data, voice, and IPTV services through FTTH. He stressed that the decline reflects a shift in usage patterns rather than a loss of customers from Nepal Telecom’s network.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: पुस २४, २०८२ १३:१४
