Telecommunications and National Digital Policies

Telecommunications Policy, 2060

The policy’s central aim is an environment in which reliable and affordable telecommunications becomes universally accessible and supports Nepal’s social and economic development. Its main directions are:

1. universal access across geographic and social groups;

2. private-sector participation and investment;

3. fair competition in a liberalized market;

4. rural expansion supported by the RTDF;

5. a capable and independent regulator;

6. better quality of service and appropriate modern technology; and

7. use of telecommunications to reduce the digital divide and advance development.

Policy–law connection: The policy expresses direction; the Telecommunications Act, Regulation, licenses, directives, and institutional decisions provide legal and operational mechanisms such as NTA and the RTDF.

Digital Nepal Framework, 2076 (2019)

The Digital Nepal Framework is MoCIT’s national digital-transformation roadmap, summarized as one nation, eight sectors, 80 digital initiatives. It seeks both economic growth and solutions to social and public-service problems.

The 1–8–80 structure of the Digital Nepal Framework

Sector	Illustrative initiatives
Digital foundation	Broadband, data centers, digital identity, platforms, interoperability, and digital payments
Agriculture	Farm data, smart agriculture, extension, traceability, and e-markets
Health	Telemedicine, digital records, surveillance, and health information
Education	Digital content, learning platforms, classrooms, and skills
Energy	Smart grid, metering, analytics, and efficient system operation
Tourism	Digital promotion, information, booking, e-visa, and smart destinations
Finance	Digital payments, fintech, inclusion, and data-enabled services
Urban infrastructure	Smart governance, transport, utilities, planning, and services

Eight sectors of the Digital Nepal Framework

Its significance lies in cross-sector transformation: connectivity alone is not enough. Identity, payments, data governance, interoperability, cyber security, skills, institutions, and service redesign must operate together.

ICT Policy, 2072 (2015)

The policy vision is to transform Nepal into an information- and knowledge-based society and economy. Its mission is to create conditions for intensified ICT sector growth as a driver of socio-economic development.

Policy target	Original stated goal
Digital literacy	At least 75% of the population
Broadband access	Reach 90% of the population
ICT contribution to GDP	At least 7.5%
e-Governance	Expand digital public-service delivery
Employment	Generate ICT-sector jobs and capability

Targets stated in the ICT Policy 2072 source summary

These are policy targets, not claims that the values have been achieved today. The policy helped frame broadband expansion, e-governance, digital skills, and ICT-industry development and preceded the broader Digital Nepal Framework.

National Cyber Security Policy, 2080 (2023)

The policy seeks a safe, secure, and resilient cyberspace supported by legal, institutional, technical, and human-capacity arrangements. Its central themes are:

1. protection of national critical information infrastructure (CII);

2. prevention, detection, response, recovery, and continuity capability;

3. establishment and operation of a National Cyber Security Centre;

4. skilled human resources, awareness, research, and professional development;

5. reliable and secure digital public and private services;

6. coordination among government, security, regulators, finance, operators, academia, and the private sector; and

7. bilateral, regional, and international cooperation against cross-border risk.

The source describes an implementation committee coordinated through MoCIT’s IT leadership and involving institutions such as NTA, Nepal Rastra Bank, security agencies, and technical experts. Exact committee composition and the operational status of institutions should be checked against the current policy, implementation instruments, and government decisions.

Note

Key Point — CII security objective

Critical infrastructure protection must preserve confidentiality where needed, but its defining operational priorities often include integrity, availability, safety, resilience, incident response, and service continuity at national scale.

How the Instruments Fit Together

Instrument	Primary role
Telecommunications Act 2053 and
Regulation 2054	Creates the regulator and binding sector mechanisms for licensing, service, spectrum-related work, tariffs, RTDF, enforcement, and appeal
Telecommunications
Policy 2060	Sets liberalization, competition, universal access, quality, and rural-development direction
ICT Policy 2072	Frames ICT-sector growth, literacy, broadband, e-governance, and knowledge-society objectives
Digital Nepal Framework 2076	Organizes 80 cross-sector transformation initiatives across eight sectors
National Cyber Security Policy 2080	Adds coordinated protection, resilience, institutions, capability, and CII priorities
Periodic plans and annual programmes	Convert longer-term policy into time-bound priorities, projects, budgets, and indicators

Policy stack from sector access to digital resilience