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For years, Nepal depended on Indian telecom companies, such as
Bharti Airtel and Tata Communications Ltd, for access to the
worldwide web, which Nepali officials said made connections
vulnerable to network failures.
Nepal Telecom and China Telecom Global launched their services
after they wrapped up the laying of optical fiber cables between
Kerung in China and Rasuwagadi in Nepal, about 50 km (30 miles)
north of Kathmandu, the companies said.
"This will give us an alternative to India for cyber
connectivity and ensure uninterrupted connections," Pratibha
Vaidya, a Nepal Telecom spokeswoman, told Reuters.
"Consumers can now look forward to a reliable service."
More than 60 percent of Nepal's 28 million people had access to
the internet last year, up from just 19 percent in 2012.
Both Asian giants China and India have been jostling to increase
their influence in Nepal, a natural buffer separating them, by
ramping up their investments in roads and hydropower projects in
the impoverished country.
In 2016, Beijing agreed to allow Nepal to use its ports to trade
goods with third countries, ending the latter's sole dependence
on India for overland trade.
Nepal last year joined the Belt and Road Initiative, which is
China's effort to develop a modern "Silk Road" connecting Asia
with Europe, Middle East and Africa by road, railway, sea and
air.
As part of the initiative, Nepali officials say they are in
talks with Beijing over the extension of the Chinese railway
network into Nepal from Tibet.
(Editing by Aditya Kalra and Clarence Fernandez)
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