Should I choose Nepal Telecom's ADSL?

(Image: NTC Website)

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the broadband communication technology which provides high speed internet access over the conventional telephone lines. Nepal Telecom is the only company which provides this service in Nepal upto now.

Since the services like the internet depend upon various factors, I don’t recommend you which service is the best. However, I can help you choose the best one for you by providing as much details as I can about these services and what are the things you should consider while purchasing these types of services. Below I have written some facts which I experienced while using Nepal Telecom's ADSL Internet Service.

Choose ADSL if

• You have to share internet in 2 or more devices like computers, tablets and smartphones – enhanced mobile phones, etc and you need one cheap solution. ADSL is very suitable for Wired as well as Wireless sharing on multiple devices and all it costs is NRs. 1017 per month (including tax as well) for 128 Kbps speed, and that’s the minimum in terms of both price and speed. You can choose faster service for higher price.
• Your house is not more than 4 kilometers away from NTC’s tower. ADSL gets slower as its distance from NTC increases. Therefore, you should make sure that you are not too far away from NTC offices. One of the best ways of ensuring that ADSL works in your area is by checking if anyone is using ADSL in your neighborhood. You can even ask about the status of the service with them. If they are using it without any problem then you may as well purchase it.
• You can bear occasional disturbances in the service. It’s alright for home use.

However, don’t choose ADSL if

• You want to purchase cheap internet service for a single device. There are a lot of wi-fi providers nowadays, including the Broadlink Wi-fi and techminds. If they are available in your area they are a bit cheaper but work only on a single device at a time.
• You have enough money to spend on reliable internet services provided by private companies like Worldlink.
• Any better alternatives are available at your place.

My Experience with ADSL

I have used ADSL at two places: Kathmandu and Chitwan. At Kathmandu it was fast, reliable and the overall performance was quite good most of the time. I used it for 4 months there. During the whole time the download speed was constant at 15 KB per second (128 kbps). So, it worked at full speed almost all the time.

However, at Chitwan I used it for almost a year and the experience has been just okay. It occasionally becomes slow and don’t work for a certain period of time. However, it’s tolerable and you will learn to adapt with it as the time passes. It might not be your choice if you need uninterrupted internet access, however, for most of us who don't do anything serious over the internet it can be a cheap and affordable way to go online. I would recommend you to stick with it if it works fine most of the time. However, the ultimate decision should be yours depending upon your specific needs.

For more information, visit NTC's website and learn all the alternatives available for you.