Nepal Moves Closer to 5G Auction After more than a year of delay, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has forwarded the long-pending 5G frequency auction proposal to the Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology for final approval. Once the ministry makes a policy-level decision, the NTA will publish the auction notice, allowing eligible telecom operators to bid. The regulator has already prepared the auction framework, adopting technology neutrality in the 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, meaning operators may use the spectrum for either 4G or 5G services. Nepal Telecom (NT), which has struggled to launch 5G since its first plan in 2021, has now finalized its internal rollout modalities. It may deploy either a non-standalone network using existing Huawei-based 4G infrastructure or a standalone network requiring new procurement. NT has also asked the regulator for 80 MHz of spectrum free of cost. Despite rising demand driven by AI applications and 5G-ready devices, experts warn that Nepal’s economy, low device penetration, and limited consumer data use pose major challenges. Operators estimate that nationwide 5G deployment would require Rs50–60 billion and argue that the government must waive or significantly reduce spectrum fees to make adoption feasible. | | | PCN Takes Action Against 48 Social Media Platforms The Press Council Nepal has initiated legal action against 48 social media platforms, including YouTube channels and Facebook pages, for violating the Journalists’ Code of Ethics. In a statement released on 26 November 2025, the Council said these platforms were under scrutiny for spreading content that incites violence, fear, and rumors, posing risks to social stability. During a period of special monitoring, the Council found that the platforms were transmitting obscene, provocative, false, baseless, and socially destabilizing material. The repeated violations prompted the regulatory action, signaling the Council’s commitment to uphold ethical standards in journalism and hold online platforms accountable for content that can negatively impact society. MOICS Implements Paperless System (GIOMS)
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has launched the Government Integrated Office Management System (GIOMS) to move towards paperless operations. Starting 2 December 2025 all registration, dispatch, and review tasks within the ministry will be conducted electronically.
As reported GIOMS allows ministry staff to register letters, handle correspondence, and make decisions without physically moving files. Letters received are automatically registered and sent to the office head’s account. For physical letters, documents are scanned before registration, with special procedures for confidential or highly confidential letters. Scanned documents are attached in GIOMS, registered with details such as date, subject, and sender, and QR-coded for tracking. Hard copies are then filed sequentially by registration number. Overall, GIOMS is expected to make ministry operations faster, more cost-effective, and efficient while reducing reliance on physical paperwork. Study Finds Irregularities in Nepal Telecom’s Billing Procurement
A government study committee has found major irregularities in the procurement of Nepal Telecom’s billing system, concluding that the process violated the Public Procurement Act and favored a specific company. The committee reported that the technical specifications such as requiring Intel’s Xeon Platinum 8000 series processors, already marked for phase out were tailored to benefit one manufacturer, limiting fair competition.
The report also criticized Telecom for bundling hardware and software related requirements in a way that excluded many eligible bidders, and for forming an evaluation committee without senior, legal, or accounting staff. Following these findings, Communications Minister Jagadish Kharel has put the procurement process on hold, leaving the future of the billing system contract uncertain. EC Completes Voter Registration for March 2026 Elections
The Election Commission has completed its voter registration drive for the House of Representatives election scheduled for 5 March 2026, adding a total of 837,094 new voters nationwide. The registration deadline, originally set for 16 November 2025, was extended to 21 November 2025 due to high demand and requests from various stakeholders. With the extended deadline now expired, the registration process has officially closed. According to the Commission, 344,914 people registered through the traditional biometric system, while 492,180 registered using their national identity cards since the service began on 12 November. The data shows that national ID–based registration saw significantly higher participation in a short period compared to biometric registration. Integrated Data Center in Kohalpur Nears Completion
The construction of the integrated data center in Loknagar, Kohalpur, Banke, has reached 96 percent completion. Developed at a cost of Rs 460 million, the center will operate as a regional office under the federal government’s Registration Department and will provide services across Lumbini Province. Built on one bigha of land, the main building is designed to function as a modern data center, equipped with essential components such as servers, storage systems, networking equipment, cooling mechanisms, power supply units, and security systems to enable secure data storage and processing. EU Parliament Backs Minimum Social Media Age of 16
The European Parliament has called for a minimum age of 16 for minors to access social media without parental consent. Lawmakers also urged holding tech CEOs, including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, personally liable if their platforms repeatedly violate EU rules on child protection. Citing growing concerns about social media’s impact on youth, the Parliament voted 483–92 to urge the European Commission to introduce uniform age-verification standards across the bloc. Some right-leaning groups opposed the move, arguing it oversteps EU authority. The report, led by MEP Christel Schaldemose, is expected to guide upcoming legislation, including revisions to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and the proposed Digital Fairness Act. | | | Digital Rights School 2025 Empowers CSOs for Safer Digital Practices
Digital Rights Nepal successfully concluded the Bagmati edition of the Digital Rights School (DRS) 2025 on November 26–27, hosting 30 civil society participants for two days of interactive learning and collaboration. This year’s CSO-focused format aimed to strengthen digital resilience, institutional safety, and advocacy for a rights-based digital environment.
The curriculum covered digital rights, access and inclusion, online freedom of expression, privacy and data protection, information integrity, cybercrime, and online safety. With the conclusion of Bagmati’s session, DRS 2025 has wrapped up nationwide, following similar sessions in Surkhet for Karnali Province and Pokhara for Gandaki Province, which collectively empowered 90 CSO members.
Building on the 2024 program, which trained over 210 participants nationwide, DRS 2025 emphasized aligning national legal frameworks with global human rights standards, equipping participants to recognize online threats, combat digital violence and censorship, and adopt safer digital practices in their work. | | | November 25 marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
This year’s theme, “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” resonates deeply with work that we have been doing. Online spaces continue to mirror and often amplify existing inequalities, including caste-based discrimination, hate speech, harassment, and exclusion.
Our ongoing monitoring of digital spaces in Nepal shows that digital violence in Nepal disproportionately impacts women, girls, and marginalized communities.
DRN stands in solidarity to promote safety, dignity, and justice online. ✨
#16Days #EndDigitalViolence #DigitalRightsNepal #NoExcuses |  | | | Digital Rights Weekly is a week-based update on Digital Rights and ICT issues, that happened throughout the week, compiled and analyzed from the digital rights perspective by Digital Rights Nepal (DRN). DRN is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to the protection and promotion of digital rights, including the right to online freedom of expression and association, online privacy, access to information, and related issues such as internet governance, cyber laws/policies, and cyber securities in Nepal. | | | | |
