Nepal Telecommunications Authority Directs Service Providers to Block Betting Apps

Kathmandu. The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has directed mobile and internet service providers to block betting applications.

NTA Spokesperson Min Prasad Aryal informed that the authority issued such a directive to all service providers while implementing point number 42 of the government's governance reform action plan.

According to him, the directive to implement the decision was received from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on Sunday itself. Aryal stated that a letter was immediately sent to implement the decision.

Confusion Over Which Sites to Block

Despite the directive, there is confusion regarding which websites to block. Neither has the government sent a specific list, nor has the authority named the specific websites to be blocked to the service providers.

Spokesperson Aryal mentioned that the NTA's monitoring division conducts oversight on this matter and will coordinate as necessary. 'The IP addresses of betting apps and their associated URLs must be identified. We have currently instructed to block all suspicious websites; there is no situation where specific names have been sent,' Aryal said.