Internet consumption increased by 33 percent in lockdown

Internet consumption increased by 33 percent in lockdown

Internet consumption in Nepal has increased by 33 percent due to the government's call for a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The figures were presented at a digital conference organized by the Technology Journalists Forum (TJF) on Tuesday.

Samit Jana Thing, chairman of Nepal Network Service Providers Group, said that domestic consumption has increased by 35 percent and external consumption by 25 percent. He said that 1486 gigabytes per second was consumed before the lockdown started and after the lockdown, it reached 1971 gigabytes per second.

Internet service providers add up to 2100 gigabytes per second, according to Thing. He said the downturn in the internet market, which normally grows at an average rate of 23 percent per year, has helped it achieve high growth in a short period.

Lockdown has seen an increase in the number of people watching movies on Netflix and running tickets at home, he said. He informed us that the consumption of the internet has doubled even in mobile gaming like Ludo. Meanwhile, Google, Facebook, and Amazon also have high rates of Internet use.

Director of the Nepal Telecommunication Authority, Vijay Kumar Roy, also said that the internet usage has increased by 36 percent in the first 10 days after the lockdown. He also said that international bandwidth consumption has increased by an average of 10 percent.

Lockdown has also stabilized Internet demand, Roy said. "Earlier in the day, there was a lot of demand at one time and a lot of demand at another time. But now there are no such fluctuations, 'he said,' but even now, between 8-10 pm, internet consumption reaches a high point. '

Where does the Internet come from?

Chairman Thing said that Bhairahawa is the main road to bring internet bandwidth in Nepal. He informed me that a lot of bandwidth will be imported from Birgunj after that. After that, the internet is also imported from Dhalkebar, Dhabi, and Tanakpur.

He said that despite an agreement with China to buy bandwidth through Rasuwagadhi, a large amount of bandwidth could not be imported from there. According to Thing, the risk of natural calamities has increased as the internet is brought from Rasuwagadhi.

"Avalanches and snowfall also cause fiber problems from time to time," he said. "Infrastructure is being constructed to bring water from Sindhupalchowk." With the opening of that border, trade with China could increase. '

 He said Internet service providers would be ready to import Chinese bandwidth if there was a facility to bring bandwidth from one checkpoint to another. However, he said that Nepali service providers have not been attracted as the Chinese internet is more expensive than in India.

Nepal is currently buying large quantities of the internet from India's Airtel and Tata. After that, Nepal also imports internet bandwidth from SIFI and many other companies. From China, Nepal Telecom is buying internet from China Telecom. According to Thing, Mercantile and WorldLink also consume less internet than companies like Alibaba and Baidu.

Rising consumption

Internet service providers say that up to 73 percent of the 2100 gigabytes per second internet available in Nepal is being consumed locally and internationally. The businessman said that most of the internet is being consumed only on Google and Facebook.

These two platforms use the Internet for 82 percent of domestic consumption and 56 percent of external consumption. Although there are more mobile internet users based on the number of users, wireless internet users are consuming only 11 percent of the total consumption.

Fixed Internet (WiFi), which is connected via wire, consumes 89 percent of the bandwidth, said, Chairman Thing. NEA Director Roy said mobile access has reached 126.70 percent of the country's population and internet access has reached 72.22 percent of the population. He said that access to mobile broadband has reached 56.14 percent and access to fixed broadband has reached only about 18 percent.

Customer interest

Internet service providers now say that about 80 percent of complaints are related to the quality of Wi-Fi. He said that the customers have been complaining about the slow speed and interruption of the internet due to network sharing.

However, there is a lack of a system to see how much bandwidth is coming to the consumer's router, said Chairman Thing. He said, "It is not possible to do this right now as it costs a lot to check the traffic every five minutes."

But the technical side of it is being worked on, ”he said.

However, he said that there was no denying that the internet would be shared. "We want to provide 25 Mbps internet for 8 people. Everyone gets 3 Mbps, 'he said,' but not everyone uses the internet at the same level at the same time, so one user is consuming 10-12 Mbps. '

He said Internet service providers already share bandwidth in this way and that it will be shared across multiple devices even when consumers use it at home. "If we don't distribute the internet like this, we can sell at such a cheap price No, 'he said.

Cheapest price

The price of the internet in the international market has come down drastically. NEA Director Roy said that the price of internet per megabit per month, which used to be  30, has now dropped to  6.

However, Nepali consumers have not been able to get the benefit of cheap internet bandwidth. Roy said that they would also discuss price adjustment in the Nepali market in line with the fall in international prices.

Policy initiatives

Director Roy said that Lockdown has further enhanced the importance of the Internet in Nepal and expressed the commitment of NEA to continue to take the lead in the implementation of the plans prepared by the Digital Nepal Framework. He said that NEA is regularly monitoring and improving the availability, access, price, and quality of the internet in Nepal.

He said that they have been conducting regular active monitoring to ensure that the internet service is not disrupted due to non-renewal even during the lockdown. He said that they are working on the availability of fifth-generation internet, internet facility in public places, use of internet in education and health, improvement of mobile service infrastructure.

How much internet comes to Nepal from China?

5.155 Gbps bandwidth is entering Nepal from China. According to the Telecommunication Authority of Nepal, Nepal Telecom is the regulatory body of the telecommunications sector, with Mercantile Communications, the largest provider of five Gbps and network and internet service provider, introducing 155 Mbps bandwidth.

The rest of the total 550 Gbps international internet bandwidth being consumed in Nepal is coming from India. Thus, the bandwidth coming from China is less than one percent.

Samit Jan Thing, Board of Directors of Nepal Internet Exchange (NPIX), informed that WorldLink is currently conducting tests to import bandwidth from Rasuwagadhi port in China. There are two checkpoints in the north for international bandwidth entry into Nepal from China.

Out of which, network infrastructures are under construction at Tatopani Naka and limited amount of bandwidth has been imported from Tatopani Naka for some years now.

According to Thing, who is also the chief technical officer of WorldLink, the main reason for the low bandwidth coming from China is that it is expensive to bring bandwidth through the mountainous terrain and difficult geography. He said service providers were not interested in importing more bandwidth from China because of the risk of avalanches and the fact that repairs would take longer if the fiber was cut.

However, he estimated that the bandwidth imported from China could increase in the future as one of the checkpoints could be used as the other checkpoints are under construction as the Tatopani checkpoint is also under construction.

Total bandwidth of 500 Gbps bandwidth was entering Nepal from both China and India. But with the increase in internet consumption due to logging, bandwidth imports have reached 550 Gbps. Thus, the import of bandwidth has increased by 10 percent due to lockdown.

In Kenya, Google is providing the Internet from a balloon

Agency. Google's subsidiary Loon has officially launched its commercial internet service in the Kenyan mountains. Loon has started to provide internet service in a separate style by flying balloons in the sky.

These balloons fly in the air above the earth's surface and act as cell service towers. This is the first time that Loon has been able to offer such a large amount of service using such isolated technology. Loon has launched the service in partnership with Kenya's local telecom service provider, Telecom Kenya.

The company is providing cellular services from its network in an area of ​​five thousand square kilometers. As the area is located in a mountainous area, the service providers were having difficulty in preparing the underground infrastructure.

Loon signed an agreement in 2019 to provide its first commercial service in Kenya. With the epidemic of Covid 19 spreading, the company's justification for this kind of effort has become even stronger.

Under this different technology of loon, 35 balloons will be flying in the target coverage area. The average internet speed available is up to 18.9 Mbps and the download speed is above 4.47 Mbps. It has a latency of 19 milliseconds. According to Loon, it can easily use voice calls, video calls, YouTube video streaming, WhatsApp.

Loon has been testing his services in Kenya since last year. The company was providing services to 35,000 customers during the trial period.

Before the recent commercial service began in 2017, Lun used its balloon technology as an emergency service in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

At present, Loon is providing its services in collaboration with commercial telecom companies in many remote areas of the world. Loon Alphabet is a subsidiary of Google.

Losing Sleep: What's the Solution?

Nishan Dahal (name change) from Kathmandu was preparing for the SEE exam. Jehendar students became very worried after he was abruptly postponed a day before the start of the exam. Many thoughts began to grow in my mind. When the exam was postponed, there was tension that his preparation was in the sand. Gradually, he began to lose sleep. Even though he felt sleepy, he started dreaming that the exam was bad. The dream of spoiling the exam still hampered his sleep. He could not read in the afternoon as he could not sleep in the evening. Three weeks ago, he took the same problem to TRIV Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj. There, psychiatrist Sagun Ballabh Pant, after listening to all his problems, taught him sleep hygiene and sent him for counseling. Also, if you come for follow-up in a week. When he came for a week-long follow-up, Pant said that he was fine.

A month ago, a 30-year-old man arrived at Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan with insomnia. Her relatives brought her to the hospital after she fell asleep, coughed and stayed up all night. The doctor found out that he was suffering from mental illness due to excessive smoking and alcoholism during the lockdown. Earlier, he had taken medicine due to mental problems but stopped eating due to lockdown. The doctors then started giving her low-dose medication. After taking the medicine, his health condition is now normal.

Lockdown has disrupted most people's daily activities. According to psychiatrists, long-term homeowners have been forced to stay indoors, and business and employment have come to a standstill. Most people have problems with insomnia. A similar problem was seen with Krishnaman Dangol (name change) of Maharajgunj. Krishnaman is a businessman. After the closure of the shop due to the lockdown, the trade deficit, rent and other stress began to bother him. Gradually I stopped falling asleep. He did not sleep all night for a week. He went to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, as he could not sleep all night. The doctor found out that he had trouble sleeping due to the stress caused by the suspension of his business. After that, he was given sleeping pills for 10 days and also sent to Slip Hygiene. He took medicine for 10 days and after taking measures of sleep hygiene, he started falling asleep.

During the lockdown, psychiatrist Dr. Sunil Sah was called by a woman from an aristocratic family. The woman has just retired from government service. Her children are in the United States. Here, only husband and wife living alone at home, he began to feel annoyed. Also, the epidemic of Covid-19, which has spread all over the world, is spreading like wildfire in the United States at this time. As a result, he began to worry that his own children might be infected with Covid-19. The same anxiety stopped him from falling asleep. Gradually, problems such as increased heart rate, depression, and loneliness began to appear. After that, Sah gave psychological counseling to the woman and advised her to do morning walk, yoga, meditation around the house and stay in regular contact with the family. In addition, short-term sedatives were used. Even now he is Dr. She is in touch with Sah. Sah says his health condition has returned to normal.

Bhuvan Manandhar (name change) of Kathmandu was planning to build a house and move to a new one by Baishakh. But his house is now in a state of disrepair due to an accidental fire. There are still worries about the home being incomplete, the children's school is closed and they are worried about their future. One worry after another prevented him from getting a good night's sleep. After sleeping for 2/3 hours, I started waking up in a daze and spent the night in a hurry. He also went to psychologist Karuna Kunwar as the problems like feeling pain in the body, loss of appetite and feeling of being held hostage inside the house were increasing day by day. Kunwar advised her. The 55-year-old man is still in regular contact with Kunwar. According to Kunwar, the effect of the same consultation is that she has returned to normal.

The above example shows that along with the fear of Kovid-19, people have started to suffer from insomnia due to social, economic and domestic tensions. During this period, many people come to the hospital with insomnia. Ananta Prasad Adhikari explains. "Every day, 60 to 70 percent of people come to the hospital with insomnia," he says. According to the official, there are various reasons for not getting enough sleep. Among them stress, anxiety, fatigue and eating are the main factors.

If a person suffers from insomnia three days a week for more than three months, it is called insomnia. Insomnia is a once-in-a-lifetime problem. Sagunballabh Pant explains. "Insomnia is normal if you only have problems with sleep," he says. "According to various studies, 30 percent of the world's population has insomnia at some point." Insomnia is especially stressful. At present, insomnia is caused by problems such as lockdown, behavioral problems, mental illness, physical problems, traumatic events in life, and foreign employment. According to psychiatrists, the global epidemic of Kovid-19 is causing an increase in the number of insomnia patients worldwide.

Psychologist Karuna Kunwar says that sleep disorders are not the same for all people. "Some people have insomnia because they can't sleep after going to bed, they wake up in between, they always wake up at the same time and then they can't sleep, they can't sleep all night because of the same worries," she says. We can live, but if we stay awake for a week, we will die. '

People don't have any other mental problems, they don't have stress, but if they have dizziness after sleeping, they will have problems with sleep. Pant explains. "People who are drowsy tend to be asleep, but sometimes they wake up and have trouble sleeping," he says. He also says that people who smoke, drink alcohol, or use other drugs are more likely to have trouble sleeping. "Initially, a person who is addicted to drugs experiences a good night's sleep," he says, "but gradually he develops sleep problems, which in turn leads to sleep deprivation and later addiction." The psychiatrist who started appearing, Dr. Sunil Sah explains. "In the past, people used to work on a schedule," he says.

Thus, regular sleep disorders can lead to a variety of physical and mental illnesses. Heart disease is more likely to be seen in the future, especially in people who are sleep deprived for a long time. Lord Koirala explains. "Insomnia is especially associated with stress, which can cause a person to feel a sudden increase in heart rate," he says.

Health problems caused by insomnia

Sleep is very important for a healthy body. Psychiatrists say that long-term sleep deprivation can lead to physical and mental retardation. Prolonged insomnia can lead to severe mental illness in the future. The official explains. "Insomnia is a disease in itself," he says.

Also, due to insomnia, the body's immune system decreases. Pant explains. "Insomnia lowers the body's immune system and can cause digestive problems and gastric problems," he said. Insomnia can also lead to fatigue, memory loss, lack of focus, diabetes, high blood pressure, and loss of sexual energy.

How many hours of sleep in which age group?

Psychiatrists say that quality sleep is more important than sleep. Children have more sleep time than adolescents and adults. Pant explains. "Sleep time decreases with age," he says. "Children under the age of five have more sleep time than other age groups." There have been various studies on sleep. A study by the National Sleep Foundation of the United States on how many hours a person sleeps in which age group is as follows:

3 months from day one: 14 to 17 hours

4 to 11 months: 12 to 15 hours

1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours

3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours

6 to 13 years: 9 to 11 hours

14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours

18 to 25 years: 7 to 9 hours

26 to 64 years: 7 to 9 hours

Over 65 years: 7 to 8 hours

What to do for a good night's sleep?

Psychiatrist Dr. You can go through this link to watch the informative video given by Sagun Ballabh Pant on what kind of problem is seen while hiding the mental problem.

- Sleep and get up at the same time

- If you have a habit of sleeping in the afternoon, remove it

- Regular physical exercise, to exercise

- Not to consume drugs such as smoking and alcohol

- Go to bed only while sleeping

- Turn off mobiles, laptops, televisions, etc. half an hour before going to bed

- Do not drink a lot of water at night while sleeping

- Eat 2 hours before going to bed

- If you do not fall asleep at bedtime, leave the bed or read a book in dim light or do any other work, fall asleep as soon as you fall asleep.

- If you concentrate your mind by taking deep slow breaths, you will feel sleepy

- Establish a habit before going to sleep. Such as brushing teeth, washing hands and feet, etc.

- Get in the habit of sleeping wearing certain clothes

- Consult a psychiatrist if you do not feel sleepy even after doing all the above activities

Google collects more data than you think, how to view, delete, and block?

You may not know that Google collects more of your personal data than you think. Google keeps a record of every video you watch and every video you watch on YouTube.

Whether you use the iPhone or Android. Even if you don't open Google Maps, it will follow you everywhere. You will be amazed if Google finds out about you.

But don't worry, there are some things you can do to help Google. The company said it would automatically delete the personal data of new Google Account users. But by default, it is only possible after 18 months.

If you are a new user of Google and are creating a Google account for the first time or have just purchased an Android phone, you can also take advantage of the latest announcement from Google.

But if you are using an old Google account or running an old Android phone, you should be deprived of this feature of Google.

Today we're going to teach you how to access and delete your data from Google. We'll also talk about some important settings on how to strike a balance between using Google's services and protecting your privacy.

What information does Google make public?

Google is likely to know your name, age, gender, your face, the email address used, password, and phone number. Some of these are public information, some are highly personal.

Now follow these steps to find out what Google shares about you with the rest of the world.

Click here to go to your Google Account.

If not logged in, type your Google username and password.

Select Personal Info from the menu bar and see the information there. Once there, you can even change your photo, name, birthday, gender, password, email, and phone numbers.

If you want to see what information has been made public about you, scroll down to the Go to About Me.

There are three types of people who can see your details on the page. One is visible to all, the other is visible to the organization you work for, and the other is visible to you. You can see how this information is kept public and confidential.

But you currently have no way to keep your account completely confidential. However, Google has said it will use a privacy control dashboard for mobile devices and desktop browsers.

Here's how Google has recorded your online activity

If you want to see what data Google has collected, follow the procedure below.

From there, you can get a record of your online activity, review it, delete it, or set it to automatically delete it within a certain period.

Sign in to your Google Account by clicking here and select Data & Personalization from the navigation bar there.

If you want to see your activity recorded by Google, scroll down to the place where Activity Control is written and select the Web and App Activity under it, and go to Manage Activity. There you can find all of your Google searches, YouTube View History, Google Assistant Command, and all the interactions recorded by Google Apps and Services.

To turn it off completely, go to the Knit Saving Activity at the beginning and put the Web and App Activity Toggle (button) in the off position. But beware, changing this setting can make the Google Assistant devices you are using, such as Google Home and Google Nest smart speakers and displays, virtually useless.

If you want Google to stop tracking sites signed in using your Chrome browser history and Google Accounts, uncheck the first box. If you do not want Google to record the audio of your conversation with Google Assistant, uncheck the second box or follow the fifth step.

If you want Google to delete such data manually or delete it every 18 days, select Auto Delete and select the time step you want. Google will then immediately delete data that is older than you set. For example, if you select three months, your data older than that will be automatically deleted.

Once you have selected the Auto-Delete setting a popup will appear on your screen and it will ask you to confirm. Then select Confirm.

Click Manage Activity. In it, you can find all your data and statistics collected by Google, including the date. All records from the first day you created your account are there.

To delete data on a specific day, select the trash can icon to the right of the corresponding day and then select Got It To get more specialized data or doing it one by one To delete, select the three dots next to that item and select Delete or Detail.

If you want to manually delete part or all of your history, select the three-dotted icon at the top right of the search bar at the top of the page. Then select Delete Activity according to the time option available there.

To see if your new settings work, go back to the Manage Activities Step 4 directory.

Access the Google records in your location history

The most frightening situation comes when Google keeps an eye on your every move. Once you sign in to Google Maps on your mobile device, you realize that you are being monitored by someone every day.

Now you have no choice but to throw the phone away. But if you follow certain procedures, you can access and manage or delete Google Maps data.

Sign in to your Google Account by clicking here and select Data & Personalization from the navigation bar.

To view your location data recorded by Google, scroll to Activity Control, and select Location History.

If you want Google to stop tracking your location, turn off the toggle on the page, scroll down, and click Pause.

If you want Google to delete such data or delete it every 18, select Auto Delete and select the time frame that suits you. Google will then immediately delete data that is older than you set. For example, if you select three months, data older than that will be automatically deleted.

Once you have selected the Auto-Delete setting a popup will appear on your screen and it will ask you to confirm. Then select Delete or Confirm.

To permanently delete all of your location histories, click the Trace Can icon in the lower right corner and then select Delete Location History that appears. To delete the location of each trip one by one, select the dot in the timeline map or bar, and on the next page click on the Trays Can icon next to the date of the trip you want to delete.

To make sure your location data is deleted or not, start with the second process of Activity Control and continue with the fourth step of Managing Activities. You can see it by opening the timeline in the upper left corner. Also, you will not see any dot on the map showing any of your previous locations.

Here's how to manage YouTube search and watch history

YouTube Search and Watch History is one of the records that Google tracks. Compared to other records, it is not so harmful. Instead, you can benefit from it.

With the help of YouTube's Watch History, Google knows your choice and sends you the video you want. However, if you want to delete such history, we are also teaching you that method.

First, sign in to your Google Account by clicking here and selecting the Data & Personalization navigation bar.

If you want to see all the YouTube data recorded by Google, scroll down to Activity Control, and select YouTube History.

If Google wants to completely remove your YouTube search and view history, turn off the toggle on that page. If you only want to delete the watched video or search, uncheck the Appropriation box.

If you want to automatically delete all of your YouTube data in Google in 18 months or less, select Auto Delete and choose the option you want. Doing so will erase all records older than the time you set. For example, if you select three months, all records older than three months will be deleted.

Once you have selected the Auto-Delete setting, a pop up will appear and prompt you to confirm. Select Confirm there.

Click Manage Activities. Here's a list of all the videos you've watched and searched for.

To delete a record for a specific day, select the Trace Can icon to the right of the date. Then select Gut It. Select the three-dotted icon to get more specific details or to delete individual items. Then select Delete or Detail.

If you want to delete all records or only certain parts of your history, select the three-dot icon at the top right of the search bar at the top of the page. Then select Delete Activity By and select the time you like.

You can start with Activity Control as taught in the second step to determine if YouTube's recorded data has been deleted. Then go to Manage Activities and see the topics you deleted.

Another important thing about privacy

Don't be under the illusion that Google's access to your data is completely blocked by setting up Google to prevent you from tracking your online or offline activity.

Google even when the user turns off their location service