3G goes Mt. Everest

ncell-mt-everest-3G Ncell’s 3G network in the Mt. Everest area has made the top of the world easily accessible by the mobile network. The mobile station is located at 5,200 meter above the sea level. The new service is expected to help the Tourism Year 2011 in the positive way.

It has only been a month since Ncell started 3G services in Nepal. The service was established in association with TeliaSonera Mobile Networks. TeliaSonera has also setup a 3G network in a mine in Sweden some 1,400 m below the sea level.

Mobile network Mero Mobile was renamed Ncell on 12th March 2010. Ncell is the only company offering 3G network and BlackBerry mobile sets in Nepal.

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Internet control front – Public decency and courtesy

Guest writer: Lakshya Humagain

It was much easier in the olden days when the Government controlled everything. The equation has changed drastically with the recent advancement in communication and electronics. The phone, newspapers, radio, movies, television, post letters were much easier to control. In this internet-age, although all of these services can now be embraced in a single device, a computer; it is much more difficult to control.

There are always problem when government seeks control on one of these communication media. Countries like US and China are effectively controlling these media but, when it comes to the poor countries, like Nepal, it is not that easy.

The recent attempt of the Nepali government to control internet can be seen as one of the desperate attempts to control communication of its citizen. The only, and the most palatable front to start internet control was "public decency and courtesy" issue. They know, society can digest the argument and there will be less resistance on such control. The idea however is not original, and was widely practiced during the 1980s feminists and conservatives’ attempt to raise the issues of morality and public safety. Their argument, hard-core erotica promotes sexual violence against women, was proved to be flawed! In a paper (download pdf) presented at Stanford Law School, Clemson University economist, Todd Kendall, suggest that p0rn sites help potential rapists to relieve their sexual urges and do less crimes. Meaning, such sites actually decreases sexual violence.

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