Rs 751 to Rs 905 overnight: why your WiFi bill just went up in Nepal (and the bigger hike coming)

The renewal SMS came on a Sunday. My cousin in Kirtipur had paid Rs 751 a month for a 20 Mbps Subisu plan for two years, enough for two phones, a laptop and the occasional football stream. On Monday that plan no longer existed. The cheapest thing on offer was 50 Mbps at Rs 905.

That is Rs 154 a month more, or Rs 1,848 a year, for speed nobody in the house asked for. It is also not the price rise the news has been talking about. That one, if it is approved, could be much bigger.

What changed on Asoj 19

ISPAN announced on 2 October that member ISPs would stop selling packages below 50 Mbps. Its president, Sudhir Parajuli, said those packages "were sold at very low prices through unhealthy competition." The rule applies to new connections and renewals.

Here is what it did to the big three's entry prices, as reported by Clickmandu:

Percentages and yearly totals are my arithmetic on the reported prices. Clickmandu is the only outlet I found with per-ISP figures, so check your own ISP's site before relying on them.

The biggest jumps are at the bottom of the market. Smaller ISPs had been selling 10 to 30 Mbps plans for Rs 500 to 700 a month. Those households now need a 50 Mbps plan at least. A household moving from a Rs 500 plan to about Rs 905 pays roughly 80% more.

The reasons ISPAN gave

According to Online Khabar, ISPAN pointed to a year of rising costs:

• fuel prices pushed up by tensions in the Middle East
• more expensive optical fibre
• high inflation
• electronics and chipset prices driven up by AI demand

A second reason runs through the reporting. Some providers were selling below the tariffs NTA had approved, and some were skipping VAT invoices. ISPAN's statement also told ISPs to display their approved tariffs on their websites, and told customers to ask for a VAT bill.

ISPAN did not mention two things that are also true. NEA raised pole and fibre rent by 5.85% from Bhadra 2082, to Rs 33,872 per core per km per year. And the rupee has weakened: NRB's dollar buying rate was Rs 141.74 on 5 October 2025 and Rs 153.81 a year later, per NRB's forex data. Both raise costs for ISPs, but neither was given as a reason this time.

For a sense of how inflation has eaten into salaries over the same years, see what inflation is doing to a Rs 50,000 salary.

Not the first time the cheap plans vanished

Nepal's ISPs have raised prices in this way before. The headline price stays the same while the cheapest options disappear.

The tariff range NTA approved in 2024 runs down to 20 Mbps, and I found no NTA floor price. Ending the sub-50 Mbps plans was ISPAN's decision, not a regulatory requirement.

The bigger hike that may follow

This is a separate story with much bigger numbers. On 22 September the Supreme Court ruled against four ISPs that had been charging the 10% telecom service charge on only half of each bill. WorldLink's CEO says fixed broadband prices will rise at least 50%, possibly 100% as a result.

On a Rs 950 plan, those figures mean Rs 1,425 or Rs 1,900 a month. The tax change on its own justifies about 5%. The rest would be ISPs recovering back-dues from customers. The full arithmetic is in the Rs 30 billion tax bill post.

What stops it for now is the regulator. NTA spokesperson Meen Prasad Aryal said no provider can raise charges arbitrarily without approval under Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2053. Nepali reports say NTA had not even received formal notice of the sub-50 Mbps decision.

Is Nepal Telecom FTTH the escape route?

Not at the entry level. The NTC FTTH tariff page lists tax-inclusive prices:

NTC's monthly floor is Rs 1,150, well above Rs 905 to 951 for a private 50 Mbps plan. Its argument is speed per rupee and the annual price. A Rs 9,499 annual plan works out to about Rs 792 a month (my division), but check which speed that plan includes before comparing it with anything.

Comparing NTC with private ISPs is only fair on the same basis. NTC's figures include tax; the private prices in the first table may not. Ask the ISP for the final amount including VAT and TSC.

What you can actually do

• Don't renew blindly. Your current plan keeps running. Before renewing, check the 50 Mbps price at two or three ISPs and NTC's annual plan, using tax-inclusive figures.
• Ask for a VAT bill. ISPAN itself has told customers to. It also makes your payment eligible for the bill lottery.
• Hold the ISP to its published tariff. ISPs have been told to display NTA-approved tariffs on their websites. If you are charged more, complain on the ISP's toll-free line (198 for NTC FTTH), then to NTA.
• Budget for a second increase. If even a 50% hike on a Rs 950 plan is approved, that is Rs 5,700 more a year. Put it in your fixed-cost budget now, next to the NEA bill, rather than finding it in your account later. The hidden subscriptions audit is a good moment to check this.

What you actually need to know

The 5 October change is a floor, not a rate increase. Plans below 50 Mbps are gone, and the cheapest private plans now cost about Rs 905 to Rs 951 a month. If you were at the bottom of the market, your bill rises at renewal.

The threatened 50 to 100% increase is a separate fight over back-taxes. It does not exist until NTA approves a new tariff.

Got a renewal quote that doesn't match the table? Send it to parjanya57@gmail.com.

This post is part of the Nepal Money Basics guide — the save-the-gap section.