Feature: Nepal's annual information technology expo draws massive crowds

Hundreds of people have descended on Kathmandu's usual exhibition hall where the 22nd edition of the mega exposition on information technology is taking place.

With the numbers comprising a majority of young information technology enthusiasts, the annual expo has emerged as one of the largest crowd pullers in recent years here. The popular expo began on Friday and will finish on Feb. 3.

One young attendee, Suman Dura, a business administration student said, "As it is my first ever visit to the expo, I am exploring many new things."

The six-day expo is showcasing a wide range of goods and services related to information and communications technologies (ICT) under a single umbrella comprising 180 booths.

Deepak Sundas, a student of engineering, found the expo important, not only to observe the latest technologies, but also to purchase them, with traders selling their goods and services at discounted rates.

Both domestic and foreign goods and services are on display at the expo and one of the biggest attractions for visitors is the mobile apps section, with the technology developed by local companies.

Janaki Technologies, a Nepali company, has developed an app which informs people about exam results, arranges schedules, provides details about government services, tracks stocks and commodities, and details the prices of daily essentials, as well as providing entertainment and news content.

Foreign companies are also widely represented through their local dealers at the expo. Huawei, for example, a Chinese company, which is the second-largest sponsor of the event, has displayed its latest smart phones and smart watches, much to the delight and fascination of the attendees.

A Taiwan-based company is also showcasing its smart watches, boasting a number of smartphone-derived features, with the wearable technology priced at just 32 U.S. dollars.

Many of the stalls at the expo are related to mobile phones and a number of them are also displaying solar technology, as Nepal has been facing a duel energy crisis regarding both electricity and fuel of late.

For Binod Dhakal, the President of the Federation of Computer Association of Nepal (CAN Federation), which organized the CAN Into-Tech expo, said the expo has always focused on introducing the development of the ICT sector.

He said that increased access to mobile and Internet technology in recent years has contributed to the growing popularity of the event.

The organizer expects visitors to top 400,000 people this year compared to 2,700 people when the first edition of the expo was held back in 1995, the federation said.

Nepal Telecommunications Authority, the main telecom

service in Nepal said that its mobile phone market penetration has increased by 102 percent regarding sim card distribution, and access to the Internet has reached 44 percent of the population as of mid-October 2015. Enditem