Studies around the world have shown that people, no matter how poor, are willing to spend from one to two percent of their earnings on communications. The challenge for the engineers and economists is to place these telephones where people have access to the service. Many of the rural telephone systems are overloaded with calls. While causing congestion, it generates sufficient revenue to pay for the systems. With the creation of the Nepal Telecommunication Regulatory Authority and the on-going process of introducing private investment into the sector, HMG may not have to bear the full cost of meeting the target of one telephone in every VDC by the year 2000.
Private companies are interested in investing in telecommunications, even in the rural regions.