Nepali information and communication technology (ICT) policies, informed by dominant international discourses on internet and ICT for development, have attributed a ‘self-evident’ positive impact to economic growth. Such a conception is inconclusive and hides the underlying socioeconomic inequalities and the barriers they oppose to universal connectivity ambitions. The self-evident discourse overlooks the importance of adjacent infrastructures like electricity, critical for efficient functioning of a ‘digital society’. History has shown Nepal’s eagerness to buy the irrational exuberance of the dot-com era. It also shows policy targets were not based on local evidence and experiences. While the question about when the next bubble will emerge and burst is debatable, the techno-deterministic arguments need to be checked in light of evidence. We offer insights from import trajectories since the drafting of the first IT policy. The proliferation of mobile phones is explored in light of data consumption (i.e., usage) and access during the deadly earthquake in 2015. The evidence clearly highlights the mismatch between connectivity ambitions and socioeconomic realities in a stratified information society. We contend that the self-evident visions of connectivity need to be checked empirically. We call for internet and ICT policies that have a nuanced conceptualisation of access and its gradation.

尼泊尔的信息和通信技术（ICT）政策得益于国际上有关互联网和ICT促进发展的主流论述，已将“不言而喻”的积极影响归因于经济增长。这种概念尚无定论，掩盖了潜在的社会经济不平等及其对普遍连通性抱负的障碍。不言而喻的话语忽略了邻近基础设施（如电力）的重要性，而电力对“数字社会”的有效运行至关重要。历史表明，尼泊尔渴望购买互联网时代的非理性繁荣。它还表明政策目标不是基于当地的证据和经验。尽管有关下一次泡沫何时出现和破裂的问题尚有争议，但仍需根据证据检查技术确定性论点。自第一个IT政策起草以来，我们提供了有关进口轨迹的见解。根据2015年致命地震期间的数据消耗（即使用）和访问情况，探讨了手机的激增。证据清楚地表明，在分层的信息社会中，连接野心与社会经济现实之间不匹配。我们认为，连接性的不言而喻的观点需要凭经验加以检验。我们要求互联网和ICT政策对访问及其等级进行细微的概念化。证据清楚地表明，在分层的信息社会中，连通性野心与社会经济现实之间不匹配。我们认为，连接性的不言而喻的观点需要凭经验加以检验。我们要求互联网和ICT政策对访问及其等级进行细微的概念化。证据清楚地表明，在分层的信息社会中，连通性野心与社会经济现实之间不匹配。我们认为，连接性的不言而喻的观点需要凭经验加以检验。我们要求互联网和ICT政策对访问及其等级进行细微的概念化。