Nepal Wireless Networking Project was informally started by Mahabir Pun as a team leader with the technical support of foreign volunteers in 2002. After 2005, the project was working formally with E-Networking Research and Development for implementing the project. It took almost one and half year for the project team members to learn how to build long range Wi-Fi link.
It connected the first village in 2002 to the Internet using simple indoor Wi-Fi radio (Dlink 900AP)and satellite TV dish as modified antenna. The range of the first link was 40 km from the nearest city called Pokhara where the Internet connectivity was available. By 2005, the project had connected 22 villages to the network and provided tele-medicine services in two rural clinics by connecting them to a hospital in the city. Until the middle of 2012 the project has connected 140 villages in the 15 district of Nepal. The number of schools connected in those villages is 80 and the clinics is 10.
It was expanding the Wi-Fi network to more villages and by end of 2012, there were at least 175 villages connected in the wireless network and to the Internet. Nepal Wireless Networking Project was not limited to connect the villages with wireless technology. It was also working hard to develop different application to provide useful ICT service for the rural people. Additionally, it was involved in research and development activities such as making simple ECG machine, developing poacher monitoring system in the national parks, and developing trekkers tracking system in the mountain trails using wireless technology.