iWorld
Tele-connectivity: Nepal’s dependence on India to end in Feb
MUMBAI: The sole dependence of Nepal on India to connect with global telecom services will end soon. The commercial operation of Nepal-China optical fibre link is set to begin in February. The Nepal-China trans-border connectivity project via Rasuwagadi (Nepal) is in the final stage of completion, as per Nepal Telecom (NT) officials.
Following the commercial operation of new optical fibre network, Nepal will be connected to the world via Hong Kong through China Telecom. Nepal, at present, is only linked to other countries through Indian telecommunication companies via different optical fibre connections at Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, and Birgunj, etc., The Himalayan Times reported.
In December 2016, Nepal Telecom and China Telecom had signed a pact to deliver internet protocol (IP) service in Nepal with terrestrial cable route (TCR) connecting the two nations. From February, internet service would become cheaper and more qualitative in Nepal.
NT deputy spokesperson Shovan Adhikari said that the process of laying optical fibre along the determined route had been completed. However, recent heavy snowfall on the Chinese side caused some of the fibres to break in certain areas, which resulted in delay in launching the project.
However, Adhikari said that the commercial operation of the cross-border optical fibre network was likely to begin from February as the Chinese authorities expedited the process of repairing the damaged lines after clearing the snow.
Before starting commercial operations, NT is expected to launch a confirmation testing of the project. The company had tested the operation of the optical fibre network interconnectivity with the neighbour last year.
iWorld
Arafta Season 2 greenlit as YouTube hit crosses 850 million views
GoQuest, Rains double down on global Turkish drama success story
MUMBAI: GoQuest Media and Rains Pictures have greenlit Season 2 of Arafta, riding on the runaway success of its debut season that has clocked over 850 million views on YouTube and secured licensing deals across 19 territories.
The upcoming season, already in production, will span 100 episodes and continue with a YouTube-first release strategy, a model that has proved to be a quiet disruptor in global content distribution. Season 1, which premiered in November 2025, built a strong digital following before translating that traction into international deals.
The series is currently licensed to platforms including Amazon MX Player in India, Kanal 7 in Turkey, and Vidio, along with several markets across Europe such as Romania, Hungary and Latvia. Across five language channels, the show has amassed more than 2.5 million subscribers, signalling growing global appetite for Turkish storytelling.
Notably, many of these licensing deals were struck after the show had already aired on YouTube, flipping the traditional distribution model on its head. Instead of competing with broadcasters, the digital-first strategy appears to be doing the heavy lifting in building awareness and audience demand.
GoQuest Media managing director Vivek Lath said, “Arafta is proving out what we believed about the make-to-sell model. A YouTube-first release does not compete with licensing. It builds the asset that licensees are buying.”
Season 1 wrapped on April 17 with a globally streamed finale that drew over 102,000 concurrent viewers, setting the stage for the next chapter. Lead actors İlsu Demirci and Emin Günenç will return, with the narrative continuing to explore themes of love, vengeance, sacrifice and fate.
Rains Pictures executive Sevda Kaygısız said the decision to move quickly into Season 2 was driven not just by success, but by the depth of the story still to be told. “Arafta is not just a successful project for us; it reflects our belief in powerful storytelling and building a genuine emotional connection with audiences,” she noted.
As Turkish dramas continue to travel beyond borders, Arafta’s success underscores a larger shift in how global hits are made and sold. In this case, the small screen found its big moment online first, and the world followed.
