South Asian Internet Pioneers Honoured at SANOG Conference in Kathmandu

Internet pioneers from five South Asian countries were honoured in Kathmandu for their contributions to expanding internet access and commercial internet services across the region.

The recognition came during the opening of the 44th South Asian Network Operators Group (SANOG) conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, a three-day (26-29 July, 2026) gathering of internet professionals, network operators and technology experts.

The Internet Enablers Awards were presented to Dilip Agrawal (Nepal), Neeraj Sonker and Suchit Nanda (India), Tariq Mustafa (Pakistan), Sumon Ahmed Sabir (Bangladesh) and Jichen Thinley (Bhutan).

According to Internet Enablers, the recipients were recognised for their pioneering roles in introducing public internet access and laying the foundations for commercial internet services in their respective countries. The organisation had previously honoured Gaurav Raj Upadhyaya, founder of SANOG, as an Asia-Pacific Internet Pioneer.

Bangladesh’s Sumon Ahmed Sabir received the award in recognition of more than three decades of contributions to the country’s internet ecosystem, including his role in the growth of BDCOM, one of Bangladesh’s leading internet service providers.

Among the other recipients, Nepal’s Dilip Agrawal, founder of WorldLink, was recognised for building the country’s largest internet service provider and expanding fibre broadband services across Nepal, including remote regions. Neeraj Sonker was honoured for helping launch India’s first commercial internet service through VSNL in 1995, while Suchit Nanda was recognised for introducing thousands of users to online communication through Bulletin Board Systems before commercial internet became available in India. Jichen Thinley was honoured for his contributions to Bhutan’s early internet infrastructure and the expansion of GSM mobile networks.

The awards recognise engineers, educators, network operators and technology leaders whose work helped build the digital infrastructure that supports communication, education, healthcare and economic development across the Asia-Pacific region.