4.8 million NT mobile lines to hit market next month

KATHMANDU, MAY 25 -Nepal Telecom (NT) is preparing to distribute new mobile lines under its 10 million mobile lines project within a month. The state-owned telecom giant has been replacing old base transceiver stations (BTS) with new equipment in the Kathmandu valley as a prelude to the move.

NT had planned to start distributing 4.8 million new mobile lines under package B on May 17 coinciding with World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. However, technical problems and ongoing testing of the mobile network forced it to shelve the plan, according to NT.

“We need to increase the capacity of the GSM network first to start distribution of new lines,” said Sangita Pahadi, deputy manager, Mobile Service Directorate of NT. She added that the company was expected to complete the capacity enhancement work within a month.

Last June, NT and Chinese telecommunication equipment vendor Huawei Technologies had signed a contract to install 4.8 million mobile lines. NT currently maintains more than 500 mobile towers in the valley. NT said that it would add 1,000 plus towers for 2G and 3G services in the valley under package B after which service quality would have improved.


NT has been receiving criticism for poor service quality which is mainly a result of a swollen user base and static network capacity. Pahadi said that the coverage area of 3G services and the speed of normal GPRS internet service would also increase after the GSM network has been improved. “We will be able to cover at least half of Kathmandu with the new network in a month’s time,” she added.

As per the agreement, Huawei has to complete package B by June 2014. Apart from bringing the new lines into operation, the Chinese vendor will also provide maintenance services for five years after the new lines become operational. The package covers the Kathmandu valley and the Western Development Region and has a capacity to operate 2G, 3G, and 4G services.

NT has awarded both the packages, A for 5.2 million lines and B for 4.8 million lines, to Huawei. It is expected to complete the projects in one and a half years. The lines under package A have been marked for the Eastern, Mid-Western, Far Western and Central regions excluding the Kathmandu valley.