Nepal Telecom set to launch ‘cheapest’ mobile Net service

KATHMANDU, MAY 08 -Nepal Telecom (NT) is set to introduce the “cheapest” mobile Internet service based on CDMA technology soon. The state-owned company will make available the data service at 20 Paisa per MB, as per the packages and tariff proposed at the Nepal Telecom munications Authority (NTA) for the approval.

The data packages have been designed in different volumes and validity periods ranging from one day to one year. Currently, the NT is providing data service known as EVDO or Sky Pro through its CDMA networks at 54 paisa per MB before taxes. The EVDO, also known as third generation (3G) CDMA, has a maximum speed of 3.1 Mbps and capacity to provide both voice and data service through same RUIM card. “We are going through the NT proposal on its new data packages,” said Arjun Ghimire, deputy director at the NTA. He said that the increased competition among telecom companies and internet service providers have reduced the price for Internet use. The NT is planning to launch the Sky Pro data packages as soon as it gets the go ahead from the NTA.



“What makes Sky Pro different is that the service has wide coverage areas and cheap in comparison to other mobile services currently available in the local market,” said Sudan Lal Shrestha, senior engineer at the NT. The service has so far been extended in 40 districts of the country covering 10 zones after upgrading its old CDMA mobile towers to new IP CDMA technology.

The NT will be taking the service to the four remaining zones— Dhaulagiri, Janakpur, Sagarmatha and Karnali—within the next two months. The new IP CDMA network offers minimum speed of 153.6 Kbps irrespective of any location of the country, claims the state-owned telecom company.  The service can also be used in desktop computer and laptop through USB modem. According to Shrestha, even the existing users carrying old CDMA SIM card that supports only voice can avail this service using new RUIM card while retaining the same mobile number upon paying a certain fee. 

The NT targets to distribute 270,000 lines across the country in the current fiscal year.  As of January 2013, the NT has 1.03 million customers, including 22,055 data users in its CDMA segment. A source at the NT revealed that the company is also preparing to sell the USB modem bundled with RUIM card and data package.