Service to benefit four million NT pre-paid subscribers in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara

Kathmandu, February 3

Nepal Telecom (NT) is introducing the fourth generation (4G) service for its pre-paid SIM subscribers in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara from Saturday.

NT is set to announce the 4G service for its pre-paid customers amid a special function marking the company's 13th anniversary on Saturday.

"We will roll out the service for pre-paid SIM users based in Kathmandu Valley and New Road and Lakeside of Pokhara through the anniversary event," Prativa Baidhya, spokesperson for NT, informed The Himalayan Times.

NT had introduced 4G, also called Long Term Evolution (LTE) service, for the first time in Nepal on January 1. However, the service was limited to post-paid SIM subscribers of NT in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

"The launch of 4G service for our pre-paid SIM users will directly benefit more than four million pre-paid subscribers of NT in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara," Baidhya said.

According to her, more than 50,000 post-paid SIM users of NT have subscribed to the company's 4G service within the month of January. There are almost 350,000 post-paid SIM subscribers of NT in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

NT is providing 4G service to its subscribers under 1,800 band that Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has given to the telecom company. Of the 15 Mhz frequency that NT has been using under 1,800 band to provide telecommunication services, it has separated 5Mhz dedicated frequency for 4G service.

However, NT has said that customers can enjoy internet speed of only up to 32.4Mb per second due to limited frequency with NT. NT is preparing to ask NTA for additional frequency so that it is able to deliver high-speed 4G internet service to its customers.

In a bid to make the new service effective and increase coverage, NT has enabled the 4G service at its 308 BTS GSM towers in Kathmandu Valley and 25 BTS GSM towers in Pokhara.

Introduced in 2010 globally, 4G is the latest wireless internet service to succeed 3G which allows higher internet speed.

Meanwhile, Baidhya said that NT will expand the 4G service to other parts of the country as soon as possible. The Development Committee of the Legislature-Parliament, on January 18, had directed NT to expand its 4G service throughout the country within October.