KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 5

Minster of Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has directed Nepal Telecom to deliver accessible and quality services.

In his address to the 18th anniversary of the Nepal Telecom here today, Minister Karki directed the concerned authority to offer its services in a more modern and technology-friendly manner.

Minister Karki, also the spokesperson for the government, further said, 'The telecom has delivered its services even in far-flung areas during natural disasters of any kind. It has to set its target to make the services client-friendly'.

He lauded the contribution of NTC to the country's economic and social sectors by complying with the government rules and regulations as well as the laws.

He stressed the need to immediately expand optical fibre so as to make the telecom a leading and responsible institution and asked its leadership to ensure high-speed internet service in all local level governments across the country.

The minister noted that the telecom should gradually change its service packages to align to the need of the time and also pledged to extend help from the ministry for the overall development and expansion of the company. Ministry Secretary and Chairman of NTC Board of Directors Baikuntha Aryal also directed telecom employees to lay emphasis on expanding quality service delivery rather than increasing the number of clients.

'Expanding services won't do any good, it is also important to provide quality services,' he further noted. The company that was established 18 years ago has a strength of over 22.7 million customers as of November 2021.

Similarly, Acting Managing Director of NTC Pratibha Vaidya said around 75 per cent population had access to one or another service of the telecom.

Total income of the company in the fiscal year 2021-22 is Rs 42.21 billion. The gross profit of the company is Rs 7.13 billion.

The company has generated a revenue of Rs 21.43 billion till 14 January 2022 in the current fiscal year, which is 5.75 per cent more compared to the profit earned during the corresponding period in the last fiscal, company sources shared.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 6, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.