KATHMANDU, MAY 19

Patchy and unreliable network of telecom companies have prompted mobile subscribers across the country to opt for multiple SIMs.

Nima Sherpa, a trekking guide and mountaineer residing in Kapan, uses two SIM cards to connect with his clients and family.

'I use both Nepal Telecom and Ncell. I use NTC while I am in Kathmandu but Ncell is the only telecom which gives proper network in most parts of the Khumbu region,' he said.

Sherpa said that many locals and business owners also use more than one SIM card due to the connection and network issues.

Karma Tamang, a resident of Lamtang region, meanwhile shared that he prefers NTC. 'If the weather is clear, one can use NTC's 4G service at Kyangin, the farthest village in Lamtang.

'Many locals also prefer NTC due better services in the region.'

While mobile penetration has reportedly reached over 142 per cent so far in the country, according to Nepal Telecom Authority, complaints from customers facing issues in mobile connection have increased significantly compared to the previous years. Most of the problems faced by customers are related to speed fluctuation and disconnectivity while using data or voice. The causes are fibre breakage, problems in mobile signal strength, among others, NTA shared.

Nepal Telecom Spokesperson Shoban Adhikari said vertical expansion of existing buildings is also a reason for mobile users facing connectivity issues. 'Issues with mobile connections are solved by our optimisation team. The team also conducts regular study over the emerging issues and recommends NTC about the requirements needed to solve them.'

Similarly, Ncell has also witnessed network issues due to multiple reasons including service expansion, maintenance, fibre cut, among oth-ers. According to the company, connection issues are usually temporary and it works to resolve such issues immediately.

The company also has dedicated touchpoints for customer service and addressing any issues related to network and services.

'Connectivity also depends on the spectrum and infrastructure/network issues,' Ncell told The Himalayan Times.

According to NTA Spokesperson Achyuta Nanda Mishra, the country's geography is one of the many challenges for the telecom sectors to expand their services across the country.

'Connecting fibre in many areas of the country is very difficult. Towers in high altitude areas could get struck by lightning. A satellite is very expensive and uses more bandwidth,' he explained.

Earlier, a drive test conducted by the NTA on the three telecom operators in Kathmandu valley between December 2021 and January 2022 revealed that all of them fell short of the authority's threshold. The test checked their call success rate, call setup time, call block and call drop rate.

NTC scored an average of 89 per cent on call success rate, 9.32 seconds on average call setup time, 11 per cent on call block rate, and 4.38 per cent on call drop rate. Ncell scored an average of 92 per cent on call success rate, 6.24 seconds on average call setup time, eight per cent on call block rate, and 1.18 per cent on call drop rate. Similarly, Smart cell scored an average of 72 per cent on call success rate, 11.54 seconds on average call setup time, 28 per cent on call block rate, and 10 per cent on call drop rate.

A drive test is a method in which testing tools are mounted on a moving vehicle to collect key performance indicators (KPIs) of the cellular network by repeatedly making voice or data calls. All the available service providers at the location are tested simultaneously.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 20, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.