KATHMANDU, MAY 14

The Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) has announced the implementation of the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) effective from Monday onwards.

Under the new rule, passengers travelling to Nepal from abroad will be allowed to bring up to two mobile handsets.

Additionally, mobile sets brought from abroad will be promptly registered in the MDMS after showing the necessary documents.

For personal use mobile phones, registration in the MDMS will be conducted by entering the passport or citizenship details along with the passport page or boarding pass papers indicating the arrival/departure stamp.

According to the authority, the decision has been made to effectively manage and regulate the use of mobile phones in Nepal and ensure better control over unauthorised mobile phones entering the country.

The implementation of MDMS not only aims to prevent consumers from falling victim to fraudulent practices but also to protect revenue and support legitimate businesses within the mobile retail sector.

As many as 1.5 million mobile devices have entered the country through official means, while 3.1 million devices have entered through the grey market in the past three months. Similarly, almost 42,000 devices have entered through personal channels, thereby accounting for just 1.5 per cent share of the total mobile phones entering the country, stakeholders say.

According to Nepal Mobile Distributors' Association (NMDA), rampant smuggling of mobile phones has resulted in annual revenue loss of two billion rupees for the government.

The MDMS is a high-tech solution, introduced to combat unauthorised mobile sales and distribution of mobile handsets, while also bringing them under the revenue ambit. With the implementation of the MDMS, the government aims to address concerns related to foreign exchange reserves and the decline in revenue caused by entry of illegally imported mobile phones.

Earlier, the implementation of the MDMS was postponed under the directive of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.