Kathmandu, October 23

Nepal Telecom (NT) has finally received the operating licence to provide 4G service in Nepal from the government.

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) — the telecommunication sector regulator — has allowed Nepal Telecom to introduce the service in Nepal from January 1, 2017, making NT the first telecommunication company to roll out 4G service in Nepal.

“The NTA board meeting on Friday decided to issue 4G licence to NT under the same plan that the company had submitted to NTA last week,” Digambar Jha, chairman of NTA, told The Himalayan Times, adding, “Following the issuance of the licence, NT will have to launch 4G service on a commercial basis starting this New Year.”

Besides the date from which Nepal Telecom had proposed to launch 4G service — December 15 — the telecom sector regulator has approved all other provisions of the rollout plan that NT had submitted. Jha informed that additional time was given to NT so that it could smoothly complete all necessary works needed prior to the launch of 4G service in the country.

As mentioned in its rollout plan, NT will begin the service initially from Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur) and Pokhara.

However, NT has mentioned that it is ready to introduce 4G service for its customers from December 15, simultaneously from Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara, citing that 4G service will be launched through the same existing infrastructure used for providing 3G service to customers.

As per NTA, Nepal Telecom has been given permission to launch the 4G service under the same 1,800 MHz frequency band that it has been using to operate 2G service.

The telecommunication regulator, however, has not made any decision on the application submitted by Ncell to begin 4G service in Nepal. Of the three operators that had applied to operate 4G service, NTA has already denied the licence to Smart Telecom.

The 4G service is the fourth generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G. 4G is said to enhance internet using experience for users.