Kathmandu, June 16:

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), the telecommunication regulator, has granted permission to start limited mobility for wireless telephone (C-phone) to Nepal Telecom and approved its tariff plan.

According to a Telecommunication Authority sour-ce, it has granted the limited mobility service on both — pre-paid and post paid — in Kathmandu valley only. Nepal Telecom (NT) has already launched the wireless phone based on CDMA (code multiplexing division access) technology but with fixed terminal.

The new service is an addition to the existing wireless phone being offered by Nepal Telecom, which was halted twice before due to some legal problems. Following Supreme Court’s order, the government, on April 7, issued a notice allowing the limited mobility on wireless phone based on CDMA technology.

A private operator — United Telecom Ltd (UTL) — has already launched the service under HHT Hand-phone and has received an overwhelming response from the customers.

According to the approved tariff plan, Rs 500 will be charged for activation for both the pre-paid and post paid services and short message service (SMS) rates are similar to GSM mobile phone — Rs 1 per SMS for domestic and Rs 10 for international. Call charge in pre-paid has been fixed at Rs 3 per minute for peak hour and Rs 2 for off hour, while domestic STD charge will be Rs 5 minute and Rs 4 for peak and off hour.

The international long distance call charges are same in both pre-paid and post paid services. According to NTA, Rs 20 per minute to SAARC countries during peak hour and Rs 15 during off hour, whereas Rs 50 per minute for the rest of the world with access code ‘00’. Budget call facility is also available for the third country at a rate of Rs 25 per minute.

In the post-paid service connection, one has to pay Rs 300 monthly rental charge and will get 50 calls free and Rs 1 is charged per minute in Nepal Telecom and UTL networks, whereas Rs 2 in Spice Nepal (Mero Mobile) network.

The domestic STD call tariff in post-paid connection ranges between Rs 1 and Rs 5 per minute depending upon distance and calling time.