Kathmandu, January 1

Nepal Telecom (NT) has launched the much-anticipated 4G or Long Term Evolution (LTE) telecom service for the first time in Nepal. However, the service is limited to Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara and will be available only for NT’s post-paid subscribers.

Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki launched the 4G service amid a special function in the Capital today.

Though 4G (fourth generation) service is currently available for only GSM post-paid users, NT officials have said that preparations are underway to make 4G service available for GSM pre-paid users from February 4.

The 4G is the latest wireless internet service succeeding 3G and allows higher internet speed as compared to 3G. NT has claimed that users can enjoy 32.4 Mbps per second download speed using 4G. According to NT, the service will benefit almost 350,000 NT post-paid subscribers in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

In a bid to facilitate its customers with smooth 4G service, NT has enabled the service at its 308 base transceiver stations (BTS) GSM towers in Kathmandu Valley and 25 BTS GSM towers in Pokhara. However, the 4G service in Pokhara will be available for GSM post-paid users based in New Road and Lakeside only.

NT has said that subscribers can enjoy 4G service at the same rate of one rupee per Mb data being applied for 3G.

Inaugurating the service, Minister Karki said that Nepal has not been able to connect information and communications technology (ICT) to the country’s development process though linkage between them is a must to achieve development goals. “The 4G service does not only aim to facilitate NT’s subscribers but also for the development of other sectors and the country’s overall development process,” Karki said.

Similarly, KaminiRajbhandari, managing director of NT, said that NT is committed to bring the latest internet technology in Nepal. “Launching 4G service is a part of enhancing Nepal Telecom’s consumer satisfaction. Its launch will not only strengthen the position of NT in the market but will also help increase revenue for the government,” she said.

How to enable 4G

KATHMANDU: Currently, Nepal Telecom (NT)’s 4G service is only available for its post-paid subscribers in Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

To subscribe to 4G service, the customer’s mobile device should first be 4G compatible (Band-3 1800Mhz). Similarly, in case the post-paid SIM is of an older version, the SIM needs to be replaced with newer 4G-enabled SIM (Universal or U-SIM). Users can connect their device to 4G by typing *444# if they have fulfilled the aforementioned requirements.

However, NT has said that some versions of iPhone will not support 4G for the time being.