KATHMANDU: One service that telecom service providers are facilitating customers with is Caller Ring back Tone (CRBT). With growing competition, service providers are busy upgrading their services along with number of schemes and offers every now and then.

Nepal Telecom (NT), Spice Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) and United Telecom Ltd (UTL) — the three major telecom service providers — are constantly upgrading their services.

Nepal Telecom (NT) started its Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) service two years ago

in Kathmandu Valley and

seeing its popularity NT has started CRBT service outside the valley recently.

It is now a week that CRBT service is available to all NT users everywhere. “It was two years ago when CRBT service was launched for the first time in Kathmandu. It is now available to all users of NT. A week ago, we completed the distribution of CRBT service to NT users everywhere,” said NT spokes-person Surendra Bahadur Thike. Mero Mobile started the

Personalize Ring Back Tone (PRBT) in 2006 and the service is available in all regions where Mero mobile service is available. UTL started its CRBT service since Baishak. Along with NT and Mero Mobile, UTL too has extended its CRBT service to all UTL users in Nepal. “The market is very competitive now, so we are going on with service upgrading and planning more new schemes for our customers,” said UTL general manager Madan Singh. With the CRBT service customers of NT, Mero Mobile and UTL can download their favorite songs, music, and clips.

CRBT is an intermittent audible indication to the calling party that a dialed telephone number is ringing.

A ring back tone is a status

indicator that the dialed number is available and that

all connections through the appropriate network or networks between the originating and destination devices either have been made or are to be made available, and that the call can be connected if someone answers the call.

The service generally is on

a subscription basis and carries an additional charge per tone selected. According to NT,

except charges for SMS and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) the charge per CRBT will be

Rs 10. Mero Mobile charges Rs 10 per song excluding taxes

and a monthly charge of Rs 30 excluding charges for its

PRBT service.

UTL’s CRBT service charges Rs 12.43 per per song while the monthly charge is Rs 37.29 and song selection charge per minute Rs 3.73.

NT to start NGN

KATHMANMDU: NT will soon start its new converse service under the Next Generation Network (NGN). Through the converse service under NGN, three services that is Voice, Data and Video will be conversed at a single place — through landline telephones. “With this service under NGN, the problem of using different cables for internet, telephone and television will be solved,” said NT spokesperson Thike. This service will be more economical and effective. “Recently, tender has been forwarded and we hope the service will be available in a year,” Thike said. The television service through Internet is called as Internet Protocol (IP) TV. The entire project is supposed to get completed within two years. — HNS

Slashes rates

KATHMANDU: NT has slashed international call rates effective from September 17. It has put countries in four categories, A, B C and D. Budget call that can be done dialing excess codes 1425 and 1445 for A countries America, Canada, Malyaisa, China, Singapore and Hong Kong iss now one-third. B countries’ rate is reduced by half. Japan, South Korea and Thailand are in the group. C countries Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Israel and Australia’s rate is reduced by Rs 5 and by Rs 1 in call rate of D countries. Earlier the budget call was Rs 25. NT calls to India that will cost Rs 6 per minute. For SAARC countries — Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — it will cost Rs 12 per minute in dialing country code. — HNS