Telecommunication in Nepal

Telecommunication is communication at a distance by technological means, particularly through electrical signals or electromagnetic waves.Early telecommunication technologies included visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and opticalheliographs. Other examples of pre-modern telecommunications include audio messages such as coded drumbeats, lung-blown horns, and loud whistles. Electrical and electromagnetic telecommunication technologies include telegraph, telephone, and teleprinter, networks, radio, microwave transmission, fiber optics, communications satellites and the Internet.
At today's world it is impossible for any sector to grow without good telecommunication. So, the need of effective telecommunication is ever increasing.

In Nepal, operating any form of telecommunication service dates back to 94 years in B.S. 1970. But formally telecom service was provided mainly after the establishment of MOHAN AKASHWANI in B.S. 2005.Later as per the plan formulated in First National Five year plan (2012-2017); Telecommunication Department was established in B.S.2016. To modernize the telecommunications services and to expand the services, during third five-year plan (2023-2028), Telecommunication Department was converted into Telecommunications Development Board in B.S.2026. After the enactment of Communications Corporation Act 2028, it was formally established as fully owned Government Corporation called Nepal Telecommunications Corporation in B.S. 2032 for the purpose of providing telecommunications services to Nepalese People. After serving the nation for 29 years with great pride and a sense of accomplishment, Nepal Telecommunication Corporation was transformed into Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited from Baisakh 1, 2061. Nepal Doorsanchar company Limited is a company registered under the companies Act 2053.

In Nepal there are notably two telecommunication providers:

Nepal Telecome Limited( NTC):
Nepal Doorsanchar Company Ltd. (Nepali: नेपाल दूरसञ्चार कम्पनी लिमिटेड), popularly known as Nepal Telecom (Nepali: नेपाल टेलिकम) is the largest telecommunication service provider in Nepal. The company was a monopoly until 2003, when the first private sector operator UTL started providing basic telephony services. The central office of Nepal Telecom is located at Bhadrakali Plaza, Kathmandu. It has branches, exchanges and other offices in 184 locations within the country.

It is the sole provider of fixed line, ISDN and leased-line services in Nepal. Following the entry of Ncell into Nepal's telecommunications industry in 2005, it is no longer the only provider of GSM mobile service. With around 7,000 employees, it is one of the largest corporations of Nepal. It has a total of 262 telephone exchanges in various part of the country serving 603,291 PSTN lines, more than 5 million GSM cellular phones and more than a million CDMA phone line as of July 2011. According to recent data, there are about 7 million users of Nepal Telecom including all those of fixed landline, GSM mobile, CDMA and internet service.

NCell:

Ncell Private Ltd. stands as a privately owned GSM mobile operator in Nepal. It is the first private company to operate GSM services intelecommunications sector of Nepal with the brand name “MERO MOBILE,” which was re-branded as Ncell in 12 March 2010.[1] It broke the monopolyheld by the then state-owned, now public telecommunication company, Nepal Telecom by building a new arena in cellular telephony services. The company is now owned in 80% by Swedish/Finnish TeliaSonera Holdings.[2] Ncell is the largest ISP in Nepal with a subscriber base of more than 1.9 million users.They had seven million mobile subscribers in early 2012.