Minister for Communications and Information Technology Bikram Timilsina has said that the government will facilitate the resolution of the problems faced by many consumers due to the 'validity' (expiration) of mobile SIM cards.
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In a meeting with media persons on Wednesday, Minister Pandey clarified that the government will play a guardian role on the issue of SIM card expiry. Kantipur recently published a news story about how low-income consumers and rural residents are suffering when SIM cards expire. Minister Pandey said that although the issue of SIM validity is directly related to service providers and regulatory bodies, the government will play an advisory role on the rights of the people. “Although the issue of SIM validity is a matter related to service providers and regulators, we are ready to play a coordinating or advisory role on the rights of the people, where and how the government should play a coordinating or advisory role,” he said. According to the latest data from the Nepal Telecommunication Authority, there are currently about 2.744 million 2G users in Nepal. The share of ‘bar phones’ in mobile phone imports is still about 23 percent. Statistics show that about 9.4 percent of the total population carries a mobile phone only for voice calls and SMS. Telecom companies have not introduced any special concessions or packages targeting such basic users who do not have access to smartphones due to financial reasons or who want the simplicity of technology.
