Telecom service provider Ncell has said that it has paid a total of Rs 14.59 billion in taxes and fees to the government under various headings. According to the data provided by the company on Monday, Ncell has paid Rs 2.12 billion as telecommunication service fees and Rs 1.96 billion as frequency fees.

It has deposited Rs 1.74 billion as value added tax and Rs 1.29 billion as royalty in the government account. The company has informed that it has paid Rs 1.80 billion as customs duty and Rs 1.25 billion as advance tax. Similarly, it has deposited Rs 895.4 million as TDS and Rs 649.6 million in the Rural Telecommunication Development Fund.

According to the data released by the Nepal Telecommunication Authority as of April 2083, Ncell has a total of 14 million 39 thousand 302 voice service customers, while the number of mobile broadband customers has reached 12 million 22 million 16 thousand 225. Ncell has 12.25 million 554 4G subscribers.

Company CEO Michael Foley has been pointing out that Nepal is far behind the rest of the world in telecommunications technology. In the ‘Reviving the Economy, Reestablishing Trust’ session under the ‘Kantipur Conclave-2026’ organized by Kantipur last January, he mentioned that Ncell is ready to invest an additional 200 to 250 million US dollars if the government allows the operation of the service and provides the right environment.

Ncell’s license expires in Bhadra 2086. According to the Telecommunications Act, after the expiration of the term, this infrastructure will be owned by the government. CEO Foley has been emphasizing that advanced telecommunications infrastructure is necessary to make Nepal’s economy competitive. He says that such infrastructure should be provided not only in big cities but also in rural areas.

He had said that Nepal's telecommunications technology is about 5 to 8 years behind its neighboring countries and much behind the rest of the world. 'We want to stay in Nepal, we also have a huge investment capacity,' he said, 'There is no debt on the company's balance sheet. We are ready to invest $200 to 250 million to expand the telecommunications infrastructure here.'

Title          Fees

Telecommunication service fee: Rs 2.12 billion

Frequency fee: Rs 1.96 billion

Value Added Tax: Rs 1.74 billion

Royalty: Rs 1.29 billion

Advance tax: Rs 1.25 billion

Customs duty: Rs 1.8 billion

TDS:  895.4 million

Rural Telecommunication Development Fund: 649.6 million