Pointing out that 5G is essential for smart cities and modern communications, the government, agencies, and service providers have shown signs of moving forward amid the investment challenge.
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The government, telecommunications regulators, and service providers are all keen to introduce the fifth generation of mobile technology, 5G technology. 5G technology, which has been launched commercially in 130 countries around the world and most places in South Asia, is also considered necessary in Nepal.
The regulator Nepal Telecommunications Authority has stated that it has determined the frequency for 5G and is preparing for an auction, while Nepal Telecom has stated that it has made an internal decision to start this service from major metropolitan cities as soon as it gets the spectrum. Ncell has also been repeatedly demanding spectrum for a few years. The Ministry of Information and Communications has also pointed out that 5G is an important basis for smart cities and modern communication.
At an interaction program on ‘Current Telecommunication Status of Nepal’ organized by the Technology Journalists Forum (TJF) on Thursday, Nepal Telecommunication Authority Director and Spokesperson Min Prasad Aryal informed that the necessary frequencies for 5G have been determined. ‘We are ready to go into the auction process by determining the spectrum to introduce 5G technology,’ he said. ‘If the service providers are ready, the authority has no problem distributing the spectrum.’
Nepal Telecom Deputy Manager Rajendra Dulal and Senior Business Officer Prakash Chandra Sigdel informed that the decision has been made to launch 5G services in the main cities of the country. Stating that the telecom had tested it in various cities three/four years ago, he informed that they are currently waiting to receive the frequencies. ‘When we conducted the test, the number of 5G-enabled mobile handsets across the country was only about 5 percent,’ said Deputy Manager Dulal, ‘but now it has reached more than 20 percent. This shows that the market is ready.’
Private sector service provider Ncell had sought permission from the government for the third time in April last year to trial 5G technology. The company has applied to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, requesting 15 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 10 MHz in the 2600 MHz band. Ncell had applied for 5G testing for the first time on April 21, 2021, and for the second time on August 31 of the same year.
Ncell has been saying that it will invest between 200 and 250 million US dollars for 5G testing and expansion of other telecommunication technologies. ‘We want to stay in Nepal, we also have a great capacity to invest,’ Ncell chief Michael Foley said at a conclave organized by Kantipur last January, ‘The company has no debt on its balance sheet. We are ready to invest $200 to $250 million to expand the telecommunications infrastructure here.’
The company has stated that it wants to bring business continuity and modern technology to Nepal. The company has stated that it aims to expand 5G to support concepts such as ‘enhanced mobile broadband’ with speeds of up to 10 Gbps and smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT).
At the program, Krishna Kumar Jha, engineer at the Ministry of Communications and Information, said that the government has always been positive in welcoming new technology. According to him, 5G is necessary for smart cities and modern communications. “5G is more important for smart cities, machine-to-machine communication and digital governance than for personal use,” he said. “4G may be sufficient for simple data usage. However, 5G is needed for smart meters of Nepal Telecommunications Authority, GPS tracking of public buses and high-quality live streaming of competitions like Nepal Premier League.”
Telecommunications expert Ananda Raj Khanal pointed out that there is a possibility of increasing complaints about quality when moving to 5G when 4G service is not fast enough. He mentioned that ensuring high quality is complicated as the telecom sector is multifaceted and continuously evolving. “Due to the current political and administrative situation, real improvements have not been made in the telecommunications sector,” he said. “The regulatory body should be autonomous, but it has become like a branch of the ministry.” Since the Authority is led by the Prime Minister or a minister, the Authority does not have the ability to convince the government on concrete issues.'
Although billions of rupees will be invested, service providers are concerned about ensuring the return on investment (ROI). Others have argued that the country should focus on expanding the best, highest quality and highest capacity of the military. In South Asia, only Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan do not have 5G. In large telecommunications markets like India, China and the US, there is even an unannounced competition from time to time to see who will 'roll out' 6G first.
