# Nepal Telecom

Nepal Saar Doorsanchar Company Ltd. (Nepali: नेपाल दूरसञ्चार कम्पनी लिममटेड), popularly known as Nepal Telecom (Nepali: नेपाल टेलिकम) or NTC, is a state-owned telecommunications service provider in Nepal. The company was a monopoly until 2003, when the first private sector operator, United Telecom Limited (UTL), started providing basic telephone 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.
Nepal Telecom is the sole provider of fixed-line, ISDN, and leased-line services in Nepal. Following the entry of Ncell (formerly Mero Mobile) into Nepal's telecommunications industry in 2005, Nepal Telecom was no longer the exclusive provider of GSM mobile services. With more than 5,400 employees, it is one of the largest corporations in Nepal. The company operates 262 telephone exchanges nationwide, serving 603,291 PSTN lines, over 5 million GSM cellular phones, and more than a million CDMA lines as of July 2011.
As of 2019, Nepal Telecom had about 20 million users across its fixed landline, GSM mobile, CDMA, and internet services. Nepal Telecom launched Nepal's first 4G LTE service on 1 January 2017, using a technology-neutral 1800 MHz frequency band available in all seven provinces. In July 2019, the company successfully tested VoLTE service, which became available to users starting 17 May 2021. According to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority's MIS report in April 2019, Nepal Telecom had the highest number of cable internet subscribers (211,513) and controlled 84% of the cable internet market. The company also provided WiMAX to roughly 88,000 subscribers.

## History

Telecommunications services in Nepal were first established in 1913, and a year later, a direct connection was established between Kathmandu and Raxaul. In 1935, twenty-five automatic telephone lines were installed in Kathmandu, which were followed a year later by the installation of a telecommunications line between Kathmandu and Dhankuta. Palpa was linked with Kathmandu in 1951 and with Bhairahawa in 1953. A telephone exchange known as "Central Battery" was installed in Kathmandu in 1950, providing telecommunication service to the public.
Wireless service first started in Nepal in 1950 with service to Kathmandu, Bhairahawa, Illam, Dhankuta, and Biratnagar. In 1952, service expanded to Doti, Dang, Jumla, Dailekh, Sallyan, Okhaldhunga, and Rajbiraj, and later to Jaleshwar, Ramechhap, Bandipur, Terathum, Taplejung, Dandeldhura, and Baitadi. Also in that year, stations were set up in Baglung, Palpa, Dhangadi, Pokhara, Bhojpur, and Birgunj. Initially, the Department of Communications oversaw both postal and telecommunication services, but an independent Department of Telecommunication was established in 1959.
Nepal Telecom was legally founded as a wholly-owned government corporation called Nepal Telecommunications Corporation with the goal of offering telecommunications services after the adoption of the Communications Corporation Act (1972). Nepal Telecommunication Corporation was renamed Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited (NDCL) in 2004.
The Nepal Saar Doorsanchar Company Limited was incorporated under the Companies Act (1997). Its registered trademark "Nepal Sr. Telecom-NT" or "Nepal Saar Telecommunication Corporation-NTC" is well known among the general population.
In 2003, Nepal Telecom began offering GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) services to the entire population. In addition to GSM, Nepal Telecom offers CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), EVDO, ADL, ADSL, FTTH, and other services.
Nepal Telecom provides modern services ranging from early GPRS, HSDPA, 3G, and 4G/LTE. Nepal Telecom began a 5G trial in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Birgunj, which is still limited to internal testing.
As a public business, Nepal Telecom is solely responsible for providing services to all parts of Nepal. It offers services in rural parts where other operators have failed to uphold their responsibility to their community.

## Network information

| Operator Name | Nepal Telecom |
| Network Name (Postpaid GSM Mobile) | NTC Mobile (429-01^NPL) |
| Network Name (Prepaid GSM Mobile) | Namaste (429-01^NPL) |
| Network Name (CDMA Mobile) | Sky Phone (429-03) |
| Technology | GSM 900 (GPRS, EDGE), UMTS (HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+), LTE, broadband, satellite phone, WiFi Hotspot |
| Network Status | Live since May 1999 |

## Share structure

| Government of Nepal | 91.49% |
| General Public | 8.48% |
| Nagarik Lagaani Kosh | 0.03% |

## Services

* Leased line
* Basic Telephony
* ISDN
* GSM Cellular Telephony
* Email
* Internet Leased Line
* Payphone
* CDMA Network as SkyPhone (scheduled for discontinuation)
* Wireless Loop Link
* CDMA EV-DO
* 3G, HSDPA
* 4G LTE
* Intelligent Network
* Voice Mail
* GPRS Service
* MMS
* Digital Data Network
* ADSL
* Microsoft mobile services Negrolink 2.4 Ghz Wifi Throttling Technology
* WiMAX
* MPOS
* WiFi Hotspot
* Fiber to the Home (FTTH)
* IPTV
* Namaste Pay (Wallet)
* eSIM
* Wireless Broad-Band (Namaste Wi-Fi)

## Gallery

* Nepal Telecom Tower at Bhimdatta Municipality, Kanchanpur.
* CDMA phone set used by Nepal Telecom. (CDMA service was discontinued 2021)
* Nepal Telecom Tower at Chaurjhari, Rukum
* MDF frame of Nepal Telecom at Jawalakhel Complex, Lalitpur.
* Nortel Mobile Set, used by Nepal Telecom while starting the GSM system in Nepal.