How to Buy a SIM card in Nepal? | Ntc, Ncell, Smart Cell

Currently, Nepal has three nationwide mobile network operators (Ntc, Ncell, and Smart Telecom). Their SIM card network is available in most places. As people find it difficult to get the information for buying SIM cards, they keep on asking for detailed information. This is true for foreigners or Nepalese coming from abroad and also for people living in Nepal. In this post, we will provide detailed information on how and where to buy a SIM card in Nepal.

When we say SIM card, it is mostly of GSM technology. Most of the people’s mobile/cell phone also supports GSM sim card.

People from abroad also have roaming facility enabled in their home SIM card. Some of them prefer to use the same SIM card with their number. But as some find it expensive to use international roaming, they look for a local SIM card for their stay in Nepal. Of course, they will save huge money by doing so.

Which SIM card to choose from?

The three Nationwide Mobile network operators are Nepal Telecom (NTC), Ncell, and Smart Telecom. Nepal Telecom is the oldest and pioneer telecom operator (owned by Government) in Nepal with many services like GSM (2G, 3G, 4G) CDMA, ADSL, WiMAX, and more. Whereas Ncell is the leading private mobile operator with 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile services. Then there is Smart Telecom which has 2G and 4G service.

Regarding the coverage, Ntc and Ncell have almost similar coverage. But if you are one of those who love to travel to the rural areas either for work or travel, we recommend using the Ntc SIM card. Recently the regulator finds Nepal Telecom (NTC) to have better voice quality in their mobile network. Ncell stands a little better for data service but Ntc’s data service is comparable in most of the areas. For data service, you can select either NTC or Ncell as they have 3G and 4G services. The coverage of Ncell for 4G is bigger than Ntc.

• NTC 4G expanded to 77 districts of all 7 provinces.

Smart Telecom is the third-largest telecom operator but its coverage is quite limited. Find the latest update on their Smart Telecom coverage. If you are only visiting the major city areas like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, then you can also select Smart’s SIM card. But make sure you have 4G enabled handset to use high-speed data with the operator Smart as they don’t have 3G.

Where to buy/get a SIM card in Nepal?

If you are coming from abroad, you can buy the prepaid SIM cards in the international airport itself while landing in Nepal. Currently, Nepal has a single international Airport called Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). You can find the NTC and Ncell counters outside the arrival terminal. You can also ask the local security personnel for the SIM card counters at the Airport.

If you have missed buying the SIM card at the airport, you can also get the SIM cards in local shops of groceries, stationaries or pan Pasal, and some SIM cards shops. The SIM card is also available to buy near the bus parks like the New bus park. Or You can take the help of locals or the staff in hotels where you are staying.

For a Nepali, it will be very easy to buy a SIM card whether you want to buy an International Airport, Local shops, or bus parks.

What do you need to buy SIM cards in Nepal?

For a foreigner, you need to show your passport and visa, make a copy to attach it to a SIM card registration form, Or in some places they will do it for you. For Ncell, you just need to give your passport to make a copy, they will fill in the required information in the form and ask for your local address.

If you do not find anyone (as with Ntc office counters) to fill it for you, it’s easy to fill the form yourself and provide the required information and the cost of the SIM card. For a Nepalese, you need to provide a copy of your citizenship certificate, a photo and fill the registration form, and get a SIM card with its cost. There is also a requirement to sign and put the left & right fingerprints in the registration form paper.  You can also print or copy the form yourself to submit to the counters.

Cost of a SIM card

In Nepal, the SIM card plan only differs from the Prepaid or Postpaid plan. Prepaid sim cards are mostly available in the local shops or airports. Most people also prefer Prepaid SIM cards as they do not have recurring rentals and use them as you like. The price of prepaid SIM cards for all three mobile operators is Rs 100 (Nepalese Rupees) where you get Rs 50 as the main balance. You may get some additional bonus as per the type of SIM card. If you are a foreigner coming for travel, you can also get a tourist pack enabled SIM card, which is available in an international airport and major hotels/resorts.

Three in One SIM card

All the telecom operators now have the three in one SIM card, that can fit any requirement of SIM size. Although most of the new mobile phones support nano-SIM, there are some cell/mobile phones that only support Micro-SIM or standard SIM. Nano SIM is the smallest of all while Micro-SIM lies in between the standard SIM and nano-SIM. So, such three in one SIM card will allow you to change to other sizes without cutting or using any SIM adapters.

Topups/recharge

For the top-ups/recharge, you can find the recharge cards from the amount Rs 50 to Rs 500 in most of the places. For top-ups/recharge also, you need not worry. You can even ask the help of the local shopkeepers for recharging your account. These days, as people prefer recharging from mobile digital wallets, you can even ask your local friend (if you have or need to make one) to top-up your account and pay by cash.

Buy packs

All three operators now provide the method to buy data, voice-packs using some dial codes. Here is how you can buy packs in Ntc, Ncell, and Smart.

• For NTC: Dial *1415# and select the packages inside.
• Ncell: Dial *17123# and select the packages inside.
• For Smart: Dial *141#  and select the packages inside.

Mobile balance check

Similarly, for a Mobile balance check, you need to dial different numbers to get the balance info. Here is how you can check the mobile balance in Ntc, Ncell, and Smart.

• For NTC: Dial *400# and you will get the balance information. Read more.
• Ncell: Dial *101#. Read more.
• Smart: Dial *123#. Read more.

Data Speed

The technologies that Nepalese mobile operators support are GSM (2G), WCDMA (3G), and LTE (4G). 2G networks are available in most places but have a slow data speed. But for places where there is no 3G, 4G, you may have to adjust your pace to the 2G data speed. For 3G, the mobile data speed ranges from around 1 Mbps to 7 Mbps, with 3 Mbps on average. Whereas for 4G, the internet data speed ranges from 2 Mbps to 15 Mbps, at around 7 Mbps average. The data speed differs from the place (coverage) and the time of usage.

All in all, SIM card buying in Nepal is pretty easy. With all the required information provided above, we hope it will be easier not only to get the SIM card but also to use it.

If you have any queries about buying SIM Card in Nepal, feel free to ask us below in the comments or on our Facebook page.