Government Decides For 5G Testing, To be Free For Public in the Trial Period

The government of Nepal has taken the decision for 5G network testing which paves the way for the commercial networks in the coming days. The Radio Frequency Policy Determination Committee, headed by MoCIT Minister Mr. Parbat Gurung has decided on the 5G network and Spectrum.

Check out: What is a 5G network and the services with it?

Minister Gurung revealed the decision while addressing the meeting with stakeholders to discuss the next Fiscal year’s Policies & Programs and Budget.

The Radio spectrum policy determination committee meeting held last Friday had come to the decision for 5G testing along with the spectrum. They had met only twice before coming to the conclusion. The decision came as per the recommendation of the NTA board for the 5G spectrum bands in Nepal, which are separated into three categories.

Technology Neutral Spectrum

With the decision, all of the determined spectrum is defined as technology-neutral, which means the telcos can use the frequency spectrum for any mobile technology standard (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G). Plus, it enables the telco to use the limited and expensive frequency bandwidth efficiently.

As known, the 5G spectrum will be provided for free of cost to the telecom operators for the test period. So, they have set conditions for the telcos not to charge any cost to the public in the trial period. That means the 5G data will be free for the public during the testing, which will take some time to make available.

Do check out: Why do we need 5G network at home?

Telecom operators might need to bring the necessary equipment, perform spectrum refarming and do the upgrade in the existing infrastructure. So, we can only expect a 5G trial network in Nepal after some months.

Meanwhile, the government has felt the need to manage all the mobile spectrum bands in Nepal. For which, they shall prepare the Integrated National Frequency Strategy.

As many countries in this part of the world are yet to decide on the 5G spectrum and trials, Nepal takes a leap and might pace the commercial 5G rollout in the country. We were the first country in South Asia to launch a 3G network whereas we lagged behind in bringing 4G technology here. But this recent decision has a great significance which could yield the first 5G network rollout in this part of the world. Whereas we still stick to our previous idea on “Do we need 5G network in Nepal now” and it holds true for at least 2 years.