State-run telco Nepal Telecom (NTC) has prepared to launch 5G in Kathmandu and Pokhara. According to sources, the company is in talks with Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) for the radio waves required to bring the fifth-generation cellular technology to the public for the first time in Nepal.
NT’s acting managing director, Sabina Maskey Pradhan, has said, “We are prepared to launch 5G as soon as possible and have requested NTA for frequencies.” She shared with the BBC Nepali that after getting the frequencies, the company will start a process to procure the necessary equipment for 5G.
The latest development brings fresh hope to the public who have been waiting for 5G for years. And there are other reasons to be upbeat this time.
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NTA deciding on policy to allocate free radio waves for Ntc 5G
Pradip Paudyal, joint spokesperson at NTA, said that the process for a policy decision has been taken as some of the issues demanded by Telecom, including the frequency, cannot be addressed through the available policies. “Earlier, Ntc, which had already tested 5G, had said that it was successful. Now, it has again requested to provide a free frequency for ‘proof of concept’ (practical testing). There is no such provision in the available policy,” he said, “But saying that does not mean that it will not be given. Since there are also requests from the ministry, we have taken the process for a policy decision on how the company can obtain the frequency.”
NTC trialed 5G in 2079 BS at its office premises in major cities and concluded that the lack of 5G smartphones was one of the reasons the technology couldn’t be rolled out commercially. Things have changed now as more devices support 5G connectivity. So, now, it has to restart the process.
Check out: Best 5G phones in Nepal
Paudyal said that the authority has already prepared a procedure for the ‘bidding’ with 5G spectrum auction, but the price of some frequencies in Nepal is yet to be decided.
The decision on the price of frequencies is made by the ‘Frequency Policy Determination Committee’ under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
“Preparations are being made to hold a meeting of the committee. We will meet soon, depending on the minister’s time. It is up to the committee to decide what to do,” Radhika Aryal, the secretary of the communication ministry, who is also a member of the committee, told the BBC.
Also: 4G vs. 5G: Differences Between Two Mobile Networks
Nepal Telecom is rolling out 5G in Kathmandu and Pokhara
NTC acting MD Pradhan stated that the company will launch 5G in Kathmandu and Pokhara first. This is quite customary at the company and is a general practice in the industry too. After launch in these cities, the network will be gradually expanded to other major cities and other areas.
“We have been saying for a long time that this (5G rollout) will only be for a limited number of locations,” she said. “Through this, we are trying to gain technical experience; at the moment, we won’t go all out.”
She further added that the company will beam 5G signals in areas that have a need. “We are now going to go to those areas where there is a need. For example, a crowded place like Basantapur in Kathmandu can be taken, where sometimes the service is stopped due to a lack of ‘channels’ when using 4G. We are looking at similar places in Pokhara.”
NTC is more likely to go standalone 5G
In other good news, NTC could prefer to choose standalone (SA) 5G. Maskey said that the company hasn’t yet decided whether it will go with non-standalone or standalone 5G. But since NSA won’t bring much for the 5G user experience, the company, she said, will choose SA 5G. Unlike NSA 5G, which uses existing 4G infrastructure, SA 5G delivers the true 5G performance with data speed and latency. So, users should be happy with SA 5G if that substantiates. There are some reports that Ntc 5G speed will be in the region of up to 1 Gbps speed in ideal environments.
“We had to decide whether to go for ‘SA’ (stand-alone) or ‘NSA’ (non-stand-alone) mode. Many countries initially go for the ‘NSA’ mode to learn. But since it is a bit outdated now and does not provide much experience with 5G, we have moved forward to go for ‘SA’,” Maskey said.
Do read: 5.5G network, features, Speed: Find everything about it
Ntc 5G price
The tariffs for 5G services haven’t been decided yet, according to NTC Acting MD Maskey. For now, the company is primarily focused on bringing the much-anticipated technology to life. Price matters will follow later. “In the first phase, we need technical success and what we learn from it. Then there will be talk of expansion.”
Generally, it should be expected from the state-run telco that it keeps 5G prices affordable. However, 5G is an advanced technology and will require matching infrastructure, hence more costs in setup. Therefore, it might come with a ‘price’. But it should also be the tool to democratize connectivity in the country. The company could also introduce subscription-based telecom services to mitigate the investment in the future.
When will Nepal Telecom 5G be available?
It’s widely expected that Nepal Telecom will launch 5G in Nepal in FY 2082/83. This timeline has now become more credible with the latest affair. If NTA allocates the frequencies to NTC, then the telecom operator can finally proceed with equipment purchase and their installation. According to Maskey, after the equipment is imported, it will take three to four months to start 5G. So, yes, if everything goes to plan at their earliest, we may have NTC 5G by the end of 2082 or early 2083.
Do you think Nepal Telecom will be able to roll out 5G for the public this fiscal year? Or will it be a dud again? If it happens, will you go ‘always mobile data on‘ on your phone? Share with us in the comment section below.
