Vacancy announced for NTA chairman and board members: Find eligiblity criteria

The Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology (MoCIT) has announced a vacancy announcement for the new chairman of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) and its new board members. The ministry has opened the vacancy after the government’s special ordinance led to the automatic removal of the former chairman Bhupendra Bhandari, and board members.

After the former chairman and board members’ removal from office, NTA is currently without its leadership. NTA is the sole regulatory body for the telecommunications sector of Nepal. The country’s telecom sector runs under its supervision, rules, and regulations.

Bhupendra Bhandari was appointed as the NTA chairman on Falgun 06, 2080, before the special ordinance held his term short on Baisakh 18, 2083, with a Special Provision for Ordinance on the Removal of Officials from Public Office, 2083. Along with him, four board members, Rabindra Jha, Gokarna Prasad Sitaula, Krishna, Prasad Pokhrel, and Nawaraj Adhikari also lost their thier roles.

Eligibility and required documents for NTA Chairman and Board Members

The communication ministry has stated the following eligibility requirements for the NTA chairman and board members:

• Must be between 30 and 65 at the time of sending an application
• In the case of the Chairperson as per Sub-section (1) of Section 5 of the Telecommunications Act, 2053, the applicant shall have obtained at least a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree from a recognized educational institution in the technical/administrative, market management, accounting and auditing, or legal field related to telecommunications services, and at least ten years of experience in the relevant field.
• In the case of the Member as per Sub-section (1) of Section 5 of the Telecommunications Act, 2053, (one) person shall be selected from the technical or administrative field related to telecommunications services, (one) person from the market management field, (one) person from the accounting and auditing field, and (one) person from the legal field. For this, he/she shall have obtained at least a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree from a recognized educational institution in the relevant field and at least seven years of experience.
• Not having permanent residency (PR) in a foreign country
• Should not be found ineligible for appointment under the prevailing law
• Application and form
• Copies of Nepali citizenship and National ID card
• Biodata with documents that reveal eligibility
• Certificates of educational certificates and equivalence, if necessary
• Certificate of experience
• Business plan of 3000 to 5000 words on A4-size paper in either English or Nepali language
• Two recently taken passport-size photos
• Self-declaration form as prescribed

The application is to be submitted to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT), Institution Coordination Branch, Singha Durbar.

For any information, interested individuals can contact for further information at sansthan.mocit@gmail.com and at 421197.

What for the new NTA Chairman?

The new chairman will now have to lead the authority at a very crucial time. Right now, everybody is counting on the launch of 5G in Nepal, and NTA will soon coordinate a 5G spectrum auction. Also, the authority will use RTDF for mobile network expansion, which requires supervision of the new leadership.

At the same time, Nepal’s telecom industry is suffering from negative economic trajectory. Subscription model dat a services is being teased as one of the ways to improve operators’ finances. It will become a key topic for the industry down the months.

This is why there will be a deluge of expectations from the next incumbent.

The NTA chairman will have a tenure of 5 years in office.

Here’s the official vacancy file from the communication ministry.

FAQs on the NTA vacancy for the next chairman and board members