Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) has released the data of the phones latched in Nepal Telecom (NTC) and Ncell helps us find the top smartphone brands in the country. As the stats come from the operators, we can also see what kind of devices are in use on the telcos’ respective networks such as 2G, 3G, or 4G devices. Let’s find more details below.
The report showing the data of Shrawan to Kartik for the fiscal year 2079/80 has it that a total of 14 lakh, 52 thousand, 450 devices’ IMEI was registered in NTA EIR System. As per the data, a total of 55,86,578 devices were brought into Nepal which amounts to 4,65, 548 per month.
In the last five fiscal years, 1 trillion, 37 billion (around 27.46 trillion a year) money was spent on mobile phone imports. In the meantime, the government generated 21 billion, 64 crores, and 87 lakh in total. the data comes from the central EIR or MDMS at NTA.
You might also like to read: Internet Access Reaches 37.8 Percent, 17 Lakhs Without a Smartphone as per the National Census 2078 Report
Top smartphone brands in Ntc and Ncell
As the data show, Samsung is the most used smartphone brand in Ncell. Xiaomi grabs the second rank, while OPPO and VIVO are in third and fourth position respectively. It is also found that ITEL, Lava, NOKIA, and realme came in fifth, sixth, and seventh positions. Another Chinese brand REALME Colors and Huawei claimed eighth, ninth, and tenth positions. Of the total, 28.31% of phones were found to be bar phones and 69.73% were smartphones.
Similarly, Samsung took the pole position in the Ntc network as well. Redmi, Xiaomi’s subsidiary came in second position. OPPO, vivo, ITEL, Lava, and Nokia share the same positions. However, Apple comes at eight in Ntc, and realme and Colors join hands at ninth, and tenth positions.
Ncell boasts 51 smartphone brands in its network while Ntc has 52. In number, Ncell has 1 crore, 7 lakh, 39 thousand, and 35 devices on its cellular network. Ntc likewise, has 1 crore, 57 lakh 84 thousand, and 723 devices. According to the data, 28% of bar phones are running in Ncell while 66% are smartphones. Find out the top smartphone brands operating on Ntc and Ncell to date.
| Top 10 smartphone brands in Ncell | Top 10 smartphone brands in Ntc |
| Samsung | Samsung |
| Xiaomi | Redmi |
| OPPO | OPPO |
| Vivo | Vivo |
| ITEL | ITEL |
| LAVA | LAVA |
| Nokia | Nokia |
| realme | Apple |
| Colors | realme |
| Huawei | Colors |
Check out: How to check 4G/5G band support on your smartphone?
Number of 2G, 3G, and 4G phones used in Nepal
As per the same report, 10 lakh, 19 thousand, and 231 2.5G phones are registered in Ncell. Likewise, there are 38 lakh, 4 thousand, and 528 2G devices. At the same time, Ncell has 6 lakh, 25 thousand, and 703 users 3G compatible handsets on its network. 1 crore, 12 lakh, 55 thousand, 965 devices are 4G capable on the telco’s network.
Similarly, in Ntc, there are 44 lakh, 94 thousand, and 282 2G devices. Then, 6 lakh, 29 thousand, and 7 are 3G devices and 1 crore, 2 thousand, and 164 users are 4G handsets. The 2G, 3G, 4G handset penetration gives a glimpse of the handset market in Nepal, of which above 65% are 4G devices, around 4% are of 3G supported and above 30 percent are of 2G supported devices.
Up to 52 brands’ phones are used by Nepali users as per the EIR System. The 800 MHz band is one of the 4G network band in Ntc has a user base of 1 crore, 2 thousand, and 164. While much of the data is not available, Smart Cell has an EIR capacity of 8 lakh, 68 thousand, and 825. Check out: Nepal Telecom uses two frequency bands for 4G Network >>
| Handsets | Ncell | Ntc |
| Total No of handsets latched to the network | 17,039,035 | 15,784,723 |
| Bar phone | 28.31% | 28 % |
| Smartphone | 69.73 % | 66% |
| 2.5G | 1,019,231 (5.98%) | NA |
| 2G | 3,804,528 (23.32%) | 4494282 (28%) |
| 3G | 625,703 (3.67%) | 2G/3G 629007 (4%) |
| 4G | 11,255,965 (66.05%) | 10,002,164 (63%) |
Likewise, there are 94 lakh, 53 thousand, 175 800 MHz supported phones in Ncell. As Ncell uses an additional 900 MHz for its 4G network, the 800 MHz supported device number for Ncell is not quite relevant.
What do you think of the NTA’s data for the top smartphone brands in Nepal, together with the user handset penetration for 2G, 3G, and 4G networks?
