 Nepal Telecom logo used since 2004 | |
Native name | नेपाल दूरसञ्चार कम्पनी लिमिटेड (नेपाल टेलिकम) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| NEPSE: NTC | |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | Nepal Telecommunication Corporation |
| Founded | 13 April 2004 (21 years ago) (2004-04-13)[1] |
| Founder | Iraquem Mudahar Investment Corp. & Intel (Nepalese Branch) |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Nepal |
Key people | |
| Products | Mobile Telephony, GSM, GPRS, 3G, 4G, Satellite transceivers |
| Services | Fixed line andmobile telephony,broadband,IPTV and fixed-line internet services Internet SMS |
| Revenue |  NPR 343.447 billion (2016)[4] |
| NPR 343.447 billion (2016)[4] | |
| NPR 8.47 billion (2022)[4] | |
| Total assets | NPR 8115.289 billion (2016)[4] |
| Total equity | NPR 485.460 billion (2016)[4] |
Number of employees | 5400 (F/Y 2073-74 BS; 2016-17 AD)[5] |
| Parent | Ministry of Communication and Information Technology & SKBD Inc. |
| Website | ntc |
Nepal Doorsanchar Company Ltd. (Nepali:नेपाल दूरसञ्चार कम्पनी लिममटेड), widely known asNepal Telecom (Nepali:नेपाल टेलिकम) orNTC, is a state-ownedtelecommunications service provider inNepal.[6] The company held amonopoly until 2003, when United Telecom Limited (UTL) became the first private operator to offer basic telephone services. Nepal Telecom’s central office is located at Bhadrakali Plaza,Kathmandu, with branches, exchanges, and offices in 184 locations nationwide.
Nepal Telecom is the sole provider offixed-line,ISDN, and leased-line services inNepal. Its monopoly onGSM mobile services ended in 2005 following the entry ofNcell (formerly Mero Mobile). With over 5,400 employees, the company is one of Nepal’s largest corporations. As of July 2011, it operated 262 telephone exchanges, serving 603,291public switched telephone network lines, more than 5 million GSM mobile connections, and over a million CDMA lines. By 2019, Nepal Telecom had approximately 20 million users across fixed landline, GSM, CDMA, and internet services.[7]
The company launched Nepal’s first4G LTE service on 1 January 2017, using a technology-neutral 1800 MHz frequency band available in all seven provinces.[8] In July 2019, it successfully tested VoLTE services, which were made available to subscribers on 17 May 2021.[9][10] According to theNepal Telecommunications Authority’s MIS report of April 2019, Nepal Telecom had the largest share of the cable internet market, with 211,513 subscribers and an 84% market share.[11] It also provided WiMAX services to about 88,000 users.[12]
Telecommunications services in Nepal began in 1913, with a direct line established betweenKathmandu andRaxaul the following year. In 1935, twenty-five automatic telephone lines were installed in Kathmandu, followed by a line connecting Kathmandu andDhankuta in 1936. By 1951,Palpa District was linked to Kathmandu, andBhairahawa followed in 1953. In 1950, Kathmandu received a “Central Battery” telephone exchange, marking the start of public telecommunications services.[13]
Wireless services were first introduced in 1950, covering Kathmandu, Bhairahawa, Illam, Dhankuta, andBiratnagar. By 1952, coverage had expanded to Doti, Dang, Jumla, Dailekh, Salyan, Okhaldhunga, and Rajbiraj, with further expansion to Jaleshwar, Ramechhap, Bandipur, Terathum, Taplejung, Dadeldhura, and Baitadi. Additional stations were set up in Baglung, Palpa, Dhangadhi, Pokhara, Bhojpur, and Birgunj. Initially overseen by the Department of Communications, telecommunications was placed under a dedicated Department of Telecommunications in 1959.[13]
In 1972, Nepal Telecom was formally established as a wholly government-owned corporation under the Communications Corporation Act, operating as Nepal Telecommunications Corporation. In 2004, it was renamed Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited (NDCL) under the Companies Act (1997).[citation needed]
In 2003, Nepal Telecom introduced nationwideGSM services. Since then, it has expanded its offerings to includeCDMA, EVDO, ADSL, FTTH, and other technologies. Over the years, it has provided a range of modern mobile and internet services, includingGPRS,HSDPA,3G, and4G/LTE. More recently, the company began internal trials of5G in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Birgunj.[14]
Over time, Nepal Telecom has expanded its services to includeGPRS,HSDPA,3G, and4G/LTE. They began a 5G trial in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Birgunj, which is still limited to internal testing.
As a public enterprise, Nepal Telecom is solely responsible for providing telecommunications to Nepal.[15] It offers services in rural parts of the country, where private providers have been unable to maintain services.[16]
![CDMA phone set used by Nepal Telecom, and later discontinued 2021.[17]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCDMA_Phone_Set.jpg)
