'We have initiated studies on LTE and WiMax rollouts'

By when do you think the Nepalese market will be prepared for 4G, considering 3G hasn't quite taken off in Nepal?

It is unfortunate that despite a very quick and easy spectrum authorization given to major operators for deploying 3G services in the country, there hasn't been a significant uptake. Some operators have even planned a migration to LTE and have shown interest in launching WiMax services. Requests for spectrum for LTE and WiMax have been received and we have initiated studies on these fronts.

Operators like Ncell have recently launched BlackBerry services in Nepal. The BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion, has been under the scanner in various countries, including India over security concerns. As a regulator do you have similar concerns?

In Nepal also we do have security concerns about BlackBerry services. We have issued conditional no objection letter to Ncell to provide BlackBerry services in Nepal. One of the condition in that letter is to establish monitoring and interception system for BlackBerry services when deemed necessary by the Government of Nepal. It will be the responsibility of Ncell to provide such type of interception system, including the infrastructures and cost associated with it. Further discussions are on between security agencies, government, operators and the regulator.

Several foreign investors, especially Israelis, have shown interest in putting money in the Nepalese telecom market. How favorable are the regulatory conditions for them?

There has not been a systematic review of the assessment of Telecommunications Regulatory Environment (TRE) in Nepal by any independent agency. We are very flexible and guided by the established policy documents and existing telecommunication laws in the country. A number of regulatory interventions have been made to foster and expedite the development of telecommunications sector particularly in rural areas.

Nepal Telecom alone loses about $8.38 mn a year to illegal VoIP. What steps, as a regulator, has the NTA taken to curb illegal VoIP?

VoIP has been completely liberalized for the operators having ILD gateway license/authorization. Currently, four out of six have such license/authorizations. However, they have not used this technology for terminating ILD calls. The termination rate for ILD calls is one of the highest compared to other countries. This is the reason that illegal termination has found a huge market. Efforts are being made to curb this menace. Obviously, operators and government are losing. We are under serious deliberations on the legal front as to how NTA can be proactive in controlling this menace.

Heena Jhingan
heenaj@cybermedia.co.in