Sunday, July 21, 2019

Number of 4G users soars by 125 per cent

The number of fourth generation (4G) mobile network users has reached 3.6 million within three years of being introduced in the country.
According to Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), the number has increased by 125 per cent compared to last year. The recently published Management Information System (MIS) report of mid-April to mid-May revealed that the number stood at 1.6 million last year. “The 4G network was first introduced in Nepal on January 1, 2017 by Nepal Telecom (NT). Currently, NT, Ncell and Smart Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL) are providing 4G service across the country, apart from Ncell that has the largest coverage of 4G service.”
The MIS report also revealed that there are a total of 2.6 million 4G subscribers of Ncell so far, whereas NT and STPL have 762,945 and 174,816 4G users, respectively.
Although NT was the first to start 4G service in the country, till date it has been able to provide 4G service only in Kathmandu and Pokhara, whereas Ncell is currently providing the service in 1,000 different locations of seven provinces.
Within two years of the 4G launch, Ncell has expanded the service in 44 districts but the STPL is providing 4G service in four major cities – including Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Pokhara – in the country.
Meanwhile, NT has divided the 4G expansion project into three categories including Network I, Network II and Core Network. While the Nepse-listed company has awarded the Network I and Network II categories of the project to CCSI, ZTE Corporation has been awarded the contract to develop necessary core network and radio access network for the expansion of 4G or Long Term Evolution (LTE) service.
Likewise, the number of mobile data users reached 18.6 million compared to 14.3 million last year, it revealed, adding, “Of the total number of data users, 10 million are 3G users while remaining 136,573 users are using networks that are below 3G capacity.”
According to the MIS report, some 63.31 per cent, out of the total population, are using internet service across the country. “Of the total number of internet users, some 49.65 per cent are mobile network users, 12.47 per cent are fixed broadband users, while 1.18 per cent are wireless broadband users,” it stated in the report.

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