Monday, August 12, 2019

Nepal Satellite Telecom gets a week extension to clear dues

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has given Nepal Satellite Telecom (NST) an extension of a week to clear part of its pending dues, though the government has repeatedly directed to clear its dues.
According to chairman of the NTA Purushottam Khanal, , the company needs to pay Rs 70 million within August 18, while it can pay the rest of its outstanding amount within three months from August 18.
The company – owned by businessman Ajeya Raj Sumargi – needs to pay nearly Rs 1 billion as licence renewal fee, frequency fee, service expansion fee and fee for Rural Telecommunications Development Fund.
Earlier too the authority had allowed Smart Telecom extended time – in 2017 – to pay its dues.
However, this is the last chance for the the telecom company to keep its licence, he said, adding that the regulator is doing its level best not to have to scrap the operating licence of any telecom firm. “If the telecom company fails to abide by the regulator’s instruction this time, the NTA will revoke its licence.”
Nepal Satellite Telecom had filed a writ petition – seeking cancellation of the amount that it had to pay to NTA – at the Supreme Court but the Apex Court refused to give continuity to a stay order on a writ petition. A single bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana on July 18 had refused to continue the stay order in favour of Nepal Satellite Telecom.
According to the telecom regulator, different telecommunication service providers have not paid dues worth Rs 2.96 billion to the government. There are some 153 telecommunication service providers in the country. United Telecom Ltd (UTL), Smart Telecom, Nepal Satellite Telecom, BroadLink Network are some of the telecommunication service providers that have not cleared their dues.
Smart Telecom – the largest one to pay dues – has to pay Rs 1.4 billion. Likewise, UTL has to pay Rs 795 million tax to the government as under frequency fee, royalty fee and renewal fee.

No comments: