ISPAN Claims Huge Loss in the Internet Service Business, Demands Relief through Tax Exemption, and Loan Facility. The Internet has become a necessity to connect during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the surge in internet usage during the lockdown in Nepal, it has put more financial burden on Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Recently, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) had released a notice for all ISPs urging them to continue internet services even if users don’t pay bills on time. However, the Internet Service Providers’ Association Nepal (ISPAN) sent a letter to NTA in response to the notice. The notice highlights the inability of ISPs to provide continuous unpaid internet services to all customers.
It also states, “It has been reported that the ISPs are providing continuous unpaid internet service to the physically challenged, elderly clients who have no helper at home.”
The ISPs don’t think it is a practical move to continue unpaid internet services for all customers. Although, they have been extending grace periods and encouraging digital payment services.
On April 24, 2020 (Baisakh 12), ISPAN sent a letter to the government through NTA informing about the damage to the internet business due to COVID-19. The letter also mentions that is has become difficult to collect service charges from the customers. The purpose of the letter is to demand relief for the damage caused.
In the letter, ISPAN has demanded a relief package consisting of 12 points from the government through NTA.
Here are some of the points of the demand:
The reverse VAT on importing bandwidth and channel subscription services should be reduced by 5 percent and the TDS rate by 6.5 percent.
50% tariff and exemption on the import of goods required to provide internet service.
There should be a refinancing facility for loans being consumed by the ISPs.
25% refund on corporate income tax.
Waiving the telecommunication service charges for the benefit of the customers.
Increase the loan’s interest payment period by three months.
Various government agencies must waive the late fee on all kinds of fees and taxes.
Provision of loans for six months from RTDF fund at a minimum interest rate to pay for the purchase of internet bandwidth of three months.
50% exemption in the income tax paid by the employees in the current fiscal year.
Provision of working capital loans to all ISPs for working capital expenditure for a minimum of six months based on the current investment.
Extension of the deadline for payment of RTDF and royalty to 12 months.
Provision of exemption for late fees and penalties in the amounts taken by NTA under various topics.
The ISPs are currently accepting online payments to collect internet bills. They are urging customers to use a digital wallet or other platforms to make payments. Similarly, they are extending the grace periods considering the circumstances of the customers during the lockdown. However, their motive remains to reach as many customers as possible for bill payment
During such difficult times, we would urge people to help their neighbors, families, and friends to pay internet bills through online platforms.
NTC and Ncell are the two leading network service providers in Nepal. With covering almost 90% of the total mobile users in Nepal, there arises a question of which is actually the best network provider in Nepal.
We can’t judge the best network but we can definitely compare the services and tariffs of the network providers. Okay, let’s dig into the service tariffs based on their respective website.
The first thing to compare is the local call rates. When a person calls from Ncell to Ncell or any other national operator, the person will be charged Rs. 2.54 per minute inclusive of all taxes. When you call Ncell to Ncell at night time, you’ll be charged Rs. 0.88 per minute. In the meantime, if you call within the network from NTC GSM pre-paid, you’ll be charged Rs. 1.50 per minute at peak hours (6 am to 10 pm) and Rs. 0.55 at night time. GSM post-paid will cost you Rs. 1.00 per minute at peak hours.
If you use mobile data without subscribing to any packages, Nepal Telecom will charge you Rs. 1.00 per MB in GPRS, 3G, and 4G usage. Well, I couldn’t find the normal data tariff of Ncell on its website.
Nepal Telecom was seen as a bit cheaper in terms of tariffs if a person uses services without subscribing to any package. What’s the condition in terms of data package subscription, then? Here we’ll discuss the package rates of the two leading network providers.
Ncell Data Packages:
Ncell has got different plans for data. This starts with the ‘Get more on 4G offer’. In this offer, you’ll get a 100% 4G bonus and a 100% nighttime bonus. The very beginning package includes 105 MB combined (35MB all time+ 35MB 4G+ 35MB night) for Rs. 11.49. The highest package in this offer will provide you with 9GB combined (3GB+3GB+3GB) at Rs. 453.30.
Ncell also has a plan called ‘Data Pack with Video Offer’. Basically, in this package, you’ll get 1 hr of video streaming per day till your package ends. You’ll also get a 100% nighttime bonus in this package. The package starts from Rs. 49.80 with a combined 1.5GB along with one-hour video streaming of data valid for 1 day to Rs. 1,020.24 with a combined 32GB along with 1-hour video streaming per day valid for 30 days.
Ncell also has the next plan called as ‘Mero plan’. In this plan, the customer gets extra data for YouTube and the voice call rate is also decreased for Ncell to Ncell calls. The main balance won’t be deducted if the package is expired. It is an auto-renewal plan. It’s also divided into two types. The first one is weekly with a validity of 1 week. The weekly package starts from a package of Rs. 99.77 which contains 2GB of data. A user won’t get YouTube data with this package however the Ncell to Ncell call rate will be reduced to Rs. 1.28. The only other package available in this type costs Rs. 191.54 and contains 4GB of data and 2GB of extra data for YouTube. The Ncell to Ncell call rate will be Rs. 1.28.
Another type in the ‘Mero plan’ is monthly. 100% of YouTube data is provided with the package. It starts at the cost of Rs. 254.10 containing 1GB of mobile data and 1GB of YouTube data. The Ncell to Ncell call rate is 1.28. The ending package will cost Rs. 1275.62 for 25 GB mobile data and 25 GB YouTube data. The Ncell to Ncell call rate is reduced to Rs. 0.64 per minute.
NTC Data Packages:
Nepal Telecom also has got different data plans for users. It starts with All Time Data Pack to all Large Data Pack.
The first plan it has got for the users is the All-Time Data Pack. It starts with a 60MB Data pack for Rs. 15 valid for 1 day to all up to 14000MB (approx. 13.7 GB) Data Pack for Rs. 700 valid for 28 Days. It also has got a 700 MB Data pack for Rs. 100 calling it ‘Eco Pack’.
Then, there comes the ‘Unlimited Night Data’ plan. In this plan, you’ll be getting 1GB of data per night at Rs. 90 for 7 nights and Rs. 18 for a night. Users generally get confused at this plan thinking that they’ll get unlimited data without any boundaries. But, that’s not the case, their internet connection will be lowered to a base connection once they consume 1GB of data.
NT also offers a ‘1GB Per Day Data Pack’. Users can get 1GB of data per day at Rs. 45 for one day. This plan is also available for weekly and 28 days plan where users will get 1GB of data per day at Rs. 250 for 7 days and 28 days for Rs. 850.
There also exists a ‘Night Data Pack’ in which you can buy 400MB of Night data for Rs. 12 valid for 1 Night.
You need to be clear that Night Packs in NT can be used from 11 PM to 6 AM.
NT also offers ‘Day Data Packs’ where you can get 80MB data at Rs. 10 and 200MB data at Rs. 15 both valid for 1 day and can be used from 6 AM to 6 PM.
1-hour unlimited data pack (Technically 1 GB) can be bought for Rs. 20.
Besides this, there is Social Media Pack that can be used to browse Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp (official apps only). 70 MB of such data valid for 1 day can be bought at Rs. 10. Similarly, at Rs. 35, 250 MB of data valid for 3 days can be bought. 600 MB of such data can be bought at Rs. 65 which is valid for 7 days.
The next data pack available is Streaming Pack which can be used to stream YouTube and Live TV. You can get 300 MB of such data at Rs. 15 valid for 1 day, 650 MB at Rs. 30 valid for 3 days, and 1400MB at Rs. 60 valid for 7 days.
Besides all these, NT offers India Roaming data packs. A daily pack of 100 MB can be purchased at Rs. 125, a weekly pack of 500 MB can be purchased at Rs. 555, and a monthly roaming data pack of 1GB can be purchased at Rs. 1125.
You can get 60 GB data valid for 3 months at Rs. 3000.
According to my view, Ncell wins in small data packs and NTC is the winner for large data packs. The large data packs at NTC look to suit people’s needs.
FNF and My5 rates:
Ncell has the My5 service in which you can add 5 people in your My5 list and talk at Rs. 0.99 (exclusive of taxes) per minute. You’ll be charged Rs. 20 (exclusive of taxes) per month for the service. After adding the first 5 numbers in your group, each addition, modification, or deletion of the numbers will be charged Rs. 5 (excl. of taxes).
Nepal Telecom Friends and family (FNF) Service can be subscribed free of charge. One can call at 70 paise per minute from GSM prepaid and 50 paise per minute from GSM post-paid. It doesn’t charge an addition, modification, or deletion too.
Nepal Telecom looks better in this case.
Voice Packages:
Ncell:
Ncell offers various voice packages and you’ll get Night SMS with each subscription. It starts with 12-minute data with Rs. 11.49.
In 3 days pack, you can get 55 min at Rs. 31.92 with 35 night SMS.
In the Weekly pack, 75 minutes costs Rs. 62.57 and 125 minutes cost Rs. 71.51. You’ll get that night SMS equal to the number of minutes you purchase.
In the monthly pack, you can buy 425 minutes at Rs. 204.3 and 720 minutes at Rs. 306.46. You’ll get night SMS equal to no. of minutes in this pack too.
You can get 5 AM to 5 PM unlimited talk time at Rs. 15.32 along with 720 Night SMS in the time-based pack. In the same pack, you can buy 35 minutes voice pack at Rs. 8.94 with 35 Night SMS valid for 24 hours from 5 AM to 5 PM. At the same amount, you can get 120 minutes night voice pack with a 120-night SMS.
NTC:
In NTC, you won’t get any other extra offer with voice packs. In an all-time data pack, 14 minutes for 1 day cost Rs. 12, 40 minutes with 3 days validity cost Rs.30, 75 minutes with 7 days validity cost Rs.60, 490 minutes with 28 days validity cost Rs.240, and 1100 minutes with 42 days validity cost Rs.500.
Nepal Telecom has got Night Voice Pack (10:00 PM to 6:00 AM) too. In this pack, Rs. 9 can buy 60 minutes voice pack, and Rs. 12 can buy unlimited talk-time valid for one night. You can get 170 minutes night voice pack at Rs. 15 valid for three days. You’ll get 340 minutes at Rs. 30 valid for 7 days.
Besides all these, NT offers 100 Minutes Voice (5 AM to 5 PM) valid for a single day.
SMS Packages:
Ncell provides 1000 on network SMS package at Rs. 24.26. NTC is behind in the SMS package too. You can get 20 SMS at Rs. 5 for 1 day. It provides 70 SMS for Rs. 15 valid for 7 days. The highest package is Rs. 60 for 300 SMS with 28 days validity.
Which one has the widest 4G coverage?
Although Ncell claims to have the widest 4G coverage, it hasn’t disclosed the list of places with coverage. It says, its 4G network covers more than 1000 places. Nepal Telecom has expanded its 4G coverage to 499 local levels. The list is available on the website of Nepal Telecom. We believe, that 499 local levels are wider than Ncell’s 1000 places. So, we believe, Nepal Telecom has the widest 4G coverage in Nepal.
According to our view, Nepal Telecom wins the race in terms of coverage.
So, final words?
We already said at the beginning, that we can’t judge which one is better. It depends on the need and your phone usage reason. According to your needs, judge the best network provider, and don’t forget to let us know in the comment section of our Facebook post.
Ncell prepaid customers can now stay connected with their family and friends even when they do not have any balance available on their mobile. Customers can first use voice, data and SMS service bundled pack at just Rs 5 and pay the charge later.
In a bid to ensure that its customers have access to services for communication during this crisis of coronavirus, Ncell Private Limited has been providing this pack to customers since Friday (April 17). The pack has been bundled with 250 MB data, 25 mins on-net talk time and 25 on-net SMS service.
Customers who do not have any main balance or has a balance of less than Rs 5 balance can take this pack on credit to keep themselves connected. Ncell has brought this offer considering that its customers might be facing difficulty in topping up their mobile balance to use services.
This offer is basically targeted to 36 lakhs customers of Ncell who have not used voice, data or SMS service for a least one month after lockdown and who has less than Rs 5 main balance. Customers can simply activate this pack and take benefit from services from 9.00 PM to 9.00 AM.
Data volume, talk time and SMS under this pack will remain valid for 7 days after the activation. Only prepaid customers who has subscribed Ncell SIM card at least two months ago and those who have remained inactive for the last one month can subscribe to the pack.
Customers can activate this pack by dialing *9988*55# or *9988#. When customers recharge their balance, only the associated cost of the pack will be deducted from the recharged balance amount. There is no service charge for the pack.
In addition to this, Ncell has also extended the validity of Stay Home data pack from 7 days to 10 days from the existing 7 days. Customers can subscribe to Stay Home data pack of 15 GB at just Rs 230 (Rs 293.69 including taxes).
Nepal Telecom is helping people with low balance. To make people able to communicate during this Coronavirus pandemic, NTC has taken a step forward. Calling it a ‘Zero balance offer,’ Nepal Telecom is aiming to make people not deprived of communication during this challenging situation.
Who will be able to use the offer?
The offer won’t be available for all the people. People with less or no balance will be able to get the benefit. However, 33 paisa should be in balance. Similarly, there should be one more criterion covered. The person should have made at least one call within the first week of Lockdown i.e., Chaitra 11 to Chaitra 18.
If these criteria are met, users have already got a message from Nepal Telecom with steps to activate service. To activate the service, the user must reply within two days of the arrival of a letter to the same number. The steps are mentioned in the message sent by Nepal Telecom.
The users who are ineligible to get the offer also have got the message stating the ineligibility.
What do you get with the package?
If you’re eligible for the package, you’ll get a voice pack, data pack, and SMS pack. Voice and SMS packs can only be used to communicate within the Nepal Telecom network.
Packs included with the package:
100 MB data
50-minute voice call (NT network)
25 SMS (NT network)
This is indeed a grand gesture from Nepal Telecom.
Communication has become a necessity for billions of people around the globe to stay connected while in quarantine or lockdown. It is of utmost importance to make sure the information is flowing and people are getting aware of the latest updates in the crisis.
The main issue for service providers in Nepal has become the continuity of telecommunication or internet services during the lockdown.
Why?
It’s due to the surge in internet traffic that they have to make sure their service remains intact and that they focus on maintenance. Also, most consumers will be unable to pay the bills in time or not at all. With this in consideration, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) released a notice urging ISPs not to cut the internet even if users don’t pay the internet bills.
The Internet Service Provider’s Association of Nepal (ISPAN) sent a letter to the NTA in response to this notice on April 19. ISPAN has hinted that it would be an issue for ISPs to run a business if the internet was not billed. In the letter, ISPAN also states, “It has been reported that the ISPs are providing continuous unpaid internet service to the physically challenged, elderly clients who have no helper at home.”
Here’s what Vianet and Worldlink are doing to continue their services during the lockdown.
Interview with Mr. Sujit Jha, Technical Project Manager at WorldLink Communications
Q. How is Worldlink coping with the surge in Internet usage?
A: Well, many consumers have complained that Worldlink is cutting off bandwidth during the lockdown. But I can assure you that it is not the case. In fact, we have increased the bandwidth by 25% during the lockdown. The peak hour of internet usage as of now is 7 PM to 11 PM. So our customers can watch videos online but our only request is to limit the quality to 720p if you would normally watch it on 4K or 1080p. Things like these can help manage the bandwidth during peak hours.
Q. How practical do you think is NTA’s urge to not cut the Internet even if users don’t pay bills during the lockdown?
A: I understand why NTA has urged to do so but practically speaking, it may be difficult for us to implement it. In an organization like Worldlink, people are working despite the challenges of the crisis. It needs to pay the salaries of the staff and it can’t do so if bill payments stop coming. So, it is also necessary for us to acknowledge the contributions of our staff working from home and in the field during the pandemic.
Q. It is also important to understand the challenges in Bill payment during the lockdown. So, how is Worldlink dealing with it?
A: Before NTA released the notice, we had already considered extending the payment period for customers whose subscription was about to expire. So, we are renewing the subscriptions of the users for 5-15 days on our own. Also, we are calling or informing each customer to use ATM cards or digital payment platforms like Khalti to make payments. In fact, I see an opportunity for our transaction process to go fully digital and it is in increasing trend since the lockdown.
For the ones who are unable to use any digital platform, our staff residing in the proximity can receive payments from them. We are doing our best to consider the challenges of users but at the same time, we are ensuring payment collection by encouraging transactions through digital channels.
Q. How are the support team and field workers ensuring maintenance at such times?
A: As I mentioned earlier, our staff members try to collect bill payments from users who reside in their area. Also, to ensure continuity in our service and provide maintenance, our maintenance team is equipped with PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) and adequate safety kits.
Q. Can Worldlink be the next target of a data breach during the lockdown after the Vianet incident?
A: I wouldn’t say that there’s a 100% guarantee in our security system. The hackers have eyes to see loopholes where we normally don’t. However, talking about the data breach, there are no weaknesses in our system that I am aware of. We have upgraded our hardware and systems in the last 2-3 years with the aim to provide continuous service in a secure and reliable way. Furthermore, we have not received any information regarding a possible data breach in our system. Unlike recent data breaches, we have not received emails threatening to leak our data. So, to our knowledge, Worldlink’s data is secure.
Interview with Mr. Binay Bohra, Managing Director at Vianet Communications
Q. How has Internet usage increased during the lockdown and what has Vianet done to cope with it?
A: Previously, the peak hour used to be 7 PM – 10 PM. But now due to the lockdown, we are witnessing a new peak time at around 9 – 11 AM as well. This means that the peak hour has doubled and as a result, the load has increased. Even there is an increase in Vianet’s bandwidth by 20-25% (increase in the local bandwidth is up to 100%). Basically, the income cost has decreased while the cost of bandwidth has increased.
Initially, when the government announced a lockdown of 7 days, we decided not to disable any accounts which would expire during that time. But after the expansion of lockdown, it became difficult to hold our decision. The inability to collect bill payments would have invited new issues for us. We need to pay the salaries of our staff and keep our cash flow going.
Q. How is Vianet making sure that users pay the bill and the inability of the users to pay bills would not affect their internet services during the lockdown?
A: First of all, there are several ways to pay the bills from home. There is a provision of online bill payment through the user’s debit card as well. Similarly, users can pay bills through other digital platforms or wallets. So, we are requesting our customers to adopt digital transaction methods as much as possible. Similarly, we also opened counters at certain locations during the early stages of lockdown to help customers pay the bill. However, due to increasing risks, it hasn’t been possible currently.
We have managed to collect around 35 to 40% payment through these processes. Considering the situation of our customers, we have certain provisions for extending the grace period. Also, our team is trying to reach the ones who are unable to pay bills through any mediums. For this, our team is equipped with protective and safety kits. However, this depends on the situation and location as well.
Vianet Lockdown Notice | Current Service Status
Q. Do you agree with the announcement by NTA?
A: Well, our sole income source for our services is the bill collection. In the absence of the collection, we might be unable to continue our services to our prime. So, I believe there was a huge communication gap between the ISPs and NTA. We were concerned that the users who are perfectly able to pay bills might ignore their subscription expiry date completely at such time.
Due to such issues, we requested the NTA that we should collect the bills using digital platforms from users. And at the same time, suggest solutions to the ones who are unable to pay bills or consider extending the grace period depending on their situation. So I incline towards the possibilities of business continuity with potential solutions rather than facing consequences due to no cash flow.
Q. What challenges are the maintenance team and field workers facing due to lockdown?
A: Obviously the lockdown has affected the mobility and convenience for field support. Our primary focus is to provide continuity in our services through support and maintenance during the lockdown. There are issues like damages in cable or wires due to fire or other reasons. Similarly, there are connectivity issues in places inside and outside the Kathmandu valley.
The early lockdown stages were confusing. Eventually, we managed to get limited passes and yet some of our staff were detained and some sent back home. Due to this both customers and Vianet, as a service provider, faced difficulties to ensure field support. I have come to know of a case where the customer had no internet connection for a week. Obviously, we do our best to give maximum support but the circumstances deny us the opportunity. So, I can say that there may be delays in response time but we are ensuring our team addresses each maintenance issue.
Q. Are the field workers and staff equipped with Protective kits?
A: Yes, we have adopted social distancing and equipped our maintenance staff with PPE and safety kits. We spend every morning planning how to provide maintenance without violating the social distancing rule and at the same time, solve the issues of our customers. We make sure to record the availability of PPE gears and the status of our maintenance staff.
Q. Are there any new inquiries for Vianet’s Internet service or has Vianet installed Internet services for any new customers during the lockdown?
A: Very rarely. There probably is no new installation of our services inside Kathmandu but there are a couple of new installations outside the valley. However, our primary focus during the lockdown is maintenance rather than new installations.
More from ISPAN’s letter to the NTA
In the letter to the NTA, some points in the ISPAN statement are: ISPs are providing continuous internet service for the users who are sick and elderly having no helper at home as per the notice from NTA.
ISPs were receiving payments from some customers through digital platforms prior to the announcement of a nationwide lockdown. And now, they are requesting all customers to use digital platforms to pay for internet bills.
ISPs need to pay international internet providers for internet bandwidth. Due to the crisis and increased internet usage, the bandwidth cost has increased. Also, the ISPs need to pay for the salaries of their employees who are working hard during the crisis. So, not receiving payments could lead to business discontinuity and thus, ISPs need to collect bill payments as much as possible.
In response to the letter from ISPAN, Min Prasad Aryal, Director at NTA says, “I agree with what the letter addresses regarding the bandwidth increase and integration of digital payment systems. The notice that we had released also shines a light on the use of digital platforms to pay the internet bill.”
He adds, “We had urged ISPs to consider extending internet subscription for the ones who are unable to pay the bills. This includes the elderly, disabled, and sick people who have no helpers at home. However, the ISPs should collect bill payments from customers who are able to pay using digital platforms.”
Final Say
Looks like ISPs had already been implementing a strategy to collect bill payments from as many customers as possible. The NTA’s notice urged ISPs in Nepal not to cut off the internet access of their customers during the lockdown period. And in response, ISPAN sent a letter to the NTA highlighting the fact that not collecting bills would mean business discontinuity.
However, it seems the letter from ISPAN only addressed ISP’s continuity to provide internet access to the elderly and sick people who have no caretaker at home. Other than that, NTA itself had focused on using digital payment platforms to collect bills. Also, it would be great if people helped their friends, neighbors, and families to pay internet bills through payment platforms.
The Internet has become an essential thing in our life. We need it for most tasks because it is the fastest and easiest way like electronic mail, research, downloading files, electronic newspapers, and magazines. We also use the Internet for education and self-improvement. We use the Internet to connect with the world and keep up the trend. Group discussion, interactive games, and even friendship and dating are much more comfortable with the Internet.
Internet expenses have become necessary expenses like your electricity expense. But are you paying a lot for your internet connection? You want a smooth internet but worried about the high costs.
Do you feel like you are being cheated of your money when you pay for your internet services?
Here are some tips that can help you save your monthly internet bills. You can follow these and get a good deal at a price that you can afford.
Ways to save your monthly internet bills
#1.Determine what Internet speed you need
Not all of us need the internet speed at the speed of light. Some of us are doing only mundane things, like using the Internet for primary purposes. Some of us aren’t even home a lot to use it.
Internet service providers are developing their internet speed to the next level. They have come up with an internet speed of 100 Mbps with prices that equal the rate. It’s great if you need that level of speed to download or upload files. Unless you need it otherwise, it is a waste of money.
You must analyze what internet speed you need to save your monthly internet bills. You can determine the rate of the Internet you need by referring to this table provided by the ISPs.
Number of devices
(computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.)
Online activities
Recommended download speed.
1-3
Basic: E-mail, web browsing, music, and SD video streaming
10.5Mbps
1-3
Standard: E-mail, web browsing, music, and HD video streaming
18Mbps
1-3
Enhanced: E-mail, web browsing, music, and HD video streaming, video conferencing
30Mbps
1-3
Gaming: E-mail, web browsing, music, and HD video streaming, online gaming
30Mbps
4-7
Basic: E-mail, web browsing, music, and SD video streaming
24.5Mbps
4-7
Standard: E-mail, web browsing, music, and HD video streaming
42Mbps
4-7
Enhanced: E-mail, web browsing, music, and HD video streaming, video conferencing
70Mbps
4-7
Gaming: E-mail, web browsing, music, and HD video streaming, online gaming
70Mbps
#2. Buy your modem and router
Buying your hardware like modems and routers will cost you less if you buy it as per your requirement. Internet service providers will provide you with routers and modems when fitting wifi on your home. It will cost you an extra deposit. This action will also make it easy during troubleshooting.
#3. Negotiate with your service provider
Meet and negotiate with your Internet service providers. Being polite and asking more about offers will give you knowledge about better versions. You can choose the most favorable one at an affordable price.
Research about the promotional offers and compare prices and quality with competitors. This will help to reduce your monthly bills.
#4. Know about ISP around you
First, understand your local internet service providers. In a small local area, the providers nearby you won’t be more. Compare the prices and offers that they had to provide you with. Visit their office and negotiate with them about the offers and data package.
#5. Rely on wifi where possible
Using wifi rather than buying data plans will help you save a lot of money. Many people tend to buy data plans rather than wifi to save money. They end up spending more money on data plans rather than wifi.
Change the settings of your phone so that it prioritizes wifi uses over data plans. Downloading contents only over wifi also will save a lot of your monthly bills.
Using these simple tips can lower your bills. You will see a decent chance in your monthly expenses.
The government of Nepal has decided to use Rs. 16 billion rupees from the Rural Telecom Development Fund for government expenses. As Telecom services in rural areas need a lot of improvement, the fund had to be completely used for the same purpose. Still, rural places in the Himalayan region are deprived of connectivity. They’re separated from the outer world.
So, to make the government aware of this topic, Allen Bailochan Tuladhar, IT Expert,has created a petition to the Finance Minister on Change.org and is looking for the votes in the petition. We asked him about the petition. His sayings are presented below.
“As you know, we have started a campaign to bring awareness to say that it is not correct for the government to take the funds of the Rural Telecom Development Fund (RTDF) for other usages. 16 Arab Rupees (USD Dollars 133 million) has been taken out of this RTDF funds for government expenses.
This amount is the contribution from every telecom user of Nepal contributing 4% into this Fund. Similarly, Telephone Companies, television companies, ISPs are contributing 2% of the amount. This fund should only be allocated for Rural Telecomm Development purposes as purposed in the act to collect these funds. Else Nepal will never develop in rural areas if funds meant for development is used for other purposes than what is allocated for.
With this petition signing campaign, we will collect the support with the signed petition of thousands of Nepalese and hand it over to the Finance Minister, showing him that the common Nepalese believe this is not the correct decision.
We are doing a selfless act to ensure rural people are not deprived of connectivity. The digital divide is filled up so that we need to have equal growth opportunities throughout the country.
This lockdown has shown us how important connectivity is and rural people also deserve to have access to connectivity. This fund is important to ensure that our rural people also get access to good connectivity.“
When we asked Suman Lal Pradhan, Former ISPAN President on the topic, he agreed to the saying of Allen Balilochan Tuladhar. He said the step taken by him is the right step.
You can also sign the petition if you agree with Allen Bailochan Tuladhar. More importantly, you can be part of the change by spreading this article to have more people sign the petition.
Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has released a notice to all the ISPs of Nepal saying not to cut the internet even if the user doesn’t pay the internet bills. In the same notice, NTA urged all the ISPs to let users pay after the lockdown without extra charges.
In its notice, it says that in such a crucial moment, if the internet is cut off it’ll create a negative impact on the people. It has also requested all the ISPs to receive internet bills through the online medium if it’s possible.
The internet has become an inseparable thing during this lockdown. People are not going for their job. Very few people who are still working are also working from home. The Internet is a must for them. For normal people to it’s hard to pass time without the internet. This was a wise decision from NTA.
After the publishing of notice, people are complaining that the ISP has cut their internet service as they couldn’t pay their internet bills. Some people also believe that such decisions should also be made for Telecommunication companies. Here’s the notice from Nepal Telecommunications Authority.
Nepal Telecommunications Authority has recently announced to provide Rs.16 billion to Government Revenue Account. The amount would be provided from the Rural Telecommunications Development Fund of Nepal Telecommunication Authority. The cabinet meeting held on Tuesday decided to give the fund to the government.
As the country’s revenue is facing downgrade due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the cabinet decided to provide this fund for the government’s economic recovery. The Finance Ministry had earlier requested the amount through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology with the Telecommunication Authority.
According to the Cabinet meeting, the cabinet meeting opened the way to take the money, sources said. According to the Telecommunications Act, the fund was set up to spend on the expansion and development of telecommunication services in rural areas.
But the Telecommunications Authority has demanded that shortly if necessary, the government should provide the amount back to the Authority.
Earlier, a meeting chaired by Minister for Finance and Information Technology, Yuvraj Khatiwada on Chaitra 24, shared the same story. In the meeting, Authority had already decided to deposit the amount of Rural Telecommunication Development Fund in the Federal Reserve. The Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Deepak Subedi, along with Joint Secretary, Radhika Aryal, and Rishiram Adhikari and the Chairman of the Authority, Purushottam Khanal were also present during that meeting.
The meeting was held to discuss the demand for the sum from the Ministry of Finance. During the meeting, the decision to provide Rs.16 billion to the Federal Reserve was finalized.
What has the fund been used for?
Each year the service providers have provided their 2% profit to grow the fund. NEA has already started the process of laying optical fiber in the mid-hill highway using the funds from this fund. Not just that, funds are being used to set up IT labs in schools across the country. The same amount of funds has been used in the project to provide broadband networks in public places, schools, and health posts in each province.
These projects are essential for the development of the IT sector in the country. But we also can’t neglect the crumbling economy of the country which needs supervision immediately.
Ncell Private Limited, in collaboration with the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) on Wednesday, launched a self-assessment survey through the USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) medium to support the Government of Nepal in identifying COVID, infected people.
Ncell supports the Government in identifying COVID infected through a survey.
Customers can dial *17100# to self-assess the risk of coronavirus infection.
In this survey, respondents or Ncell customers can answer five questions related to coronavirus by dialing USSD code *17100#. Upon answering the questions, respondents will immediately receive a message with a bit of suitable health advice followed by government-defined helpline numbers and Ncell hotline number: 9801575005 in which they can consult with doctors for free of charge.
If any of them fall under the suspected categories, they will be instantly be recommended to seek immediate health consultation. The details of the alleged customers will be shared with the CCMC of the Government. All respondents will be pre-informed about the objective of the survey is to support the government initiative to contain the global pandemic.
Andy Chong, CEO of Ncell, shared his thought, “Our commitment to the serve the people of Nepal in our collective fight against COVID-19 remains uncompromised. We hope our support by extending our infrastructure and platforms, will help our customers to do self-assessment and jointly help the Government to mitigate the spread of the virus. In unusual times like these, everyone must do what is possible within their disposal, and Ncell is committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our partners and the 17 million-plus customers we serve countrywide.”
After this collaboration with CCMC, the self-assessment survey is now available for all customers within the Ncell network across the country. Ncell had already launched the USSD survey in Janakpur as a pilot, and later, it was expanded to the East and Far-west on April 3. Based on survey results, respondents were provided an appropriate suggestion along with hotline numbers. As a part of the crisis response, the company has already waived call charges to these helpline numbers.
In combat against the COVID-19, the company had also contributed NPR 100 billion in the government-established COVID-19 Infection Prevention, Control and Treatment Fund, supporting the Government to procure logistics such as personal protective gears, health equipment, PCR testing kits and other materials required in the testing, quarantining and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Ncell has also been providing multiple offers, including a 120% bonus on recharge, increment in Ncell Saapati amount, 15 GB data pack, and free balance transfer to keep customers and communities connected during this trying time.
The widespread global pandemic has led the government to implement lockdown in the country. In Nepal, the country has been in lockdown for the past three weeks due to coronavirus. With the lockdown implemented, the number of users who are engaged in professional work are working through home. This includes using video conferencing, conducting online classes, and watching video content.
The unexpected increase in internet traffic has prompted Nepal’s Internet service providers to request users to use the Internet in a timely and cost-effective way.
Well, it is not just the case of Nepal; Internet consumption has increased drastically worldwide. This has led to video platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, reducing video quality. Facebook has also reduced the quality of the video.
Report on Internet Consumption
In the meantime, the internet consumption data of Internet service provider companies in Nepal was published. The report indicates after a lockdown in Nepal; international traffic has increased by 25% while local traffic has increased by 35%.
However, the report does not include statistics for the mobile service provider of Nepal. According to the data, before the lockdown, a total of 334 Gbps of international internet bandwidth was consumed in Nepal, which is now increased by 84 Gbps.
Bandwidth consumption by the company
Google is the most considerable bandwidth consumed by international traffic. While Google used to drink 139Gbps of bandwidth before lockdown, it has increased to 155Gbps. As YouTube lies under Google, it is estimated to have high traffic. Youtube is the most used video platform in Nepal. And with the number of people searching Google for information about COVID-19, there is no doubt Google ranks the highest.
Facebook is the second most-consumed bandwidth. During the lockdown, the internet bandwidth consumed by Facebook has increased by 17% to 105 Gbps. Before the lockdown, internet bandwidth consumption was only around 90 Gbps. People have been using Facebook to connect with the people and for some small companies for video conferences.
In terms of percentages, the highest bandwidth consumption of the Internet is seen on Netflix, Gaming, and Tiktok. According to the data, internet consumption on all three platforms has increased by double the percentage of normal. Currently, Netflix, Gaming, and Tiktok in Nepal are consuming 13, 7, and 13 GB of bandwidth, respectively.
Cloud Service Providers
Similarly, cloud service providers such as Cloudflare, Akamai, Microsoft, Amazon have also increased Internet consumption. According to the statistics, cloud bandwidth, Akamai, Microsoft, and Amazon, Internet bandwidth consumption has increased by 50, 83, 67, and 50 percent, respectively.
The report shows there is an increase in the consumption of international bandwidth by about 30% in other services as well.
Local Internet Bandwidth
Statistics show that there is a significant rise in the use of local internet bandwidth along with international bandwidth. According to the statistics, the local bandwidth has increased by 35% than the reasonable period.
In general, the total 1152Gbps local bandwidth consumed by internet service providers in Nepal has now increased from 401Gbps to 1553 Gbps.
Google Cache
Google Cache is also being used the most. Google Cache is reported to be currently consumed at 591 Gbps. Google Cache consumption is likely to increase by 81 Gbps, which is about 16%.
IPTV
Similarly, the use of IPTV has increased drastically. As people are staying home, there has been an increase in the number of TVs watching at home. Internet bandwidth on NetTV has risen by 55%. Before lockdown, around 254 Gbps of local bandwidth was consumed. Currently, it is increased by 190 Gbps to 394 Gbps bandwidth on Net TV.
Another Platform cache
Facebook lies in third of local bandwidth consumption. Facebook’s cache has increased by 22%. Facebook is currently consuming 327Gbps of local internet bandwidth.
Netflix, Nepal Internet Exchange (NIE), and Akamai caches have the most significant increase in consumption of local bandwidth as a percentage. There is an increment of 157% of cache in Netflix, 116% in NIE, and 112% in Akamai.
Currently, these services are consuming 43, 4, and 99Gbps of local bandwidth, respectively. Similarly, there is an increment in domestic bandwidth consumption by 88%, while other services are likely to consume 81 Gbps of local bandwidth. This is an increment of 67% before the lockdown.
The Ncell (Private Telecom Company) Capital Gains Tax controversy has been going on for more than a year now. But it recently settled down with the company paying their final installment on 12th March. The company has fulfilled its CGT responsibility by paying a total of Rs 22.44 billion to the government.
Ncell deposited the given amount in the revenue account of the government maintained at the Everest Bank. This was informed by Jhalak Ram Adhikari, Chief Tax Administrator at the Large Taxpayers’ Office.
Installment history of Ncell CGT clearance
It was decided that Ncell will have to pay the sum on the company’s buyout deal that took place in April 2016. The long-standing CGT controversy of Ncell was settled following a verdict of the Supreme Court.
Ncell had paid the first tranche worth Rs 4.5 billion of the outstanding tax amount on December 31. Then the second tranche worth Rs 4.6 billion was paid on March 31. Ncell was reported to have been asked to clear all CGT liabilities within mid-June. But with the final payment of worth Rs 14.33 billion on April 12, Ncell is now free from its CGT responsibility.
Why early?
As the country is dealing with the pandemic the country is in pressure to manage resources. This timely payment from Ncell is also expected to support the government to combat the spread of coronavirus. The government needs all the support from the private companies to manage resources during a pandemic. These steps will certainly help the country to some extent.
Ncell customers can now call at a more affordable rate in 15 countries and enjoy access to new digital services for free as well. Ncell Private Limited, on the occasion of Nepali New Year 2077, Monday announced the launch of two attractive schemes for its customers.
Ncell’s attractive schemes under New Year Offer
International call at just Rs. 2.49 in 15 destinations
Free access to 4 digital services for one month
The company has launched a discounted call rate service for international calls, considering that amidst the coronavirus crisis worldwide and ongoing lockdown, customers need assistance at an affordable rate to remain connected with their family members and friends living abroad. It is also essential that they have access to engaging, entertaining, and exciting value-added services during this crisis.
Under its ‘New Year Offer,’ Ncell has cut down international call rate for the 15 destinations to Rs 2.49 (including taxes Rs 3.18) per minute. From Monday onwards, customers can talk to their loved ones in these 15 countries–India, Australia, Malaysia, China, Japan, South Korea, Hongkong, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Sweden, New Zealand, Romania, Bhutan, and Indonesia at this rate.
Customers can simply activate this scheme by dialing 17107 to get benefit from this scheme. They can also subscribe by dialing *17107# or type A and send SMS to 17107. The activation of service is free. This offer is valid till May 13, 2020.
As a part of the same ‘New Year Offer,’ customers can also get free access to exciting applications and services, including Geet Music App, Music Station Service, Bhakti Sangit, and Yearly Astrology Service in ekGhanti Radio for one month.
In Geet Music App, customers can enjoy listening to local Nepali songs. This is an application that is exclusive under the Ncell network. Users can stream the app via any network. However, they first need to log in to the app using the Ncell network. Music Station Service ensures access to customers to enjoy listening to songs from multiple genres. To appreciate free subscription, customers can type NY and send it to 17140.
Similarly, via Bhakti Sangit Service, customers can listen to religious musical contents, including bhajans and songs for free, activating the service by sending SMS to 17148 writing NY. Customers can also get free access to the Yearly Astrology Service under the ekGhanti Radio. Customers upon dialing 17165 can listen to their Zodiac forecast for the year 2077 for free.
Free access to digital services is for one month i.e., May 12.
After lockdown, there has been a surge in internet usage. The Internet Service Providers’ Association Nepal (ISPAN), who has still not raised 70% of what they provide to their customers, are facing a lot of problems. Since the demand of the internet is skyrocketing, Internet Service Providers (ISP) have demanded relief from the government.
ISPAN has recently demanded the government through Nepal Telecommunications Authority to announce a relief package. Internet service providers claim that the number of active Internet subscribers has decreased by 10 percent. In the meantime, the company’s earnings have also declined.
Problems that ISPAN are facing:
According to the companies, there has been a massive jump in data usage and internet consumption. They reported that customers are using an additional 25% of data before lockdown. And due to the companies investing in these, they are financially burdened.
ISPAN mentioned in their letter that due to the stagnation of all the economic activities, the collection of service charges from small household customers has been reduced by more than 3 -5%. There are also problems in the payment of their regular liability due to liquidity. Looking at the economic situation of the customers, they have been providing internet service without taking any payments.
But during the lockdown, ISP said that the number of such customers has increased by three times compared to the previous one. They have claimed that they have continued the service without taking payment of internet services due to the customer’s situation.
International issues affecting ISPAN
It is not just internal issues that have affected ISPAN. ISPAN claims the change in the rate of convertible foreign currencies has adversely affected profits. The added transportation costs have made equipment twice as expensive. They have also called on the government to provide insurance to their workers under the urgent service.
In the end, demand for a package of relief from the government was made as customer fees have been reduced, but costs have increased because there is not enough money for regular expenses. The relief package is the only support that they are expecting their company to continue the service.
They have also added that they could not provide a 25% discount as per the government’s request. But they ensured that they would be extending the paid time of their customers.
Why should the government support them?
While there are telecommunications with somewhat similar services, people have preferred the internet as a better and cost-effective way to communicate. The Internet from ISP has been a cost-effective method that has kept us entertained during this period. While every company is being affected due to lockdowns, they are the ones that are being used the most and are getting into loss at the same time.
Prabhu TV is a 2nd generation Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB-T2) operator in Nepal. It is used for broadcasting TV channels on TV and now is streaming channels on mobile phones. Prabhu TV is widely used in Nepal. Prabhu TV broadcasts different channels from Nepal as well as from abroad. The channels can be viewed from Nepal and abroad using their Web TV or mobile app.
Prabhu App
Prabhu TV has brought some good news for Ncell users.
On 8th April, Prabhu TV made an announcement through their Twitter account. They are offering 1 month free streaming of TV to Ncell users. Ncell users will now be able to watch Prabhu TV for free for 1 month.
Prabhu TV’s app is available on both the Google Play Store and the App Store.
Nepal Telecom, a government-owned telecom operator recently announced that they are extending their data service offer. The company has extended its “Stay Connected” data offer which was supposed to end on 8th April. The offer is now valid from April 9 to April 16, 2020.
Stay Connected Offer
This offer provides customers to purchase data at a comparatively low price. 4 GB data can be purchased at Rs. 100 and 10 GB data can be obtained by paying Rs. 200.
This announcement was made through the company’s official Twitter handle.
According to Telecom, the time period for 4 GB data will be 5 days while the duration of the 10 GB data offer is 7 days.
Subscription to the data offer
For subscription, NTC users can dial *1415*10#. They can also receive the data pack by visiting https://t.co/PoJN3cpbvJ or using Nepal Telecom App.
Ncell prepaid customers can now get access to data and SMS service even when they do not have the principal balance on their mobile. Ncell Private Limited, on the occasion of Nepali New Year 2077, on Saturday, launched an attractive offer, enabling its customers to take data and SMS bundled pack or only SMS pack on credit.
Ncell provides data and SMS service on credit
Use services, pay later
Data and SMS bundled pack at Rs 20
250 SMS pack at just Rs 10
Free of service charges
Amidst the Coronavirus crisis and ongoing lockdown, customers might be facing difficulty in topping up their mobile balance to remain connected with friends and family members and wish Happy New Year. Thus, Ncell has launched the scheme as ‘New Year Offer,’ giving a facility to its customers to use data and SMS service easily even during this challenging situation.
The offer is first of its kind that allows customers to use data and SMS under the credit facility. This offer has come into effect from April 11 (Saturday), and it will enable customers to subscribe to 250 MB data and 250 on-net SMS bundled service at just Rs 20 (inclusive of taxes). Customers can activate this pack even if they have zero principal balance and pay later. The subscribed data and SMS volume will be valid for five days after activation.
In addition to this, under the same offer, customers can also activate only SMS packs too. Customers can subscribe to 250 SMS pack at just Rs 10 (inclusive of taxes) and take benefit of the text service. The subscribed volume of SMS will remain valid for five days after activation.
To use data and SMS on credit, customers can activate this service by *9988*77# and selecting one of the options as per the requirement.
Only prepaid customers with SIM age for more than two months and the principal balance is less than Rs 5 can subscribe to these packs. When customers recharge their balance, only the associated cost of the service will be deducted from the recharged balance amount. There is no service charge for these packs.
Customers can subscribe to these packs as many times as they wish based on their service needs. However, to subscriber any of the two packages, customers are required to clear the previous credit of the service provided.
At this challenging time, when everyone is staying home and maintaining social distancing, Ncell believes this New Year Offer will help its valued customers remain connected with their family and friends.
Telecom Companies in Nepal Donating On Nepal Government’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. After the lockdown, people are relying on the internet for their dose of information. Communication has become essential to converse with friends and family members. There has been a massive increase in usage of internet data. And the Nepal Telecoms are not just taking benefits out of this but providing what they can to help their customers. They have been helping their customers in various ways during this pandemic. Continuing the normal conversation services and also providing a bonus for every recharge they are showing us that they are there to help the people during the pandemic.
Not weeks ago these companies decided to provide a bonus to their customers during the recharge, now they are donating sums to Coronavirus relief funds.
Nepal Telecom
Government-owned company, NTC has contributed a sum of 12 crores to the fund. The company donates 10 crores from its own account and remaining 2 crores are contributed by the employees of the company. The Managing Director of Nepal Telecom, Mr Dilliram Adhikari handed over the cheque of 12 crores to the Secretary of the Prime Minister’s office during a conference held in presence of the Prime Minister. Donation from Nepal Telecom is not surprising as they have been donating to the Nepal Government several times. They also donated 28Cr in disaster relief funds to the victims of the earthquake.
In the small ceremony held in the PM office, Minister for Communication and information technology Mr Yubaraj Khatiwoda and Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Mr Lekhraj Bhatta expressed their appreciation to the company. Nepal Telecom board member Radhika Aryal and Company Secretary, Mrs Shailaja Rai were also present in the ceremony.
Ncell
Ncell a few days ago, contributed an amount of 10 crores in the same fund. These telecoms donations to the fund have been really helpful to the country. Being a private company Ncell has been donating for the country welfare on many occasions.
Several companies and governmental bodies are offering help to the nation. The common goal is to control the coronavirus pandemic which can be disastrous to Nepal.
Ncell Private Limited, in line with the decision of the government, reduced the rate of its pay as you go (PAYG) internet rate by 25% on Thursday (April 02). With this, all Ncell customers can now avail internet connectivity at a more affordable rate during the lockdown period.
The company has a slashed rate of its PAYG internet from the standard rate of Rs 2 (excluding taxes) per MB to Rs 1.5 per MB. This rate will remain effective during the period of lockdown.
In a bid to ensure access to the internet at the cheaper price under the PAGY, Ncell has already been providing a data bonus scheme under which the cost of internet drops upto 80% than the usual rate. Under this scheme, the more customers spend the main balance on data, the service gets cheaper.
After the implementation of the 25% discount on the PAYG rate, customers using the internet can enjoy discounts of up to 80% under the new PAYG model. When customers use the internet from the main balance, they get bonus data on a real-time basis at a specific threshold based on the amount spent from the main balance.
Customers will get bonus data immediately when they spend Rs 2, 5, 10, 20, 30 or more on every additional Rs 10. After initial spending of Rs 10 in data under PAYG, customers for every additional Rs 10 spent on data will receive a 20 MB bonus.
If customers spend Rs 2 for 1.04 MB data, they now get an additional 2 MB as a bonus. Those who spend Rs 30 for using data, will get a total of nearly 73 MB which includes 57 MB as a bonus. Similarly, if customers consume Rs 100 while using data, they get 197MB as a bonus and 52.2MB from main balance so in total they will get nearly 250MB.
In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Ncell has also been providing multiple consumer-friendly offers to its customers to address the need for communications services to stay connected during this crisis. The offers include increment in saapati amount, free balance transfer service, 120% bonus balance on recharge and stay-home pack of 15 GB.
In order to promote social distancing, Ncell has inserted #Stayhome messages as its network name that is displayed next to network signal on to customers’ smartphones.
To encourage Nepalis to stay home amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Ncell decided to take the lead to urge users to stay home. Due to device manufacturer specifics and settings issues, not all phones with seeing the text display constantly.
With the world at a crisis, keeping connected is highly crucial. In fact, the demand for new and cooler digital mediums have thrived over telecommunications in the past decade.
However, in the time of the coronavirus outbreak in which people are asked – or mandated – to stay home, the telecoms industry has been doing its best to keep the economy going and keep the society connected.
It is undoubtedly a global health crisis. Most people are sitting idle at home while some are working remotely. It is high time that they show that they are up for the job to connect people across the globe. In fact, to a large part, they already have.
How Operators Are Dealing With The Crisis
The telecom operators have realized that the customers will be more dependable on their services while in quarantine or working from home. Not to mention, for entertainment and maintaining social connections through the internet.
Operators in countries like Australia, Bahrain, Russia, and France, to name a few, have announced an increase or removal of data caps. Moreover, they are coming up with free unlimited Internet, at least for fixed users.
Vodaphone announced some commitments to its customers across Europe:
It will maintain the quality of service, with mission-critical communications given a priority.
To provide network services for critical government functions, especially hospitals and emergency calls.
Improve the distribution of information to the public, including via text alerts.
What Is The Situation Today?
Telecoms industry has stepped up its game by providing convenient services during the pandemic. At the same time, we are noticing stress caused by increased traffic in the data and voice. Likewise, the ISPAN has reported an increase in internet usage by 30% in Nepal.
The isolation effect is quite significant today. Due to this, ISPAN has provided certain guidelines to the public regarding the use of the Internet “responsibly”.
Europe and even the Spanish operators have reported network disruptions on their channel. They have issued a request to their consumers to use their services responsibly. Vodaphone has seen an increase of 50% in the traffic in some markets.
Similarly, Netflix and Amazon had announced that they would limit their streaming quality in Europe for at least 30 days beginning from March 19.
Operators take on a great responsibility to manage such unique stresses and sustain their services. They need to keep the network running as it is the major source of information and awareness for the general public. At the same time, they need to ensure the safety of their employees during the crisis.
What Telecoms Industry Can Do To Keep The Network Going
It is time for immediate action. And, these points might give ideas to some operators and policy-makers to come up with a strategy to respond to the current situation.
Operators should start considering a contractual relief program for their customers. Some affected countries or regions might require international call packages.
The operators and regulators should be ready to collaborate with the industry or government to relieve traffic congestion. They might need to increase the capacity and resources to deal with the surge in traffic in both data and voice.
Traffic shaping needs to be considered to manage the network load. Most traffics recently has come from streaming channels and video games (at least in the US).
Telecom industries should publish customer guidance for the effective use of their services. Furthermore, best quality connectivity should be provided, not just for limited users, but for everyone.
National industry-wide coordination plans should be implemented, for coordination of network management during the crisis in hand. Australia provides a better example of this.
The telecom operators need to have a crisis-time policy set up to ensure the safety of their employees. Such contingency plans also ensure the sustainability of telecom services. If the operator shops close, they naturally would need to prepare for higher traffic through their digital channels.
It is time to implement emergency telecommunications plans – and where they are in place, reviewed for the adequacy for any circumstances. It has become of utmost importance to ensure emergency services and coordination, such as satellite communication devices.
Global sharing of real-time policies and procedures can be the next step. This addresses the situation, not only in one, but multiple countries to enable quick learning of the circumstances. These policies learned from other countries may be put into effect later.
Final Say
Of course, not all of the following points may work for everyone. But every telecom operator throughout the globe needs to be prepared with contingency plans. Also, they can take suggestions from the above points for immediate action. It is the right time to show that the telecoms industry has a huge potential to connect the globe to spread awareness and unite people.
All Ncell customers can now avail of a 120% bonus balance on every recharge from today (Thursday, March 26). Ncell Private Limited announced the incremental bonus balance, aiming to make communications services accessible and smooth. In fact, as a critical infrastructure provider, Ncell views it as our civic duty to step up and keep our customers and communities connected during the crisis of lockdown.
With the increased bonus balance, customers can make Ncell to Ncell call, send SMS to any other Ncell number and use data service. Any top up done including via paper recharge card, VFT and electronically is eligible for receiving the bonus balance.
Under this offer, customers recharging Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 300, Rs 500 or Rs 1000 are entitled to get the bonus balance. For example, if customers top up Rs 50, they get Rs 60 bonus amount. Similarly, if there is a refill of Rs 500, customers receive a Rs 600 bonus balance. The bonus balance is valid for three days.
Keeping in mind the current situation of the global public health crisis, Ncell on Wednesday had also announced the launch of free balance transfer service, Stay Home Pack of 15 GB with the validity of 7 days and Ncell Saapati of up to Rs 200.
Internet Bandwidth Scarcity
Hi, Nowadays, we all are hearing news of bandwidth scarcity or bandwidth chock. Is this true? Please clear us for this?
I have different opinions on this. Either ISPs are doing fraud with a customer, or the news is fake. And I don’t think reputed ISPs do fraud with customers, but I also cannot ignore the story that came in reputed news sites.
On this matter, I want to keep my opinion as per my knowledge. There is no doubt that ISPs are a well-equipped organization having different types of high-end networking devices like Router, Switches, Load balancer, etc. and security appliances to manage traffic. They also have good software that handles the equipment and their services.
ISP’s main objectives are to provide the link or the Network service. (Let me add one thing, While talking about the network, there come significant terms called Bandwidth. Bandwidth is the capacity of a link to send and receive data at a time. So when we take any internet service from ISP, there are packages directly related to bandwidth and other like time and duration. ) Anyway, let us get back to the ISP’s service. Network Service carries Intranet and Internet services. An intranet is a service that ISP maintained by itself and has full control on them. But the Internet is the link service that they also have to rely on other ISPs. On this scenario, ISPs have to buy the bandwidth with other ISPs, so they have a limited amount of Bandwidth. And ISP mainly focuses on managing their bandwidth. It is just-like Banks gives priority to the financial data, and ISPs give priority to managing Bandwidth. That’s why when we (customers) buy the internet with ISP, they ask us for the package included bandwidth.
Higher the Bandwidth, Higher the price
ISPs manage all the customers according to the Bandwidth, and for this, they use excellent devices and software. They use the bandwidth controller, which can control and restrict the user’s traffic avoiding overflow of traffic to every customer. When any user sends high traffic, then the bandwidth manager/controller will limit the traffic so that users cannot post a high amount of traffic, then they purchase from ISPs.
Some people may think that there is a more significant number of users using the Internet, and this may create bandwidth scarcity. I know that, but the amount cannot affect the volume of traffic matters. If there are a large number of users using the internet, then there will be a high chance of high amount of traffic, so at that time, users may feel slow internet. But It will not cause a shortage of bandwidth to the ISPs. Because ISPs are already segregated every user’s bandwidth by bandwidth manager according to the packages so one user’s usages cannot affect other user’s internet or broadband. All this will be handled by the bandwidth manager.
Right now, most of the enterprises are not fully operational, and the bandwidth assigned to them are not fully occupied, so I think there are also lots of bandwidth remaining on. And for additional information, Large ISPs keep some bandwidth in the reservation, so if any dedicated users requested them of increasing bandwidth of specific time, then they will provide this facility also.
Promoting Better Broadband, Fighting Data Caps and Usage-Based Billing
So in this opinion, I don’t think there is a bandwidth shortage. And It is also not good to tell the customer not to use bandwidth. Peoples are staying at home and if they cannot use the internet they how they can spend their time? And this is the right time to utilize the internet for which they paid. And It is also the right time to check the ISP’s capacity they are providing to customers. So let us give them to use the bandwidth they purchased. After all, our reputed ISPs will control it by their infrastructure.
Ncell brings multiple offers to keep people connected: Free balance transfer service for up to Rs 500, Ncell Saapati amount increased, 50% bonus balance on recharge, 15 GB Stay Home Pack at Rs 230
Connectivity is always essential to our customers – it’s even more critical during a public health crisis that’s challenging everyone. The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has sparked a new technology challenge: to be able to work from home. Citizens are relying on communications services to stay connected and updated during this crisis. In fact, as a critical infrastructure provider, Ncell views it as our civic duty to step up and keep our customers and communities connected.
This is the time when we are required to maintain social and physical distancing as a pre-emptive measure to come together to combat Covid-19. And in a bid to address the need for communications services, Ncell Private Limited has introduced various consumer-friendly offers ranging from the increment in saapati amount, free balance transfer service, 50% bonus balance on recharge to stay at home data pack
Ncell has introduced a balance transfer service under which prepaid customers can send and receive balance for free of service charge. They can send balance from their mobile to their friends or family members within the Ncell network. Considering the crisis, the limit of daily transactions of balance transfer has also been increased from the current 3 times to 20 times a day.
Customers can transfer Rs 10 to Rs 500 from his/her main balance to the desired Ncell number. The transferred amount can be utilized for making calls, sending SMS and surfing the internet. To transfer balance, customers need to dial *17122*<type receiver’s mobile number>*<type transfer amount>#.
Ncell has also increased the amount of Ncell Saapati. With this, customers can now take saapati of up to Rs 200 based on their past usage behavior. When customers run out of their main balance, they can simply dial *9988# and take saapati as per their need for a service fee of Rs 2 per saapati.
Similarly, there is an offer that provides a 50% bonus balance on every recharge. Customers recharging Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 300, Rs 500 or Rs 1000 are entitled to get 50% bonus balance which they can uses for Ncell to Ncell voice and SMS service, and use data service. For example, if customers top up Rs 50, they get Rs 25 bonus amount. Similarly, if there is a refill of Rs 500, customers receive a Rs 250 bonus balance. Bonus balance is valid till midnight of the same day.
This is not all, for those customers who need to work from home or remotely during this unavoidable situation, Ncell also launched a special daily data pack ‘Stay Home Pack’ that consists of 15 GB data volume. Ncell customers can subscribe to this pack at Rs 230 (Rs 293.69 including applicable taxes) which will be valid for 7 days between midnight to 6 pm. Of the total 15 GB, 10 GB will be applicable in all networks (2G, 3G, and 4G) and 5 GB will be applicable only in the 4G network.
Customers can dial *17123# and choose to Stay home pack from the option. Once the volume in the data pack is consumed, standard pay as you go rate will apply.
All the above-mentioned offers will remain effective for 30 days.
Ncell contributes Rs 100 million (10 Crore) to the Government for Coronavirus Infection Prevention, Control, and Treatment
Ncell Private Limited has contributed Rs 100 Million (10 crores) to the Government-established COVID-19 Infection Prevention, Control and Treatment Fund that’ll enable government for the preparedness to procure logistics such as personal protective gears, health equipment, PCR testing kits and other materials required in the testing, quarantining and treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Andy Chong, CEO of Ncell on Tuesday handed over a cheque of Rs 100 million to Narayan Prasad Bidari, secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
“Amidst global COVID-19 pandemic, every country is trying its best to combat the outbreak. The government of Nepal has been trying its best in preventing the outbreak so far. This support form Ncell will further contribute to the control and treatment plan of the government. We are grateful to Ncell for a significant contribution and stepping up during this public health crisis to work alongside the government” said Narayan Prasad Bidari, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
Andy Chong, CEO of Ncell, shared his commitment, “The Rs 100 million support to the Government’s COVID-19 Fund is part of Ncell’s commitment as a responsible corporate citizen of Nepal. With this commitment, Ncell pledges to serve the people of Nepal in our collective efforts alongside the Government to fight against and contain the spread of COVID-19. We believe that the fund will support in procuring most essential logistics and provide essential health supplies such as personal protective equipment to our nation’s frontline health workers ensuring health workers everywhere have access to everything necessary to protect themselves, prevent infection and care for those in need.”
In unprecedented times like these, Ncell is doing what it must to serve our customers whilst taking all preventive measures to provide a safe and healthy environment to our customers and employees. As an essential service provider, the work we do is critical to millions of our customers across Nepal and Ncell is committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our customers, partners, and employees. And we urge all the people of Nepal to practice proper hygiene and social distancing.
We greatly appreciate our customers’ patience as we manage through these challenging times to serve you. At Ncell, we continue to work hard to ensure essential services will remain uninterrupted and effective.
Ncell has made significant contributions of more than Rs 800 million in various social projects contributing to the socio-economic development of Nepal since its inception. This amount was spent in sectors including in education, health, sports, environment protection, disaster management, and relief support, promotion youth talents, and livelihood support, among others.
As the largest taxpayer, we have an exemplary track record of contributing to the development of Nepal and will continue to build a sustainable business for Ncell for the benefit of the country.
All Ncell prepaid customers can now enjoy endless conversations with their loved ones during night time at more affordable rates. Ncell Private Limited has launched ‘Night Call & SMS Pack’ bundled with voice and SMS service which costs just Rs 10 (Rs 12.77 including applicable taxes).
Customers subscribing to this pack get 480 minutes of talk time and 480 SMS. The pack has come into effect from Thursday (March 19) for a period of 90 days. The talk time and SMS are applicable within the Ncell network from 10 pm to 6 am and validity is 24 hours from the time of pack activation.
Customers can simply dial *17118*3*2# or *17118# and select option 3 to buy this pack. Similarly, customers can buy it by typing NU and sending SMS to 17118. Customers can subscribe to the pack as many times as they want, depending upon their needs.
Once the subscribed talk time and SMS are consumed, customers will be able to use service at the standard existing rates.
The company has stated that it is delighted to bring voice and text service bundled packs as per the commitment of the company to provide quality services at more affordable rates to customers.
Earlier on January 1, 2020, Ncell had announced free night SMS on a subscription of voice packs. Based on this scheme, customers are getting on net SMS equivalent to the talk time volume of voice pack which is applicable within the Ncell network.
Under this offer, if customers subscribe to a daily voice pack of 12 minutes talk time, they get 12 SMS as a bonus. Similarly, if customers buy a monthly voice pack of 425 minutes of talk time, customers are entitled to get 425 SMS. This means; customers get SMS quota the same as the volume of talk time of the subscribed voice pack. In a bid to address the demand of voice service as per the requirement of its customers, Ncell has been providing 11 voice packs with talk time volume ranging from 12 minutes to 720 minutes.
Nepali youth can now take benefit from Ncell’s new starter pack, specially designed for them. Ncell Private Limited has announced the launch of ‘SahiYo! Power SIM’ loaded with bonus resources and services, enabling youth to stay connected at more affordable rates.
What makes this SIM special for youth is; customers can enjoy free subscription of PRBT, sports, sports video portal, Daami Music and Hungama Music Pro, and get data bonus on every spending of Rs 100. That is not all; customers can subscribe to exclusive data packs where they will receive bonus gaming or music services.
Customers will be able to subscribe ‘SahiYo! Power SIM’ starter pack from Thursday (March 19) onward at just Rs 99 including applicable taxes. Documents required to subscribe to this SIM are citizenship/valid driving license/passport, a passport-sized photo and a valid student ID card. In this pack, customers get a main-balance of Rs 20 and a bonus volume of 500 MB (includes 250 MB 4G data volume) data, 10 minutes on-net talk time and 100 on-net SMS with a validity of 7 days. Free subscriptions of PRBT (service and default tone), Sports, Sports Video Portal, Daami Music, and Hungama Music Pro will be valid for 30 days from the date of the SIM activation.
Under this offer, if customers recharge Rs 100 or above within midnight of the SIM activation date, they are entitled to get free 150 MB daily for 30 days and My5 service for 12 months. Daily 150 MB data will be valid till midnight. In My5 service, customers can call in My5 numbers for free of charge for 1 month and at 99 per minute for the remaining 11 months.
Furthermore, customers under this plan are entitled to get a bonus data of 500 MB (250MB all time+250MB 4G) on every spending of Rs 100 for 12 months.
There are also exciting data packs for SahiYo! Power SIM users. They can simply dial *17103# to buy Gaming Pack and Music Pack. Gaming Pack can be subscribed at Rs 110 (excluding taxes) where customers will receive 2GB data valid for 7 days and free 7 days subscription of digital services (Play live, Gamespark and Games Plus). Similarly, Music Pack can be subscribed to Rs 105 (excluding taxes). In this pack, customers will receive 2GB data valid for 7 days and free 7 days subscription of digital services (Hungama Music Pro and Daami Music).
Ncell has stated that the company is delighted to bring attractive ‘SahiYo! Power SIM’ fully loaded with resources and digital services for the young generation. The company believes that the offer ensures connectivity to today’s youth and access to services that they like to use most.
Ncell launches ‘SahiYo! Power SIM’ targeting youth
Bundled with data, talk time, SMS and free subscription of digital services
1st recharge enables to receive data and My5 service
Data bonus on every spending of Rs 100
Exclusive data packs bundled with gaming and music service
Ncell prepaid subscribers can transfer or receive balance/money anytime and anywhere from their friend’s or family’s Ncell numbers. This Ncell to Ncell balance transfer applies to the main balance of the consumer’s mobile.
It is quite a beneficial service from Ncell. Wouldn’t you agree?
In this article, we look at how to transfer money/balance from Ncell to Ncell sim.
However, this article also covers how to transfer the balance from Ncell postpaid to Ncell prepaid along with recharging Ncell with serial number.
First, let’s be clear that the minimum balance that can be sent is Rs. 10 while the maximum is Rs. 200 at a time. Also, you can only transfer up to 3 times a day which means the max balance you can transfer is Rs. 600 in a day.
How To Transfer Balance From Ncell to Ncell Number?
The prepaid customers need to follow this step:
Dial 17122 to activate the transfer service for one time.
To transfer the balance in Ncell,
dial *17122*<Receiver’s mobile number>*<Transfer amount>#
For example, I want to transfer Rs. 20 to a friend’s Ncell number, how would I achieve that?
I would dial *17122*98XXXXXXXX*20#
After a successful balance transfer, my balance thus gets deducted and adds to my friend’s mobile balance.
*Note: You can also use the mobile app to do the balance transfer.
Service Charge for Balance Transfer
Rs. 1 (exclusive of tax) per balance transfer. With TSC and VAT, each of 13% gets added, the total service charge becomes Rs. 1.28.
This means that I transferred Rs. 20 but my friend will receive a total of Rs. 18.76.
Another point to remember, if the receiver is liable to any balance loan from Ncell, the amount sent will also be deducted from the sent balance.
Many are curious about how to transfer the balance from Ncell postpaid to Ncell prepaid. Let me clear the confusion, you simply can’t!
Postpaid users do not have that privilege yet.
How To Recharge Ncell With Serial Number
You can surely recharge your Ncell number with the Recharge card serial number but, not in normal circumstances. In fact, this service of Ncell is a life-saver!
There are two methods of how you can recover the PIN and recharge your balance with the serial number.
Method 1:
Consumers can register a complaint about their damaged recharge card for which they will need to enter the recharge card serial number. You can find the form at the PIN recovery webpage of Ncell. Also, you will need to enter at least 4 digits of the visible PIN number.
Method 2:
You can also call the Ncell customer care at 9005 and following the automated voice. You can then explain your situation about the damaged PIN number.
The operator will further guide you to recover your PIN code so you can continue to recharge your mobile phone. Also, you could visit the Ncell customer care center near you for this purpose.
The NTC data pack has been more in demand since Nepal Telecom started its 4G service. Consumers use affordable Nepal Telecom Internet Package on their mobile phones be it GSM or CDMA (postpaid/prepaid).
Now, let’s talk about the broad range of packages that NTC offers on its internet services. In fact, you can get a volume of data in MB or GB with the validity of an hour, a day, or even up to 6 months. That’s gotta be some big data pack!
Above all, you can get a much affordable data tariff as compared to pay per usage. In this article, we go through all the existing NTC internet packages including the recent Winter offer.
List of Nepal Telecom Internet Package
NTC internet packages can be summarized as follows:
Unlimited Data Pack
Day Data Pack
1 GB per day Data Pack
Night Data Pack
All-time Data Pack including Big Volume
Social Media Pack
Streaming Data Pack
4G Data Pack
ADSL Tariff
FTTH Tariff
GSM users can simply activate a convenient data pack using USSD code, SMS or mobile app while CDMA users have to send SMS with the data pack code or use the mobile app.
Go through below to find out all the codes to subscribe to the NTC internet package.
Unlimited Data Pack
There are two variants of this pack: Nighttime and an hour. The night data pack can give up to 245kbps after using up full speed up to the first 1 GB volume.
Price in NRs
Data
Validity
SMS Code
18
Daily Unlimited
1 Night
NUNL
20
Unlimited Data, Voice, SMS
1 Hour
FDPACK
90
Weekly Unlimited
7 Nights
UNL7
Day Data Pack
Indeed, this data pack is valid for 24 hours.
Price in NRs
Data in MB
Validity
SMS Code
10
80 MB
24 Hours
Data80MB
20
200 MB
24 hours
Data200MB
1 GB per day Data Pack
This one is for the heavy data volume users. You will find a daily, weekly or 28 days option in 1 GB per day data pack. Furthermore, you can get data volume as low as 3 paisa per MB in this pack.
Price in NRs
Data in GB
Validity
SMS Code
45
1 GB
1 Day
1D1G
250
7 GB
7 Days
7D7G
850
28 GB
28 Days
28D28G
Night Data Pack
A bit strangely timed, but, NTC data package is also valid for night time only. You can use this data pack between 11 pm to 6 am.
Price in NRs
Data
Validity
SMS Code
12
400 MB
1 Night
Night400MB
All-time Data Pack
Now let’s see the plans and price details of NTC’s largest volume data package. In fact, the cheapest data tariff for the all-time package is around 5 paisa per MB (for the largest data pack).
Price in NRs
Data in MB
Validity
SMS Code
15
60 MB
1 Day
Data60MB
25
250 MB
1 Day
Data100MB
60
300 MB
7 Days
Data300MB
100
700 MB
7 Days
DATA700MB
260
2000 MB
28 Days
DATA2000MB
500
6000 MB
28 Days
DATA6000MB
700
14000MB
28 Days
DATA14000MB
Big Data Pack
On its 16th Anniversary, NTC launched a big all-time data pack with 30 GB and 60 GB volume data packs. These are valid for 90 and 180 days respectively. Moreover, you can even use a portable 4G device and share the data from WiFi.
30 GB data pack – Rs. 1600 (Valid for 90 days)
60 GB data pack – Rs. 3000 (Valid for 180 days)
Social Media Pack
The NTC social media pack includes the usage of only the major social networking platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp. The period ranges from 1 day to 7 days. However, its usage is only limited to these and only these sites.
Price in NRs
Data in MB
Validity
SMS Code
10
70 MB
1 Day
FB60MB
35
250 MB
3 Days
FB250MB
65
600 MB
7 Days
FB600MB
Streaming Data Pack
Obviously, there had to be a data pack for video streaming purposes. This data pack allows the usage of either YoutTube or NTC’s very own Video OTT app called Wow Time mobile app.
Price in NRs
Data in MB
Validity
SMS Code
15
300 MB
1 Day
YT300MB
30
650 MB
3 Days
YT650MB
60
1400 MB
7 Days
YT1400MB
4G Data Pack
Since the launch of 4G services, NTC provides a 4G data pack with double data volume. For activating these data packs, you need to have a 4G compatible SIM card.
Price in NRs
Data
Validity
SMS Code
25
400 MB
1 Day
4G400MB
100
1000 MB
7 Days
4G1000MB
240
3 GB
28 Days
4G3GB
ADSL Tariff
The ADSL service of NTC allows you to use data internet at your home or your office. As a matter of fact, it has two variants.
ADSL Volume-based
Data Volume
Price in NRs.
Speed
Validity
15 GB
200
Up to 5Mbps
30 Days
25 GB
300
Up to 5Mbps
40 GB
400
Up to 5Mbps
ADSL Unlimited
Package
Price in NRs.
Speed
Validity
1 Month Unlimited
800
5Mbps
1 Month
6 Months Unlimited
4300
5Mbps
6 Months
12 Months Unlimited
8000
5Mbps
1 Year
FTTH Tariff
The Fiber internet service of NTC also allows you to use data internet at your home or your office. Similar to ADSL, It also has two variants as of now.
FTTH Individual User Package
Validity
8Mbps
18Mbps
35Mbps
55Mbps
1 Month
Rs. 800
—
—
—
3 Months
Rs. 2300
Rs. 4600
Rs. 500
Rs. 6300
6 Months
Rs. 4300
Rs. 8000
Rs. 9200
Rs. 10300
12 Months
Rs. 8000
Rs. 13800
Rs. 16000
Rs. 18400
FTTH Corporate User Package
Validity
10Mbps
20Mbps
3 Months
Rs. 10300
Rs. 19500
6 Months
Rs. 18400
Rs. 36800
12 Months
Rs. 34500
Rs. 69000
Quite a lot to choose from, right? At least you get the best and affordable data packs for your convenience. But, what about how to take the NTC data pack?
How To buy NTC Data Pack?
Just follow these simple instructions to subscribe to the NTC data pack that suits you.
Dial *1415# and select the data pack that you want to use (may also include Seasonal offers or festive offers). However, this method is only valid for GSM mobile.
You can also send the Data pack code to 1415. For CDMA mobile numbers, you have to find the SMS code and send it to 1415 since they cannot use the USSD.
For both GSM and CDMA, simply login to NTC mobile app and go to “Buy Data Pack”. Select the data pack of your choice and get it.
Conclusion
Consumers can get several Nepal Telecom internet packages and data packs from 1 hour to months. After all, these packages are quite affordable and users can select them at their best convenience.
What do you think about the price of NTC internet and data packs? Should they go down more or are they as reasonable as they can get?
Nepal Telecom (NTC) is the pioneer telecom company of Nepal with a broad range of services such as GSM, Landline, ADSL, CDMA mobile, WiMAX, etc. The service provider has customers throughout the entire nation. The first choice for NTC recharge of any of its services always has been the recharge card. But today, there are a number of ways you can recharge your NTC number, ADSL, and other services.
And, the best thing is that you can do it both online and offline!
While many still prefer recharge cards to recharge their NTC mobile (Prepaid/Postpaid), others are smart enough to adopt efficient ways. This may be due to their literacy level that they are left out of other options.
Here, we look at the ways how you can recharge your NTC number.
How To Recharge NTC Number Using a Recharge Card?
Like we discussed, this is the traditional way of recharging your NTC number. Let’s have a look at the steps you need to follow in order to recharge your number using a recharge card.
The NTC recharge cards have a shaded area that you need to scratch to reveal the PIN number. It is a 16 digit number printed on the back surface of the recharge card. Moreover, you can find a serial number along with the expiry date on the card.
Now, there are two methods of recharging in NTC services: IVR and USSD Code. Let’s discuss both of them.
IVR
Dial 1412 and select 1 for the Nepali language or 2 for the English language
Select the service you would like to recharge by tapping 1 for GSM mobile, 2 for CDMA phone, 3 for landline, 4 for ADSL, and 5 for SIP phone.
Obviously, you need to tap 1 for your NTC recharge for Postpaid/Prepaid number
The next step is to dial the PIN of the recharge card
Then, follow the instructions of the voice to confirm the recharge
USSD Code
This is probably the easier method among the two for recharging NTC number.
Dial *412*recharge_card_pin# for prepaid phone number recharge
However, you cannot recharge your CDMA phones with the USSD code.
NTC Web Recharge
Next, we will discuss how to recharge your NTC service using a separate web portal from Nepal Telecom. Again, you will need a recharge card and the PIN number ready.
Here are the steps:
Go to the URL of the NTC web recharge portal (webrecharge.ntc.net.np)
Select the Subscriber type. Your options are GSM (Postpaid/Prepaid), CDMA, Landline, ADSL, SIP, WiMAX, and FTTH Data
Then, go on entering your ‘subscriber number’ which is basically your mobile number if you are recharging your NTC mobile number
The next step is to enter the recharge PIN in the box
You will also be asked to type a captcha in a box
After you have filled in everything, press Recharge button
Wait patiently until the response appears or you can also press the Reset button in case you entered a wrong information
NTC Mobile App
Finally, we arrive at one of the most efficient ways of NTC recharge. If you were wondering how to recharge other NTC number, these steps will answer your question. Using the Nepal Telecom Mobile App, you can recharge NTC services of your own or others as well.
Remember, you need the NTC recharge card for this process as well.
Login to your NTC mobile app (Available to download on both iOS and Android)
Go to Recharge now tab and select self or others. (Self means the number you are logged in with)
With the mobile app, you can even scan the recharge card or you can choose to enter the PIN
For others, you have to enter their GSM prepaid/postpaid number and the PIN to recharge
NTC Recharge PIN Recovery
Remember sometimes when you scratch the recharge card too rough and you end up losing one or PIN numbers? Let’s admit it. We have all been there.
Earlier, people had to visit their nearest NTC office to replace the damaged card. Moreover, you had to ensure that the serial number is intact for this exchange.
However, NTC has a support system for recovering the PIN number. This means that even if you lose 10 numbers out of 16, you are still good.
With so many digital wallets and payment platforms on today’s date, you never have to worry about going to the shop and buying a recharge card. These digital payment methods use your bank account balance for mobile top-up.
It’s quick, easy and so much more convenient. Some platforms or applications you can use for this method are eSewa, Khalti, Prabhu Pay, and other mobile banking apps.
Let us know what you think about digital payment systems for mobile top-up. Do you use them or do you still buy recharge cards?
