2nd October 2022, Kathmandu
The government has recently implemented the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS).
Mobile businessmen have been demanding the implementation of MDMS for a long time. What is the condition of mobile business after the implementation of the MDMS system?
Dinesh Chulyado, President of the Mobile Distributors Association says that the system, which should have been implemented a few years ago, has been implemented very late. This system was needed to make the mobile business transparent. After the implementation of MDMS, not only businessmen but also the state benefited. Mobiles coming through illegal means are now stopped.
He further adds on to say the mobile business is also doing fine after the implementation. “It’s not that good, and it doesn’t mean that it’s bad. It is running normally. Before this, the situation was very bad. However, now it has gone on the path of improvement. Dashain, the great festival of Nepali people, has arrived now. There is hope in that”, says the President
Every year there was very good business during Dashain. If we talk about the decline since then, the business has increased. However, compared to previous years, there is no business.
However, Chulyado says the ban on bringing mobile phones above 300 dollars imposed by the government has also affected the business. Nowadays most people don’t prefer to buy normal mobiles. And the government has banned bringing big and branded mobiles. Due to this, there has been a decline in business.
The gray market has affected the mobile business the most. Before the implementation of MDMS, only 50 percent of the business was done by the gray market. It is stopped now. There is a ban to bring an iPhone. But the number of iPhones in Nepal is increasing. It all came from the gray market.
And Samsung’s new model phones are also available in the market. But, they have banned distributors to imports them. As a result, customers are not coming to the store. However, the situation has changed after the implementation of MDMS.
They are running now. The Telecommunication Authority has given time for one month to register IMEI. If not registered after one month, they will be closed.
Chulyado urged users to know whether the phone they are carrying is illegally entered or not. He says users should understand which way they have entered Nepal.
To know whether the phone has been entered illegally or stolen, you must ask for a mandatory VAT bill while buying the phone. There is a sticker of the Mobile Phone Association on it, so make sure to check it. If you have bought the phone then you can go to your nearest service center and check if the phone is stolen or not.
