19th Feb 2021, Kathmandu
The 4G service was resumed in the Himalayan district of Solukhumbu. According to Nepal Telecom’s Okhaldhunga office, six of the 38 four-legged towers to be built in the district have been re-opened.
According to Dinesh Chandra Panthi, Chief of the office, the service was launched in Pattale, Solududhkunda Municipality, Sotang Municipality, and Kangel, Thulung Dudhkoshi Municipality, on Thursday evening.
Similar services have already been launched in Saleri, Phaplu, and Sangboche of Khumbu Pasanglamu in the municipality of Solududhkunda.
According to the party chief, work is underway to operate services in Camje, Dandakharka, and Goodel within a few days.
In the meantime, four out of 28 four-legged towers have been put into service in the neighboring district of Khotang. The service was conducted in Devisthan, Diktel Bazaar, and Simpani of Khotehang and Chisapani of Jantedhunga under the district municipalities of Diktel, Rupakot, and Majhuwagadhi.
In the same way, work is resumed in Baksila of Kepilasgadhi, Chasmitar of Halesi Tuvachung, Bamrang of Diktel Rupakot, Buipa, Dorpaale, Batase of Daprung, Dandagaun, Barjechyan Danda of Sakela Village, and Mattim Birta within 20 days.
Meanwhile, the 4G service was also launched in the Okhaldhunga district. According to the Telecom Branch Office, out of a total of 25 four-legged towers, four of them had 4G networks.
The service began in Birendra Park, Taluwa, Okhaldhunga Bazaar, Kameredanda, Rumjatar, and Rampur, in the Municipality of Molung, Siddhicharan. He also said that work is underway to connect the work to the location of antennas in other towers.
China Communications Service International (CCSI) based in Hong Kong is operating on the Radio Access Network (RAN) and ZTE is working on content connectivity. There are currently more than 3 million active 4G users in Nepal.
The service recipients are glad to say that they don’t have to walk for half an hour to get to the location where the internet is located.
Sujan Khatri of Thulung Dudhkoshi Gaupalika-4, Jubal said that the necessity to climb high hills and walk far away was removed as soon as the 4G service was re-launched in the village.
He shared happiness on social media that he was able to have video chats with his parents while he was out of the building. Saying that he had a video talk from Lalitpur to his mother in Mapya Dudhkoshi, a remote village in the district, Chandra Ghimire thanked all the initiators via the Facebook social network.
Locals were amazed by the launch of the 4G service in Mapya Dudhkoshi, where people had to walk to locate a mobile network in the past.
Similarly, Kaviraj Rijal of Diktel Rupakot, Majhuwagadhi Municipality, Khotang said that with the launch of the 4G service in remote districts such as Khotang, people have been able to observe different parts of the world through social media from home. A few months ago, the telecommunications company announced the extension of 4G in all 77 districts.
The cumulative cost of the 4G expansion amounts to Rs. 18.71 billion. Nepal Telecom’s connectivity to 4G has so far crossed 615 local levels.
Nepal Telecom offered 4G service through 5,176 BTS towers in 2,955 locations before Push last year.
While there was some delay in the work due to Covid-19, the work is now underway at a quick pace, said the Chief Telecoms Officer.
