UTL to Receive Unified License

July 11: Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has decided to dispense ‘unified license’ to telecommunication service provider UTL. With the due amount paid by UTL, the board meeting of the Authority on July 10 decided to provide the license. “As the decision was done earlier, the meeting gives principle agreement to the management of the Authority to issue the license,” informed one of the board members of NTA.

With the license, UTL can operate GSM mobile services along with all telecommunications services. The company had Rs 50.52 million in due amount which had blocked the company from receiving the license. UTL paid the due amount of royalty, rural telecommunications development fund (RTDF) and frequency few weeks ago. “As the company has cleared the due payment, the process to provide unified license is underway,” said Min Prasad Pokhrel, Spokesperson of NTA.

According to the NTA, UTL paid Rs 30.71 million as frequency charge, Rs 90 million as royalty, Rs 90 million as fine for RTDF.

Currently, UTL is providing telephone services based on ‘limited mobility service’ (LMS) in 40 districts. Similarly, the company received approval for ‘rollout plan’ on mid-August from the board meeting of NTA. As per the approved plan, the company needs to expand its GSM network across 42 districts within the first one year.