Nepal Telecom planning to migrate data services to LTE

KATHMANDU:

Nepal Telecom (NT) is planning to migrate all its data services to long term evolution (LTE) amid increasing demand for high speed data service. The company is doing homework to hire a consultant which will carry out a study in this regard.

The study will guide NT on how to move ahead and adopt LTE, also known as fourth generation (4G) and migrate its existing services for high speed data connection in a phase-wise manner. NT officials said that the plan is ultimately to provide high speed data to local market besides voice.

LTE is a successor to the third generation (3G) and gives 10 times the speed of data service of 3G networks. It is known as a family of networking standards that offers data transfer speeds of up to 1 GB per second and provides a comprehensive and secure all-internet protocol-based mobile broadband solution to laptops, computers, wireless modems, smartphones and wi-fi hotspots.

“Since we have data services in GSM mobile, CDMA, WiMax and landline, we want to migrate them to LTE network keeping in mind the future of data service,” said Budhi Prasad Acharya, managing

director of NT. He added that they will also be seeking approval from Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to use the required frequency.

NT’s plan has come at a time when NTA has not been able to decide on allocation of 4G spectrum for a long time. Acharya said that they will seek NTA’s permission for spectrum use and migrate services, including PSTN, GSM, CDMA and WiMax to LTE network step-by-step. The company has multiple data services, including leased line, dial-up, ‘fibre to the home’, 3G, EVDO, and GPRS.

For the last three years, both major operators — NT and Ncell — have been demanding that the government allocate the spectrum for 4G service. NTA officials have been saying that the assignment of the 4G frequency has been taking more time as they are trying to make the rules and auction procedure more clear-cut. The government has been planning to use 700 MHz, 3,300 MHz and 2,600 MHz bands for 4G service.

Owing to delay from government’s side to provide the spectrum, NT has not been able to bring the 4G service, although it has 4G capacity in its 10-million mobile line project. Both the state-owned company and Ncell officials have said they will be able to introduce the 4G technology within three months after they get the spectrum.

Source: THT