NTA mulls per second pulse rate

KATHMANDU, JAN 22 -

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority ( NTA ) is mulling devising a mechanism under which telecom subscribers getting poor services could get compensation from their service providers.

The authority is studying various modalities to rebate users as a disincentive to telecom service providers offering poor service.

NTA officials said although telecom services are accessible to 70 percent of the population, the quality of service has not been good.

One of the provisions the regulator considering is forcing operators to charge tariff as per the actual call time. For example operators cannot charge subscribers for one minute if they make call for 45 seconds, NTA officials said.

“We are considering different measures to discourage telecom operators from providing poor service,” said Ananda Raj Khanal, director of NTA . Some of the plans include rebate to customers, no charge for up to five seconds pulse duration or a pay charge based on per-second conversation, he added.

Consumer rights activists also have long been asking the government to revise the pulse duration.

Currently, if the tariff is Rs 1 (100 paisa) per minute (for example) and a particular call lasts for 30 seconds, the caller is charged Rs 1. But if the NTA enforces per-second pulse system, the caller will be charged just 50 paisa.

The per-second pulse system is also aimed at addressing the problem of sudden interruption during conversations, in which callers are forced to pay for a full call. Service interruptions usually occur due to due to network congestion and other technical errors.

The officials said the authority would also carry out a survey on the telecom service quality in nine cities of five development regions this fiscal year.

Kailash Prasad Neupane, spokesperson for the authority, said compared to other cities, the Kathmandu valley has poorer telecom service quality.

“We are currently seeing a cut-throat competition among telecom companies on price and subscriber base,” he said. “With the market moving to a saturation stage, we may also see a war on the quality service soon.”

NTA is preparing to call a global tender to procure an Automatic Drive Test Equipment within this fiscal year. The equipment will test the quality of telecom services.

Source: The Kathmandu Post