NTA plans m-commerce regulation
KATHMANDU, SEP 20:
Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) — the regulator of the telecom sector in the country — has said that it will prepare the draft of a regulation on mobile commerce within the current fiscal year.
Technological developments have made it possible to offer financial transactions such as ticketing, banking, marketing, auctions, and location-based services through mobile handsets, said assistant director
at NTA Baburam Dawadi, adding that the country must immediately start planning for a regulation for mobile commerce — popularly known as m-commerce — because in the future we could witness fraudulent activities.
Mobile commerce is in a nascent stage in the country at present, he said, adding that the overall management of the service will be complex if the regulator fails to timely introduce a regulation.
Some service providers have introduced applications such as paying post-paid bills, ticket reservations, banking and other services through mobile phones, he said. “The risk of criminal activities has also increased along with the rise in use of mobile technology for commercial purposes.”
Fraudulent activities in mobile commerce cannot be avoided since criminals may misuse SMS and other functions, he said, adding that timely enactment of a strict regulation to control unwarranted activities will help control crime in the future.
The regulator has planned to define the scope of m-commerce, its basic security aspect, and tariff structure on Value Added Service to be used for m-commerce, said Dawadi.
The regulator is preparing the Terms of Reference to appoint a consultant to study the probability of m-commerce in the country and its management, he informed, saying that NTA will float consultation papers to the public for comments and then only finalise the paper.
The authority has planned to introduce the regulation by the end of the current fiscal year, he said. “However, it is likely to be delayed since the authority is without a chairman at present.”
Source: THT
