Homegrown VoIP for Nepal

Indian joint venture United Telecom Ltd, the first private operator in Nepal’s telecom sector, will now begin voice over internet protocol service. After green lighted by Nepal Telecom Authority late last week, the joint venture UTL began a feasibility study to identify the partners and phone routes it can ally with overseas to offer the new technology to its subscribers in Nepal. Joint venture interests within UTL include India’s MTNL, VSNL and Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd and Nepali partner Nepal Venture Pvt Ltd. UTL will be investing some NRs 150 million (approximately $2 million) to implement the new technology. The decision is reportedly in response to the estimated NRs 8 billion lost annually in illegal telecom services and “cyber cafes mushrooming all over Nepal.” It is also seen be some “as a placatory offer after NTA made a discriminatory gesture earlier this month” in that “Though UTL and Nepal Telecom have identical licences to offer phone services based on the wave technology employed by cellular phones, NTA this month allowed the Nepali company to offer full mobility while UTL has been given only limited mobility.”