KATHMANDU, JUN 03 -Kathmandu Post, Ramesh Shrestha: Nepal Telecom’s (NT) plan to distribute new mobile lines under its new IP-CDMA project has hit snag due to the shortage of handsets compatible with the technology. Even as the company targets to sell 300,000 Removable User Identity Module (RUIM) cards by the end of the current fiscal year, it has not been able to intensify its distribution plan. NT’s RUIM cards require separate handsets that support voice and data service in IP-CDMA network. The state-owned company had signed agreement with authorised dealers of Samsung and Alcatel to supply handsets and sell bundling with RUIM cards. But Samsung’s IP-CDMA handset is not compatible with NT’s RUIM card and Alcatel’s bidding handset has become obsolete. NT so far has distributed around 145,000 RUIM cards—a majority of which includes distribution to existing customers who replaced their old CDMA mobile RUIM cards, according to Rajesh Joshi, joint spokesperson for NT. Old CDMA lines used to support either voice or data service only. Joshi said the new RUIM card has the capacity to provide voice and high speed data service too. The IP-CDMA project has capacity of 2 million mobile lines for the entire country. In August 2011, Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies had signed a $30 million contract with NT for the implementation the IP CDMA project.
In a bid to bring new handsets supporting IP-CDMA network, NT had also called a tender, in which three companies dealing in Lenovo, a Chinese and an Indian brand had proposed to supply the handsets. NT has said the company is under evaluation phase of the bid documents to select new suppliers that will sell handsets bundling with NT’s RUIM card. A senior NT official said Samsung’s dealers failed to bring handsets as agreed and the manufacturing of the model of Alcatel’s handset for which NT had signed an agreement has stopped. “These problems created shortage of handsets models which also affected our target for this year,” said the official. “We will bring new handsets and USB modems for our service bundling.” After Samsung failed to bring handsets, only Alcatel handsets were sold in market bundling with NT’s Sky Pro service at Rs 13,500. “We could not bring the handsets for NT’s RUIM card as Samsung handsets are not compatible,” said Deepak Malhotra, chairman of International Marketing Services, authorised distributor of Samsung handsets for Nepal. He said they did not participate in the new bid either. However, as per NT officials, Alcatel has expressed interest to supply new model compatible with the IP CDMA technology. NT’s IP-CDMA service is being promoted as Sky Pro which can provide data service at speeds up to 3.1 Mbps, besides voice service. With a view to make the internet service available for customers using other devices such as laptops and desktops, the company is also preparing to procure USB modems and sell along with RUIM card. “We are planning to sell 2,500 such modems in the first phase,” said Ananta Man Singh, deputy manager at Wireless Telephone Directorate of NT. He said the modems would also contain software that allows users to make calls from laptops and desktops computers. The modem would cost around Rs 2,000. Customers buying the USB model will also get 5 GB data for free along with RUIM card. Sky Pro service is the cheapest mobile data service as the company offers 1 MB data service at 50 paisa. The company officials said since they had received tariff approval from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, the company soon would launch various data packages in different volumes and validity periods ranging from one day to one year.
Posted on: 2013-06-04 09:03
