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Nepal : KATHMANDU: NCELL received renewed license for GSM mobile from NTA [TendersInfo (India)](TendersInfo (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Ncell, the former Spice Nepal, has secured renewed license for the GSM mobile segment from the Government after a decade of its launch of operations. With this development, the company will be able to provide GSM mobile services for the coming five-year period. Ncell s existing permit, which was obtained 10 years back, is slated to end on Sunday. Thus the company has renewed license for the first time in 10 years. Considering Ncell s payment of the license renewal fee in parts, the Board of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) in its recently held meeting has given its approval to restore the company s permit for another five years, according to the NTA officials. The Government of Nepal has fixed the license renewal fee at Rs 20 billion, with Ncell paying the amount in installments. The mobile operator has been paying Rs 2.5 billion as renewal fees for the past two financial years. The Nepalese Government has agreed for eight installment payments after issues concerning renewal fee collection cropped up. Although NTA smoothly cleared Ncell s maiden license renewal proposal, the Government is still to make up its mind on the value of the second renewal, under which companies are permitted to operate service for another five-year period (16th to 20th year). Amid uncertain state of affairs related to the second renewal of permit, the Government of Nepal had issued renewed license to Nepal Telecom (NT) in May 2014 devoid of imposition of the fee of Rs 20 billion disobeying the previous Government s diktat. As of May, NT had paid 90% (Rs 189 million) of the license purchase fee of Rs 210 million. Both the companies are long criticizing the Government for the imposition of huge fee for license renewals. (c) 2014 Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |