Nepal Telecom Commences 5G Trials

Reported by Aparna R February 9th, 2023 at 02:50 pm

Nepal Telecom has finally kicked off its 5G trials after postponing its 5G trial earlier, citing lack of compatible devices. However, for now, the 5G Technology won’t be accessible to the public as the company is still testing it internally among its employees.

Highlights

The 5G trial is part of the company's 19th anniversary.
The trials, however, are not open to the public currently.
Initial 5G trials will start with 5G Non-Standalone.

Nepal Telecom (NT), the state-owned telecommunications provider, has formally announced the start of its long-anticipated 5G trial to mark the company's 19th anniversary. Nepal Telecom, the state-run telecom operator in Nepal, has earlier kept the plans for 5G trials on hold, citing the lack of a handset eco-system. However, to mark its 19th anniversary, the teleco has carried out testing its 5G cellular network in Babarmahal and Sundhara.

Spectrum

The 60 MHz spectrum in the 2600 MHz band allotted by the government is being used by the network launched in the Kathmandu districts of Sundhara and Babarmahal. The 2600 MHz band gives a decent mix of Speed and Coverage. The trials, however, are not open to the public and are carried out internally, as per a Nepalitelecom report.

Initial trials scheduled for January 2023 have been postponed, therefore, the trials have begun one month later than expected. Trials scheduled by Nepal Telecom for July 2021 were cancelled when a change of government prevented the necessary spectrum allotment.

Also Read: Nepal Telecom 5G Trials on Hold Because of Insufficient Device Ecosystem

Nepal Telecom (NTC) MD Sunil Paudel has formally announced the start of its long-anticipated 5G trial. However, no official 5G launch date has been given, and officials have said that it "should launch soon." In a progress update on the company's planned 5G deployment, Managing Director Sunil Paudel stated that Nepal Telecom (NT) has yet to determine the capability of its current mobile infrastructure to support commercial 5G services in the future.

5G Non-Standalone (NSA)

To begin its 5G trials, Nepal Telecom Corporation (NTC) will start with Non-standalone (NSA) architecture and then gradually progress to Standalone architecture (SA). The NSA allows the telco to activate its 5G network on its current 4G LTE infrastructure by updating the core software. The company has already established two sites in Babarmahal and Sundhara, ready for the 5G network. NTC is presently testing available 5G devices on the network in Babarmahal and Sundhara and has set up all the necessary equipment at the two sites.

Also Read: Airtel 5G Plus Now Available in Dharamshala, Mandi and Baddi