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The authority's directive to pay a lump sum of 19 billion to Nepal Telecom for the third renewal
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With only two weeks left for the expiry of the license for cellular mobile service, Nepal Telecom has to file the amount due for the last five years for the third renewal. The company had previously paid only Rs. 189.9 million out of a total of Rs.
Now the company has to deposit the remaining 19 billion 94 million 35 lakh rupees in one lump sum within Baisakh 28. Although the company asked for the facility of installments, both the government and the regulator asked to pay in one lump sum .
The regulator Nepal Telecommunication Authority has sent a letter to Nepal Telecom and instructed the company to pay all the outstanding dues before the license expires. According to Pradeep Paudyal, Assistant Spokesperson of the Authority, the company has been asked to pay all the liabilities including the additional charges for not renewing on time .
'Why hasn't Telecom paid the renewal fee that should have been paid earlier?' He said, 'Earlier, the Council of Ministers had given the facility to pay in installments, but the authority has no provision to provide such a facility.' Therefore, according to the rules, we have said that NTC should pay the fee.
Telecom had the facility to pay the renewal fee in installments for the first time in 2066 and for the second time in 2071. Nepal Telecom expected the same facility in the third renewal as the then Council of Ministers meeting had decided on the issue of renewal fees and installments.
Even though the company lobbied hard with the government not to pay the lump sum fee, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, after consultation with the Ministry of Finance, informed Telecom that it will not get the installment facility last February.
Currently, the regulatory authority has also instructed to pay lump sum . In the 60th annual report of the Auditor General, it is mentioned that the two service providers who have obtained licenses have not filed the license fee of 7.40 billion which should be filed by 2078/79. It is said that the authority should collect the said fee .
Privately owned service provider Ncell is also nearing the third renewal fee payment date on August 16, 2081 . This decision made for Nepal Telecom will also be applicable for Ncell . Nepal Telecom's 25-year license is also expiring on Baisakh 28. After that, the authority has requested the government to make arrangements regarding the lack of policy clarity on how to provide new permits, how much to set the fee, etc.
"There is no clear provision in the telecommunications law about what happens after the 25-year period of the license," Assistant Spokesperson Paudyal, who is also the deputy director of the authority, said, "The authority board has sent a letter requesting the government to arrange for this."
