Cell phones to be made affordable: Pandey

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, April 15: Minister for Information and Communications and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that the government was doing the necessary homework to bring cell phone services within the reach of the lower and middle class customers."It gives me satisfaction to inform you that Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) has successfully completed its preparation of extending and improving mobile phone services for the use of a larger number of people," Minister Pandey said while inaugurating the mobile phone services to two other cities, namely Hetauda and Narayangadh, here this afternoon. Until now mobile phone services were available only in the cities of Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Biratnagar and Birgunj.Existing tariff being reviewedReminding of NTC's preparation to introduce pre-paid phone service, the minister said the government was reviewing the existing tariffs of mobile phones.Inaugurating the mobile facilities in Hetauda and Narayangadh from Kathmandu, he made direct calls on the mobile to the Chief District Officers of the respective districts and congratulated them for entering the new age of communications.Minister Pandey also said that the government was trying to introduce mobile phone services to the people of other cities and towns as well."The mobile facility will reach the Far Western towns of Dhangadhi and Mahendra Nagar by next month, and within two months it will reach other towns," said he.The NTC has extended its mobile phone capacity from the existing 60,000 to 110,000.RSS adds: Local users purchased 36 Mobile Phones sets today and there was a big crowd with applications for depositing money for the new service, it is learnt. The construction of one tower each at Bastipur and Manahari of Makwanpur district for operate the mobile phone service is in the final stages, it is learnt. After completion of the towers, any place along the Pokhara highway of the Western Region can be contacted directly from Jhapa and Kakadbhitta of Mechi zone. Kathmandu, Birgunj and Bharatpur in Chitwan district can be contacted directly by mobile phone, it is reported. President of Makwanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Madhav Risal and a host of other speakers also expressed their views at the mobile phone sets distribution programme.

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