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The story
Telecommunications services in Nepal began in 1913, with a direct line established between Kathmandu and Raxaul the following year. In 1935, twenty-five automatic telephone lines were installed in Kathmandu, followed by a line connecting Kathmandu and Dhankuta in 1936. By 1951, Palpa District was linked to Kathmandu, and Bhairahawa followed in 1953. In 1950, Kathmandu received a “Central Battery” telephone exchange, marking the start of public telecommunications services.
Wireless services were first introduced in 1950, covering Kathmandu, Bhairahawa, Illam, Dhankuta, and Biratnagar. By 1952, coverage had expanded to Doti, Dang, Jumla, Dailekh, Salyan, Okhaldhunga, and Rajbiraj, with further expansion to Jaleshwar, Ramechhap, Bandipur, Terathum, Taplejung, Dadeldhura, and Baitadi. Additional stations were set up in Baglung, Palpa, Dhangadhi, Pokhara, Bhojpur, and Birgunj. Initially overseen by the Department of Communications, telecommunications was placed under a dedicated Department of Telecommunications in 1959.
In 1972, Nepal Telecom was formally established as a wholly government-owned corporation under the Communications Corporation Act, operating as Nepal Telecommunications Corporation. In 2004, it was renamed Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited (NDCL) under the Companies Act (1997).
In 2003, Nepal Telecom introduced nationwide GSM services. Since then, it has expanded its offerings to include CDMA, EVDO, ADSL, FTTH, and other technologies. Over the years, it has provided a range of modern mobile and internet services, including GPRS, HSDPA, 3G, and 4G/LTE. More recently, the company began internal trials of 5G in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Birgunj.
Over time, Nepal Telecom has expanded its services to include GPRS, HSDPA, 3G, and 4G/LTE. They began a 5G trial in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Birgunj, which is still limited to internal testing.
As a public enterprise, Nepal Telecom is solely responsible for providing telecommunications to Nepal. It offers services in rural parts of the country, where private providers have been unable to maintain services.
From Wikipedia’s article on Nepal Telecom, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3