Kathmandu, March 4: Finance Minister and Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, has urged the telecommunications service providers to ensure easy and accessible service to customers. In his address to a program organized on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) here Tuesday (March 3 ), he, who is also the Finance Minister, called on service providers to focus on ensuring more and more services to sovereign customers.
He underlined the need of making such service more effective in the aftermath of restructuring of the state, introduction, and implementation of a new form of governance, implementation of fiscal federalism, formulation of a plan for socio-economic transformation and implementation of the concept of pursuing good governance by switching to a digital system.
The campaign of digital Nepal launched by the government lately had been incorporated in state’s structures, he said, adding that along with digital economy e-system should be used and promoted in socio-economic and infrastructure development efforts and in people’s service delivery. Modernization of agriculture, quality health service, the concept of building a smart city, financial service, form of governance, administrative and telecommunications services have been incorporated in the Digital Nepal’s framework, according to Minister Dr. Khatiwada. He sought the attention of bodies concerned towards making satellite, mobile tower, broadband, and optical fiber multi-dimensional and multi-use. He stressed that telecommunication service providers should run keeping costumers’ interest at first. Costumers are sovereign and if service providers leave room for them to complain about the service quality, it will raise a question about the future of service providers and in this context improvements are required, according to him.
Stating that he had done away with the provision of issuing telephone sets based on government recommendation when he was the member of the Telecommunications Corporation’s Board member in 2057 BS itself, Finance Minister Khatiwada expressed happiness over putting to an end the practice of distributing frequency also on the basis of recommendation. He called upon the Telecom Authority to carry out works remaining within the laws and rules, suggesting it to consider the benefits to the nation and the customers. Tendency to occupy license even in telecommunications sector Minister Khatiwada insisted that the practice of keeping the license on hold even in the telecommunications services should be put to an end. “The tendency of taking license for providing telecommunication services but not doing so while only retaining the license, and of moving the court when asked to provide the stated services promptly, should come to an end,” he said, adding that if the license is held for long without providing the service, that license should be scrapped.
The Minister also urged the Authority to become stringent in using its authority without making any compromises. “The Authority should work strongly using the legal authority it has been assigned and its wisdom.” Stating the government has reached the broadband, optical fiber to the rural areas and also upgraded the telephone towers, he urged the service-providers to provide efficient services to the customers by using these infrastructures.
He stated that the telecommunications services are going to be globally competitive in the coming days and that the profits of the service-provider companies would not see a sharp rise rather a steady one as they were adopting data transactions over voice call services. Minister Khatiwada also reminded that the main area of competition in the coming days is going to be data service. Stressing the need that new technologies should make possible to carry out works in data soon, Minister Khatiwada stressed the need of paying attention to create an environment conducive for the access of data in a second as decision regarding big investment should be taken immediately on the basis of statistical analysis.
He also suggested the Authority to lay emphasis on capacity expansion of service providers. The government would not interfere in Authority’s commercial activities and allow it to work in an independent manner, added Minister Khatiwada. He opined, “Autonomy without accountability will be headed towards anarchy. The Authority should carry out activities keeping such a thing in mind.” Similarly, Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Deepak Subedi, stressed that the Authority should carry out activities to make telecom service commercial and competitive. Subedi added that activities of Authority, the regulatory body, should be reviewed, saying the Authority should pay attention to reduce the cost of telecom services as telecom service provider has not been found paying its attention in this regard.
An annual report of Authority of fiscal year 2075/76 was released on the occasion. Similarly, employees spending 20 years at the Authority for 20 years as well as winners of different programs organized on the occasion of the anniversary were awarded on the occasion.
