Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) which was supposed to implement Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) starting yesterday, has halted its implementation for the time being.
Issuing a notice on Friday evening, the NTA has stated they will analyse the situation and take necessary steps regarding the implementation of the MDMS system.
“The MDMS system, supposed to be implemented on December 30, 2022, has been postponed for now. In this regard, an appropriate decision will be made after analysing the overall situation,” the notice reads.
Earlier, the authority had made a rule that mobile sets brought by Nepalis coming from abroad had to be registered in the MDMS system by availing an invoice from the customs office.
Someone coming from abroad would had to produce the bill of purchase and pay up to 18% of the total price, in case they brought an additional mobile phone with them.
However, Nepalis working abroad were not happy with the decision and had warned to launch ‘no remittance’ campaign to protest and stop sending money through remittance, citing the government has implemented a strict policy to bring mobile phones from abroad.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had instructed the Ministry of Finance not to implement the decision to impose excise duty on mobile phones brought by Nepali migrant workers while returning home.
Nepal ranks in the 11th position for receiving the most remittances in proportion to the gross domestic product (GDP), with remittances making 21.8 percent of the total GDP of Nepal.
