Science & Technology

Nepal Telecom (NT) has postponed the testing of 5G technology after the state-owned telecom operator ran into some technical glitches.

The NT, which has obtained permission to test the 5G tech in Nepal from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), was supposed to start the trial run on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Speaking to NepalMinute, NT spokesperson Shovan Adhikari said: “The test has not been cancelled. It has been postponed as we are awaiting an assessment results. We will start the testing soon.”

According to him, the number of devices which can run 5G tech in the frequency band authorised by the NTA – the telecom regulatory body – seems to be too low. The NT will first assess how many devices the current 5G tech supports. 

Earlier in December, Adhikari claimed that everything was in place to start the testing.

The NTA has granted the telecom operator the frequency of 2600 MHz, a mid-band 5G frequency, for the testing purpose. The NT cannot change the frequency of the test, according to Adhikari.

The NT has tested the network internally on some devices, Adhikari said, adding that the consumer trial would begin once they determine the network's capacity.  

The assessment can take over a week, Adhikari added: “The trial run of 5G technology is expected to begin in two weeks.”

Nepal Telecom has plans to test the 5G technology in several locations across the country, beginning with Kathmandu.

The 5G network is expected to be quicker and enable the possibility of the internet-of-things, a revolutionary technology, where every device is expected to get smarter by connecting to the internet.

The theoretical speed of the mid-band technology which the state-run telecom operator is about to test is 900 MB per second, a marked improvement from 4G’s maximum possible speed of 100 MB per second. 

Also Read: All you need to know about Nepal Telecom’s 5G plans