Nepal Telecom (NTC) MD Sunil Paudel has announced the start of its long-anticipated 5G trial. The company has continued testing its fifth generation cellular network from Babarmahal and Sundhara marking the occasion of its 19th anniversary. However, for now, the advanced cellular standard won’t be accessible to the public as the company is still testing it internally among its employees.
The company announced the complete installation of 5G equipment from the two locations mentioned above. But the issue has been the extremely low number of devices that supports the latest mobile network for its public availability.
On the progress for Ntc 5G the company’s managing director (MD) Sunil Paudel had this to say at the company’s 19th-anniversary event “The trial of 5G is ongoing by connecting various devices to the 5G network. Since the mobile service currently operating under GSM technology and the new 5G services are technically operated with different architectures, we are still determining whether the infrastructure and equipment currently in use in the company will be compatible/not compatible, should/should not be upgraded, should/should not be replaced in order to operate 5G commercially in the future”.
So, it is still not known when the high speed network will go live for public use. However, we can speculate 5G to be available for public trial once a handful of devices are compatible with its network.
Earlier, the government backed operator called off its 5G trial due on (Poush 17) January 1 citing the lack of 5G supported handsets. However, we now have the confirmation. The company’s spokesman Shobhan Adhikari had confirmed its trial. Although the network is live in Kathmandu only, soon, the Telco will start its trial in Pokhara.
Ntc to start with NSA 5G and then shift towards SA architecture
For its initial 5G trials, Ntc will start off with non-standalone (NSA) architecture and then gradually implement standalone architecture (SA). The former allows the telco to switch on its fifth-generation network on existing 4G LTE infrastructure with updated software on the core. The company has already installed two sites in Babarmahal and Sundhara ready for the 5G network. The telco is currently testing available 5G devices on the network from Babarmahal and Sundhara. It has also set up all the necessary equipment at the two sites.
5G will bring fast bandwidth capacity over the current and previous generation mobile networks. 5G can deliver up to 10x times faster data speed than 4G, which is around 1 Gbps in an ideal environment.
Ntc 5G trial to go live for all for free in all seven provinces
The 5G trial of Ntc will be free to all during the trial. The company’s spokesman, Adhikari, says, “It is just a test for 5G. Since it is just a trial, everyone with a compatible handset can freely use the coveted network on their devices for free. Both users and the service provider will experience something new with the latest mobile network. It will also form the basis for its expansion in Nepal,” he adds.
After starting off in Kathmandu, and then a select few cities, Ntc is preparing for the trial of the flagship 5G network in selected locations in all seven provinces.
The operator received approval and the spectrum from NTA over a year ago. With the approval, the government backed telco stepped up its effort to bring the fifth generation mobile network to life and the operator in Nepal to start the cellular communication standard.
Likewise, Ntc is also importing 5G gear from abroad. It is identifying places from each province suitable for the trials.
Gear vendors to contribute
So far, Ntc has been in talks with the telco equipment vendors to speed up the trial process. At the same time, the telco is also expanding its 4G network across the country. It is stated that the assurance of the 4G gear vendors was the reason the ministry opted for the countrywide 5G trial.
ZTE and Huawei has earned the contract to build a 4G network for NTC. So, it is known that both companies will provide the 5G gears in different locations. The efforts should show the results in the coming months after the first phase of trials goes live inside the capital.
As 5g is likely to go through all seven provinces during the trial phase, it seems confirmed that people in select areas in all seven provinces will get to taste 5G speed on their devices soon.
Ntc to start 5G in mid-band 2.6 GHz spectrum
Ntc will operate its 5G network in the 2600 MHz band, called the mid band spectrum in the 5G glossary. The telco received 60 MHz frequency bandwidth which will serve for a decent mix of both coverage and speed potential.
5G is the next-generation cellular technology that will succeed today’s 4G network. 5G network will arguably bring a significant transformation in mobile broadband with potential applications in health, education, manufacturing industries, etc. Its high speed and low latency mean interactive activities via the internet will see a remarkable improvement.
The trials to proceed in phases
After the first phase of trials in Kathmandu, the second phase could begin in Birgunj, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Biratnagar, and other cities. More areas in other provinces will follow as the plan involves all seven provinces. For rural settlements, a few rural municipalities will be selected around Kathmandu that will enjoy the free test of the 5G broadband.
The company will also assess the possible use cases of 5G and its market demands when the trial starts.
When will Ntc 5G be available for the public?
The company has not offered any estimate on when it will allow the public to access its high octane 5G network but it should take a while. The delay is caused by the reality that there are extremely few 5G devices in Nepal. Once the number of compatible handsets grows, the company should roll it out for free for its customers.
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