KATHMANDU, July 23: Ncell, a leading private sector telecommunication company of Nepal, has urged the government to find a solution to protect the interests of the telecommunications sector and foreign investment and ensure service continuity on the controversial ownership issue after 25 years.
Writing to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Wednesday, Ncell appealed to the government to review the illegal decisions made by the government, various unfair conditions imposed, and amendments made to the Nepal Telecommunications Regulations and resolve the problem. This is the second time that the telecommunication company submitted a letter to the government requesting to consider the issues.
According to the company, the review is being sought because such decisions and conditions are not in the interest of foreign investment and the telecommunications sector. Ncell's 25-year license expires in 2029. After that, if Ncell's service continuity is not ensured, there is a risk of hindering the development of the digital economy, and a lack of a competitive environment in network expansion, innovation, and partnerships with mobile operators among service providers, according to the letter submitted to the government.
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Since the dispute is related to foreign investment, if it is not resolved properly, it is seen that it will send a very negative message to foreign investment in Nepal, and international investment disputes and litigation may arise. This threatens to directly affect the foreign investment environment in Nepal as a whole. Ncell had previously stated that if the dispute is not resolved, the company may seek legal remedies in the country and abroad.
Earlier, on January 7, 2026 Ncell had submitted a letter to the Prime Minister's Office, including various other related ministries, departments, and the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, requesting them to review these decisions and conditions. The company wrote again on Wednesday after the government did not respond to the previous letter. With the Supreme Court recently issuing a full text stating that it should be done according to the law, it seems that the government will now evaluate the far-reaching impact and find a solution to the dispute, states the letter.
What is in Ncell's letter?
The illegal decision of the Government of Nepal on February 18, 2024 regarding the purchase and sale of shares of Ncell's main company and its records and approval according to Nepali law, the unfair conditions prescribed by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority at the time of license renewal based on that decision, the Tenth Amendment to the Telecommunications Regulations, 1997, and the decision of the Council of Ministers on August 29, 2024 are also not legal, and the aforementioned decisions have created a situation where the fundamental rights granted by the Constitution of Nepal are directly restricted, and the decision made in a manner that is contrary to the prevailing Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2019, are not in the interest of the entire foreign investment and telecommunications sector. Therefore, we request that the aforementioned decisions and regulations of the Government of Nepal be reviewed and instructions be issued to the concerned bodies.
Since this company has not received any decision or instructions so far, we request that the said letter be reviewed and necessary instructions be issued to the concerned bodies as per the application.
In the event of errors, ambiguity or legal challenges in previous decisions, changes in circumstances, new information or facts become public, and it is necessary to ensure public interest, the Council of Ministers may revoke, amend or take a new decision. If a decision needs to be corrected, the Council of Ministers can revoke the old decision and take a new decision. Since the Council of Ministers itself made the decision in Ncell's case and can provide a solution from that, Ncell had demanded a review.
