NEPAL: Cellular phones ring again in Nepal

Pre-paid mobile phone subscribers must now provide photo identification, fingerprints and other personal information to the government before they are allowed to resume using their celluar phones

The Times of India
Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Kathmandu -- Nepal's royal government on Tuesday allowed resumption of pre-paid cellular phone services that had been shut down since King Gyanendra had seized power earlier this year.

Government-run Nepal Telecom -- which enjoys a mobile phone network monopoly in Nepal -- said service would resume on Tuesday for subscribers who were using pre-paid services in which they buy a pre-determined amount of talk time.

The 1,48,000 subscribers to the pre-paid services are now required to provide photographs, details about themselves, their residence and finger prints to the government as a condition of resuming their service.

Authorities have security concerns about pre-paid services for cellular phones as they can be used by both Communist rebels fighting the government troops and political activists organising anti-government rallies. They also fear insurgents could use them to trigger bombs.

The government in May had allowed resumption of some 70,000 postpaid subscribers, who are billed every month for the services. Both the government and the agency have not given specific reasons for the shut-down.

The services had been shut down along with regular landline phones and internet services on Feb. 1 after the king had seized absolute power, imposed Emergency rule, jailed politicians and suspended civil liberties.

Date Posted: 8/24/2005