Ncell’s internet and data service are always praised for their speed. But since the latest Gorkha earthquake, many of the towers and stations were damaged. The company is working to recover the loss and also strengthen the network backbone. In order to fix the broken infrastructure and bolster its service, Ncell upgrades its network regularly. Ncell now wants to improve call quality and increase internet speed for users. The company also just finished work to improve cellular call quality and increased data speed to 21 Mbps on 3G.
Ncell started serving mobile data at a rate of 3.6 Mbps via 2G in Nepal and now it serves 3G / 3.5G network. 4G was just initiated in New Delhi and NTC is also upgrading the network to initiate 4G in Nepal. They are also improving internet bandwidth for ADSL. Most smartphones these days support 3G and 3.5G, but not 4G. The mobile manufacturers don’t export or manufacture 4G LTE devices for Nepal. However, things are changing slowly. Companies like Samsung are starting to plan out the launch of new 4G capable devices.
Similarly, Ncell also may be in process of bringing 4G. The company already has plans to double the internet bandwidth and voice rate. Ncell states that users will be able to stream videos with their mobile data with ease. With the new 21 Mbps speed, you should get 2.1 MB/s theoretically. This is equivalent to the file copy speed of some low-class SD cards. At this speed, 1080p videos can stream quite well. Ncell has completed the network upgrade in Kathmandu valley. So users can enjoy it now according to the company. According to the company, an upgrade will be conducted outside the valley very soon.
Network Improvement For Better Speed and Connectivity
Ncell is installing new towers and repairing old ones. They are taking benefit of a new technology called “Cell on Wheels” or Mobile cell sites. This is a portable technology that enables telecom operators to install towers easily on the land. The company is installing new advanced towers and sophisticated equipment with higher capacity in various places around Nepal. This is to ensure that the infrastructures remain safe from calamities and the network also gets stronger.
Ncell’s network is stronger in the ring road areas compared to areas outside of the ring road of Kathmandu. Internet is fast in Ring Road. As the internet becomes faster, people tend to use mobile data more. Sometimes users forget the usage limit and package balance. This causes them to lose excessive balance. Therefore be very careful while using the mobile internet.
Settings like open background data and sync option might cause you to lose a huge amount of data. If you are a heavy user, getting an unlimited broadband internet connection at home with WiFi is the best solution. We suggest using mobile data in an emergency situation only for now. When data rates get exceptionally cheaper, we will surely recommend it.
Ncell is the biggest taxpayer in the country which clearly states that its revenue is higher than any other telecommunication company. It provides fewer services than NTC but due to the higher tariff, it gains a lot of income. People complain a lot about this matter. During the earthquake, all NTC networks were severely congested due to extreme traffic because of large users. But Ncell was working better than Namaste. We remember that and it has made a good mark in their portfolio.
New Technologies and 4G Rollout
As Ncell upgrades its network, we can’t stop thinking about 4G. It is clearly the next stop for Nepali telecom operators. This is going to have a very big change in Nepali technology and the telecom industry. The faster data rates, VoLTE, and ViLTE are going to have radical changes. We are sure, that data consumption is going to rise by two folds. Ncell is working and planning for the launch of new technology. It is inevitable and these current upgrades may help them in the future too.
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For now, Ncell wants to double its capacity for voice and data. They want to provide 42 Mbps data in 3G and they also want to increase coverage. This is why Ncell is installing so many towers. We will test the internet speed of both companies in all possible spectrums like Edge (2G), HSPA (3G), and HSPA+(3.5G). By the way, old GPRS (2G) has been discontinued in many parts of Nepal. NTC upgraded its system from GPRS and went to Edge for minimum whereas Ncell started with the Edge system.
