Mobile phones can be made in Nepal: Experts

SANTA CLARA (California), June 30: Experts have said that mobile phones can be manufactured in Nepal itself by using skilled yet cheaper technical manpower available in the country. “The market of mobile set in Nepal is growing. We can produce mobile sets in our own homeland,” Pramod Paudel, a Nepali engineer working with Intel Corporation, said. Speaking at a program organized jointly by Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) USA and American Society of Nepali Engineers, Paudel smartphones can be produced in Nepal at the cost of US$ 25-45 per set. “Around five thousand IT engineers are graduating from different colleges in Nepal every year. Smartphones can be manufactured in Nepal itself by utilizing their skills expertise,” added Poudel. He, however, added that the government should create environment conducive for firms interested to manufacture smartphones. Nepalis are paying a minimum of Rs 7,000 for smartphones. Other speakers at the program said there is a huge prospect for app developers in Nepal. According to conservative estimate, Nokia enjoys 48 percent share in Nepal´s mobile phone market followed by Samsung, Apple and HTC with market shares of 25, 10 and 5 percent, respectively. Sony, LG, Blackberry and Chinese sets are also available in Nepal.