SMART Telecom (ST) has stated that it plans to invest US$ 300 million (Rs 28.8 billion) to expand its telecom service nationwide. The company has posted a significant growth in the subscription rate and staked its claim as the third largest telecom operator in the country. “ST has already invested more than Rs
3 billion in expanding its network and is planning to continue with almost $ 300 million,” said ST’s CEO Abraham Smith. He added that the company wanted to be a customer-centric and serviceoriented telecom provider with affordable prices and the best quality network. In April 2013, ST obtained a unified telecom licence, and since then it has been working aggressively to extend its services across the country. The permit allows it to operate multiple telecom services including GSM mobile like the big two, Nepal Telecom and Ncell. However, its licence has run into controversy and cases related to it are under consideration of the Supreme Court. ST has stated that it has around 800,000 subscribers in 40 districts. As per the recently unveiled Economic Survey, the number of its subscribers jumped 85.23 percent to 576,503 in the first eight months of the last fiscal year. The subscriber growth rate is the highest among the six telecom companies operating in Nepal. ST has a 3 percent share of the market containing 20.43 million subscribers. The company plans to make a soft launch of its service in the Kathmandu valley before going nationwide. Smith said that ST would bring positive changes to the industry and market where the price and quality would be in line with the requirements of the Nepali people. He added that after the company gœs nationwide, customers would be able to enjoy greater choices and varieties of services. ST entered the scene as a rural telecom company five years ago, and it has been operating V-Sat technology-based fixed phone and GSM technology-based limited mobility service. ST has a 3 percent share of the market containing 20.43 million subscribers
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