Kathmandu. The government has implemented Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) from today (Friday). Presenting the budget of the Fiscal Year 2078/79, the then Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel had given information in this regard.
The Nepal Telecommunication Authority has stated that illegal mobiles will be phased out as soon as MDMS is implemented. The government is confident that the illegally imported mobiles will be controlled after the MDMS comes into operation.
The Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTAA) has been working for the last five years to register the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number to stop the illegally imported mobile phones. NEA has been working to register the IMEI numbers since 2073 BS.
NEA had invited tenders for the selection of consultants to connect MDMS on April 11, 2008.
OSI Consulting Pvt. Ltd. India and Namaste Global Com Pvt. Ltd. Singapore were selected as joint ventures. The company was awarded a contract worth Rs. 800 million to connect MDMS.
The MDMS system was supposed to be connected and operational within six months from the date of the agreement, i.e. in December last year, but the system was delayed due to the government's lockdown and ban on corona infection.
Here's how to make a mobile phone imported from abroad valid
Even if IMEI starts from today, mobiles that are not registered with IMEI will not be shut down immediately. According to NEA, mobile users have been given time to register IMEI numbers throughout the month of July. NEA says that mobile sets without IMEI number registration will not work after July.
Nepal Telecom Authority has provided the facility to register IMEI numbers on its website. The user must register the IMEI number of the phone brought from abroad or received as a gift.
NEA has stated that the IMEI of a mobile phone purchased in Nepal with a VAT bill does not need to be registered.
The NEA will classify the unregistered mobiles within the time allowed by the NEA to register the mobiles bought or gifted outside Nepal and warn or close the users.
This software will detect whether the phone is valid or invalid based on the IMEI number. Invalid mobile can be turned off through the system. The SIM card does not work.
Of the 40 billion mobile transactions, 13 billion are said to be illegal. The MDMS system is believed to increase the state's tax base, curb illegal imports and prevent fraud.
Legally imported mobiles also incur VAT and customs duty. Since tax-free mobiles are available cheaply, the sales of such mobiles are higher. The government also loses revenue from this.
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