KATHMANDU: Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) has canceled the process to procure its own satellite. Issuing a notice today, the NTA stated that the proposal for a satellite has been canceled and that priority has been given to new plans.

According to the authority, the satellite project was canceled after companies who were selected to keep the satellite did not respond to the request. With this, the NTA has decided to cancel all the proposals and procurement processes initiated as per the Public Procurement Act 2063.

As per the NTA’s proposal, nine companies from different countries had submitted their letters of intent last December. Of them, NTA had selected five companies and had demanded financial proposals from them in April. According to Achyutnanda Mishra, co-spokesperson of the NTA, the late response from the companies has led the authority to cancel their proposals.

Furthermore, the NTA has called for a new proposal to regulate the installation of satellites and set policy on security, trade and operation modalities. The process of having Nepal’s own satellite will start through a new procedure, Mishra said.

The government of Nepal had made its satellite policy public in June 2019, stating that the nation would launch its own satellite by 2022.

Earlier, 22 companies from 12 countries including the USA, China, India, Thailand, Singapore, Canada, France, Japan, S. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Israel expressed their desire to place the satellite in the earth’s orbit and had sent their letters of intent.

As major services like radio and television are provided through the help of foreign satellites, the government of Nepal has aimed to install its own satellite to provide the same services. Every year billions of rupees are paid by Nepali companies for using foreign satellites.