The Nepal Telecommunication Authority has announced that the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) will be fully implemented from December 30. The NTA issued a notification on Saturday and called for registration of mobile phones within December 30.

In order to discourage the illegal import, sale, distribution and use of mobile sets and further manage them, the NTA had previously implemented MDMS as a test to track and block stolen and lost mobile sets. According to the Customs Act, 2064 BS, the authority has requested that the mobile sets brought by Nepali people from abroad for personal use but not registered in the MDMS system or not in use before last August be declared to the customs with a 15-digit number and take a notification letter from the customs office to update the system.

According to the rules, mobile phone sets that have not been declared in customs will not be registered from after December 30 and the operation of such mobile sets will also be banned. The mobile sets brought for personal purposes can be registered in MDMS only on the basis of passport/citizenship/national identity card along with declaration letter.

Even when buying a mobile phone within Nepal, it is possible to check whether the purchased mobile set is registered in Nepal Telecommunication Authority's MDMS system or not. The authority has requested to make the purchase only after checking accordingly. Also, before importing mobile phones, mobile importers and sellers must obtain prior approval from the authority to sell and distribute only mobiles that are registered with the authority.