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Minister for Information and Communications, Dr Bikram Timilsina has said that all telecommunications service providers should work in a decent and professional manner complying with legal and regulatory arrangements of the country.

During a meeting at the Ministry on Tuesday with a representative of Ncell Axiata Limited, he shared that the government is committed to making the telecom sector clean, transparent, and competitive.

He emphasized that all service providers are equal for the Ministry of Communications, clarifying the government will provide necessary support to companies operating business activities according to the laws.

“Ncell should come with a commitment to compete fairly and mend past mistakes. The government treats companies adhering to the laws equally,” said Communications Minister Timilsina.

The line minister also clarified that past disputes and legal issues related to Ncell will be investigated transparently, while noting the company must improve its way of working to prevent such problems from recurring in the future.

Speaking about creating a clean and healthy ecosystem in the telecom sector, Minister Dr Timilsina expressed readiness on part of the government and regulatory bodies for this and that service providers also need to work in coordination.

During the meeting attended by the ministry's joint secretaries Udaya Bahadur Rana Magar and Gaurab Giri, as well as the legal section under-secretary Rajesh Kumar Thapa, Communications Minister Timilsina stated it the responsibility of the government and regulators to fix past mistakes and prevent future errors in order to make the telecommunications sector clean and professional.

Minister also clarified that the resolution of past disputes with Ncell and the transfer of ownership after the license period expires will be carried out within the existing laws and regulations.

Also on the occasion, Dilliram Shrestha, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Services Officer of Ncell Axiata Limited, shared that the company has been working on various initiatives to improve its services and business system.

He mentioned that Ncell has positively received the government's initiatives to improve the subscription model, implement the 'pay as you go' system, and launch 5G services.