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KATHMANDU, June 13: Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is preparing a new interconnection guideline for telecom service providers that meets the requirement of the converged network environment.
Also know as the Next-Generation-Network (NGN), converged network refers to a single network with the capacity to carry a combination of data, voice and video, and multi-media traffic.
The new guideline will have volume-based tariff structure for the telecom operators, according to NTA officials.
Aananda Raj Khanal, director of NTA, said the under the existing interconnection guidelines, tariff was based on per minute basis for voice and volume basis for the data. It should be integrated when a single network will carry different traffic, added Khanal. He said the regulator will discuss the guideline among stakeholders before implementing it.
At present, telecom operators are deploying circuit switching network for fixed and mobile telephony and packet switching network for data.
“Packet switching network is not suitable for carrying real time traffic,” Khanal said, adding, “We will need to change the existing interconnection guidelines once telecom operators switch to converged network.”
NTA had amended the guidelines, which was formulated in 2008, in March, making it mandatory for operators to have inter-operator connection. Before the guideline was amended, subscribers of rural telecom operators -- Smart Telecom, Nepal Satellite and STM Telecom - were not able to make or receive calls in each others network.
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