KATHMANDU, OCT 11 - 2013
The government’s royalty collection from telecom companies and internet service providers (ISPs) has increased by 48 percent to Rs 2.77 billion in the fiscal year 2012-13 compared to the previous year, shows the Nepal Tele-communications Authority (NTA) annual progress report. The NTA submitted the report to the Ministry of Information and Communications on Wednesday.
The goverment collected Rs 1.86 billion in royalty in the fiscal year 2011-12 from the NTA licencees, according to NTA spokesperson Kailash Prasad Neupane. The growth in royalty collection stemmed from the increased income of the telecom companies along with the growth of customers of telecom services.
As per the Telecommuni-cations Act, companies operating telecom, internet and network services are required to pay 4 percent of their total income as royalty to the government each year from their income of previous fiscal year.
The royal collected in the last fiscal year is from the income of previous fiscal year 2011-12 when the NTA licencees had earned a cumulative Rs 64.52 billion. The NTA licencees are required to pay the royalty by first nine months each fiscal year (by Mid-April) based on their income in the previous fiscal.
In the last fiscal year, state-owned Nepal Telecom paid royalty amounting to Rs 1.31 billion, private sector company Ncell paid Rs 1.17 billion, United Telecom Limited (UTL) Rs
223.7 million, Smart Telecom Rs 14.4 million, Nepal Satellite Telecom Rs 6.86 million and STM Telecom Sanchar paid Rs 3.8 million.
Among the ISPs, Subisu Cable Net, World Link and Mercantile were the top three royalty payers, making deposits of Rs 12.6 million, Rs 8.4 million and Rs 3.3 million into the government coffers. Web Surfer and Vianet paid royalty Rs 977,000 and Rs 821,000 respectively. NTA officials said the royalty collection, frequency charge and Rural Telecommuni-cation Development Fund (RTDF) fee is expected to increase further in the current fiscal year.
The NTA witnessed contribution of Rs 1.33 billion in the RTDF by its licencess for development of telecom in rural areas in the last fiscal year, resulting in the increase of the fund to Rs 6.02 billion. The telecom law requires telecom and internet service providers to contribute 2 percent of their total income in the RTDF. In the fiscal year 2011-12, the authority had collected Rs 920 million in RTDF fees.
The goverment collected Rs 1.86 billion in royalty in the fiscal year 2011-12 from the NTA licencees, according to NTA spokesperson Kailash Prasad Neupane. The growth in royalty collection stemmed from the increased income of the telecom companies along with the growth of customers of telecom services.
As per the Telecommuni-cations Act, companies operating telecom, internet and network services are required to pay 4 percent of their total income as royalty to the government each year from their income of previous fiscal year.
The royal collected in the last fiscal year is from the income of previous fiscal year 2011-12 when the NTA licencees had earned a cumulative Rs 64.52 billion. The NTA licencees are required to pay the royalty by first nine months each fiscal year (by Mid-April) based on their income in the previous fiscal.
In the last fiscal year, state-owned Nepal Telecom paid royalty amounting to Rs 1.31 billion, private sector company Ncell paid Rs 1.17 billion, United Telecom Limited (UTL) Rs
223.7 million, Smart Telecom Rs 14.4 million, Nepal Satellite Telecom Rs 6.86 million and STM Telecom Sanchar paid Rs 3.8 million.
Among the ISPs, Subisu Cable Net, World Link and Mercantile were the top three royalty payers, making deposits of Rs 12.6 million, Rs 8.4 million and Rs 3.3 million into the government coffers. Web Surfer and Vianet paid royalty Rs 977,000 and Rs 821,000 respectively. NTA officials said the royalty collection, frequency charge and Rural Telecommuni-cation Development Fund (RTDF) fee is expected to increase further in the current fiscal year.
The NTA witnessed contribution of Rs 1.33 billion in the RTDF by its licencess for development of telecom in rural areas in the last fiscal year, resulting in the increase of the fund to Rs 6.02 billion. The telecom law requires telecom and internet service providers to contribute 2 percent of their total income in the RTDF. In the fiscal year 2011-12, the authority had collected Rs 920 million in RTDF fees.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
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