Three months after the soft launch of the MDMS system, Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has announced to fully implement Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) in Nepal from Friday, December 30.
Issuing a notice on Saturday, the authority requested users who purchased their mobile devices abroad for personal use after mid-August 2022, that haven’t been registered or come to use yet, to register their mobile sets by availing an invoice from the customs office.
However, almost all mobile phones operating before that have been automatically registered in the system.
According to the Information Officer of NTA, Surya Prasad Lamichhane, one will require to show an invoice from the customs office for registration for mobile phones bought abroad or received as gifts.
During individual registration, one will have to select ‘Self’ if they intend to use the smartphone personally and ‘Others’ if it’s brought as a gift for someone else.
However, Lamichhane added that no additional taxes will be levied for the purpose of registration of mobile devices under the MDMS system and the process will be in line with the current customs provision of Nepal.
Punya Bikram Khadka, Director of the Department of Customs has said a single handset bought for personal use need not declare customs on it. Similarly, someone coming from abroad can also bring an additional mobile phone but will have to produce the bill of purchase and pay up to 18% of the total price, in the case of smartphones.
Meanwhile, if a person brings more than two phones from abroad, those handsets will be confiscated.
NTA has also advised checking whether or not the mobile phones are registered before making a purchase by visiting MDMS.nta.gov.np.
According to NTA, to date, approximately 3 million mobile phones have been registered for International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) – a unique 15-digit code that identifies the device with the SIM card input.
MDMS system, prepared with an investment of one billion rupees, will manage the IMEI number of every mobile device in the country and new mobile phones imported from abroad.
“After the new system completely kicks in, it will eliminate illegal imports, sale and distribution of mobile phones,” Lamichhane informed.
Similarly, the process of buying and selling mobile phones without a bill and warranty will also be minimized and it will also be easier to track and block mobile phones in cases of theft and loss.
In case of foreign nationals, they will be able to use mobile phones in Nepal until 15 days without registration. After that, a copy of passport and visa should be uploaded and they will be able to use their mobile phone in Nepal during the visa period. If they decide to extend the visa period in the future, they shall renew the IMEI validity using the same procedure.
According to MDMS Bylaw 2075, those mobile phones subscribed to non-Nepali networks can enjoy roaming services in Nepal without the system’s intervention. However, if such devices are suspected of any criminal activity, MDMS will be able to track/block those devices.
