CPEs generally refer to devices such as telephones, routers, switches, residential, set-top boxes, fixed mobile convergence products, home networking adaptors and internet access gateways that enable consumers to access communications services and distribute them around their house via a local area network.  Everest Telecom Circle, a consultant hired by the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), has stated in the study report that starting with basic safety testing of handsets being imported into the country; the lab’s capacity can be gradually enhanced to certify internationally manufactured CPEs for sale in the global market.

The estimated costs include investment on land, building and testing equipment. The NTA had performed the study to check the possibilities of type approval by local lab testing and explore lab accreditation options and modalities to carry out type approval of CPEs. NTA officials said that the study had showed there was a possibility of getting lab accreditation and carrying out tests of at least 300 models a year for a fee of US$ 4,000 per model from device manufacturers.

Min Prasad Aryal, deputy managing director of the NTA, said that even though the lab plan was a bit challenging mainly in terms of workforce, the government could develop and run it in a phase-wise manger as funds were not a big problem. “We will need 15 engineers in the initial phase,” he added.

Currently, the entire NTA has only eight technicians to look after the regulatory part of the telecom sector.

Basically, the idea of setting up a lab emerged after the government envisaged testing the mobile handsets entering the local market physically and issuing type approval certification (TAC).

However; a high-level NTA official said that even as the idea was a good one, setting up a world-class lab did not make economic sense as there were such labs in neighbouring countries. “Even if we get international accreditation, few manufacturers are likely to come for testing here,” the official added.

Presently, the NTA has been issuing TAC to the handsets entering the country based on the reports of international testing labs or the declarations of conformity provided by the manufacturers or their local agents in Nepal.

The official said that this provision too could not be fully implemented due to the import of mobile sets through grey channels.

TAC assures buyers that the particular model receiving government certification meets the minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements and discourages trading of poor quality devices.

If the lab is established, the NTA will be able to test the products physically and ensure the quality of the frequency range and other technical parameters of the devices. Poor signal, interference from side bands and short battery life are the major problems of poor quality handsets.

More than 400,000 mobile sets are imported into the country annually, and many of them come in without government certification through grey channels. So far, an estimated 1,000 models, representing around 30 brands, have been issued TAC by the NTA.