Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) has shortlisted five international companies to conduct studies to keep Nepal’s satellite in space. Earlier, NTA sought letters of intent (LOI) on December 16, 2020. Several international companies submitted proposals to work on Nepal’s satellite project till the deadline of January 11, 2021.
Then, NTA prepared a list of nine companies around the world that applied for the study project. Out of nine proposals, NTA accepted five of them, according to NTA’s spokesperson, Min Prasad Aryal.
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Shortlisted companies
The nine companies submitting LOI include Beijing Space Technology of China, Celestial consulting of Singapore, Euroconsult of France. Furthermore, KISPE of UK, KPMG of India, London Economic Limited of UK, Space Partnership International of the US, S3TEL of UAE, and SpaceTec partners of Germany.
The selected companies are Euroconsult of France, S3TEL of UAE, Space Partnership International of the US, London Economics Limited of UK, and KPMG of India. It means China’s Beijing Space Technology, KISPE of UK, Celestial Consulting of Singapore, and Germany’s SpaceTec Partners have been dropped.
The selection process focuses on these major criteria: qualifications – 40 percent, Experience – 50 percent, and ability – 10 percent.
After the study, the selected companies will work for regulation and security of ground satellite installation, legal structure, and framework. Also, the business structure, technical requirements, and preparation of bid documents.
Further, NTA will seek technical and financial proposals from the shortlisted companies. Later, NTA expects to assign the primary works related to the installation of satellites to one of the companies. Similarly, another company selected in the second phase will carry out verification and monitoring works.
Earlier NTA canceled the old procedure to implement the satellite project in Nepal, that was started in 2016.
The New Earth Satellite Policy
The Earth Satellite Policy of 2077 was approved by the cabinet meeting held on June 16. It states that reliable and quality services to set up the satellite will be provided by 2022.
The implementation of the policy will help in the national security of the country. Moreover, it will provide internet access to several regions of our country, fulfilling the mission of providing internet facilities nationwide. Therefore, the process proceeded by allocating Rs. 200 million in the current fiscal year.
Similarly, the policy also enables the government to install the satellite using the RTDF. As the telco operators need to deposit 2 percent of their annual income in this fund, it has got a huge sum to invest in the development of the telecom sector for rural areas.
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