NTA Plans New Rules For Telecom Sector

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is preparing to implement new laws to regulate and provide more safety measures for the country’s telecommunication sector. As per NTA, a draft of tower installation and operation regulation is under discussion.

In order to regulate the tower installation activities of the telecommunication service providers NTA has drafted the tower installation and construction regulation, said Min Prasad Aryal, spokesperson for NTA.

“The draft is awaiting the approval of NTA board,” he said. “The board members are revising some of the rules mentioned in the draft and as soon as it is approved it will be implemented.”

The new regulation will include areas of design and analysis of telecommunication towers, vulnerability assessment and risk assessment.

The major objective of implementing this regulation is to restrengthen and retrofit vulnerable towers for the convenience of consumers, Aryal added.

The draft of the regulation has also included rules about lightening protection, earthing and colour coding.

It also speaks of installing lights while installing tower as well as periodic maintenance, alteration in the construction and compliance of local authority requirement.

Aryal further said that the tower installation regulation has also been guided by other international telecommunication regulations. As per the new regulations, telecommunication service providers will be obliged to get NTA’s permission to instal mobile towers that are taller than seven metres.

Meanwhile, Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) safety regulation is also under approval phase. “Most of the people are unaware regarding safety precautions adopted by NTA in the telecommunication sector,” Aryal said. “The new regulation will also help to increase awareness among people regarding safety.”

As per him, the country has adopted Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) safe exposure limits from mobile towers under International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection.

Likewise, Nepal has also adopted practices of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) for safe exposure limits from mobile handsets. “We have also purchased EMR measurement equipment which is currently being used to monitor mobile towers.” – The Himalayan Times