Not just that, percentage of customers who feel benefited by using telecommunication services are more in fixed line category. [break]
Nearly 96 percent of the respondents in a survey conducted by NTA in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar and Nepalgunj said they are feeling benefited by using telecommunication services whereas only 82 percent of the respondents in GSM service felt benefited. At present, more than 14.75 million people, over 55 percent of the population, have access to voice telephone service.
Telecom sector regulator that unveiled the report of the study said each landline subscriber is at present spending an average of Rs 1,510 per month, highest among telecom services.
Moreover, the report said fixed line users of Nepal Telecom (NT) in the capital are spending the most, followed by CDMA users of UTL, whose average bill per person stands at Rs 1,030.
The highest average revenue per user (ARU) in fixed line shows despite enormous attraction for mobile phones, subscribers are making more calls through the fixed line. The GSM users in the country grew by nearly 50 percent last year whereas fixed line users´ growth is less than 4 percent. As per the latest statistics of NTA, there are more than 610,000 PSTN users with NT.
Spokesperson for NT Surendra Thike said highest ARU for fixed line is thanks to cheaper tariff and better service quality. “Wireline service is always better than wireless service in terms of quality. Tariff is also less if compared to other services,” he added.
The report said subscribers who participated in the survey are spending Rs 980 in NT´s GSM, Rs 876 in NT´s CDMA and Rs 782 in Ncell´s GSM in the capital.
The survey, which was also carried out in Pokhara, Biratnagar and Nepalgunj, showed telecom users are spending highest through NT´s fixed line. ARU of fixed line in Nepalgunj is Rs 936, in Pokhara Rs 1,340, and in Biratnagar Rs 1,360.
According to the report, customers of Ncell GSM are spending Rs 575 to Rs 764 whereas NT´s subscribers are spending Rs 582 to Rs 664 in these areas in these areas.
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