Nepal's telecommunications sector has undergone significant transformation since the 1990s when people had to stand in enduring long queues for STD and ISD calls and pay exorbitant fees for every second of talk time. It was only two decades ago, in 2004, when Nepal opened its telecommunications market to the private sector, attracting foreign investors such as United Telecom Limited (UTL), Ncell (previously Spice Nepal), and Smart Telecom.