Nepal Telecommunications Authority has published a draft Mobile Broadband Improvement Plan outlining a phased transition toward nationwide 5G coverage by 2035, with initial deployments targeted in major urban areas and parallel efforts to strengthen 4G, spectrum availability, backhaul and small-cell infrastructure.
The draft, titled Nepal’s Road to 5G, sets out a long-term framework for moving the country toward higher-speed mobile broadband as data consumption rises and operators prepare for more advanced network technologies.
Interested parties have been given 15 days to submit feedback on the proposal.
Roadmap sets 2027, 2030 and 2035 milestones
Under the proposed plan, Nepal aims to raise average nationwide mobile broadband speeds to at least 20 Mbps by 2027.
By 2030, urban areas are targeted to receive speeds of 100 Mbps, while nationwide 5G coverage is planned for 2035.
The government also wants commercial 5G services to begin in major urban areas during the current fiscal year, with the regulator already instructing mobile operators to prepare phased implementation plans.
The roadmap reflects growing policy pressure to improve both the reach and quality of mobile broadband rather than focusing only on technology launches.
5G spectrum allocation is being accelerated
Min Prasad Aryal, director at the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, said work is underway to accelerate allocation of the spectrum required for 5G.
The regulator said it is prepared to make the necessary frequencies available, while decisions on whether operators build dedicated 5G infrastructure or upgrade existing networks will remain technical and commercial choices for service providers.
Spectrum availability is emerging as one of the central constraints in Nepal’s mobile broadband market.
Around 238.2 MHz of mobile spectrum has already been allocated, but the draft says pressure is increasing because multiple generations of technology continue to use the available bands.
Data traffic is rising 30% to 40% annually
According to the authority, mobile data traffic in Nepal has been increasing by approximately 30% to 40% annually in recent years.
That growth is expected to drive demand for additional spectrum, greater network capacity, small cells and higher-capacity backhaul.
The draft says around 35% of mobile cells are already operating at maximum physical resource block utilisation, highlighting capacity pressure in parts of the network.
To address this, the regulator proposes making more spectrum available for 4G and requiring carrier aggregation to improve utilisation of existing frequency holdings.
2023 trials achieved speeds of up to 1 Gbps
Nepal began practical 5G testing in 2023 after Nepal Telecom was allocated 60 MHz of spectrum in the 2600 MHz band.
Trials in Babarmahal and Sundhara in Kathmandu, as well as Pokhara and Birgunj, achieved speeds of up to 1 Gbps, according to the draft.
The tests demonstrated the potential of mid-band spectrum for urban 5G deployments while also highlighting the importance of sufficient backhaul capacity and scalable spectrum management.
The trial phase has now shifted toward broader commercial readiness.
3G phase-out proposed from 2027
The draft also proposes a gradual shutdown of 3G services beginning in 2027.
NTA said less than 3% of current data users remain on 3G, even though the technology continues to consume spectrum and operational resources.
The regulator therefore wants operators to migrate customers toward 4G and 5G through awareness campaigns and promotional packages.
The plan also proposes stopping imports of new 3G handsets and equipment.
Phasing out 3G could allow operators to refarm spectrum and reduce the cost of operating four generations of mobile technology simultaneously.
Small cells seen as essential for urban 5G
The authority concluded that traditional macro-cell networks alone will not provide sufficient capacity for future 5G demand.
The roadmap therefore proposes greater use of microcells, picocells and femtocells in densely populated urban areas.
These smaller cells can increase network capacity and improve spectrum efficiency by bringing radio infrastructure closer to users.
For 5G, this will become particularly important in high-traffic areas where a limited number of large macro sites may struggle to handle growing data demand.
FWA proposed for remote and difficult terrain
Fixed Wireless Access is also identified as an important part of Nepal’s broadband strategy.
In remote and semi-urban locations where fibre deployment is too expensive or geographically difficult, the regulator sees FWA as a potential way to extend higher-speed broadband using mobile network infrastructure.
The plan also recommends infrastructure and road-sharing mechanisms to reduce deployment costs.
Nepal has expanded fibre along urban routes and major highways, but many remote and mountainous areas remain dependent on microwave backhaul because of difficult terrain and high construction costs.
The roadmap therefore calls for both fibre and microwave capacity to be strengthened according to local conditions.
5G positioned as infrastructure for wider digital services
The authority frames 5G as more than a faster mobile internet service.
The roadmap identifies industrial automation, smart agriculture, telemedicine, smart tourism, disaster management and automated systems among the potential applications of next-generation mobile infrastructure.
Under the ITU IMT-2020 framework, 5G is designed to support higher speeds, lower latency and much greater device density than previous generations.
For Nepal, the challenge will be adapting those capabilities to a market where geography, infrastructure economics and spectrum availability remain significant constraints.
Why this matters
Nepal’s draft roadmap is significant because it treats 5G as part of a wider mobile broadband transformation rather than an isolated technology upgrade.
The plan links 5G deployment with spectrum reform, 3G shutdown, 4G capacity expansion, carrier aggregation, small cells, FWA and backhaul investment.
That integrated approach is important because nationwide 5G cannot be delivered effectively without strengthening the infrastructure and spectrum environment underneath it.
Editor’s note
The most important element of Nepal’s 5G strategy is sequencing.
The country cannot move directly from limited mobile capacity to nationwide 5G simply by allocating new frequencies. It also needs to free existing spectrum, strengthen backhaul, migrate users away from 3G and increase site density in urban areas.
If those pieces move together, the 2035 nationwide target becomes more credible. If they do not, Nepal risks launching 5G in selected cities without building the underlying network capacity needed for broader adoption.
