Nepalese mobile operator Ncell has introduced a 60-second pulse rate for outgoing international calls to 198 countries, following approval from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority.
The new billing structure took effect on 18 August 2026 after the regulator approved the change on 7 August under Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2053.
Ncell said the revised pulse rate applies across a wide range of international destinations, including the United States, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
International calls now billed in 60-second increments
Under the new structure, outgoing international calls are charged using a 60-second pulse.
The change standardises how usage is billed across 198 destinations and replaces shorter billing increments where they may previously have applied.
For customers, that means international calling charges will be calculated in one-minute blocks.
Rates vary significantly by destination
Ncell’s published prepaid international call rates show wide variation depending on the destination.
Calls to Canada and the United States are priced at Rs2.52 per minute including taxes, while calls to India cost Rs5.06.
Other examples include:
- United Kingdom: Rs14.58 per minute
- Pakistan: Rs19.02
- Saudi Arabia: Rs19.65
- UAE: Rs22.82
- Qatar: Rs25.36
- Russia: Rs31.06
- France: Rs40.57
Rates rise sharply for some remote and satellite destinations, including Inmarsat at Rs730.29 per minute.
International SMS pricing also varies
Ncell also maintains separate international SMS rates.
Messages to Bahrain, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand and the United States are priced at Rs6.34 per SMS.
Messages to other international destinations are priced at Rs12.68.
NTA approval underpins the change
Ncell said the 60-second pulse rate was introduced following approval from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority.
The operator framed the change as a way to improve the international calling experience for customers while aligning billing practices with regulatory approval.
The new structure applies to nearly 200 countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and other regions.
Why this matters
International calling remains important for Nepal because of the country’s large overseas workforce and diaspora.
Changes to pulse billing can affect the real cost of short-duration calls, even when the advertised per-minute tariff remains unchanged.
A 60-second pulse is simple to understand, but it also means a call lasting only a few seconds may still be billed as a full minute.
Editor’s note
The most important point is the distinction between the pulse rate and the headline per-minute tariff.
The 60-second pulse does not necessarily make international calls cheaper. Its main impact is on how charges are rounded.
For customers who make longer calls, the effect may be limited. For short calls, however, one-minute billing increments can materially affect the effective cost per second.
