KIRAN PANDAY

Ever got home drenched in your bike to find your mobile dripping wet, but still working? Has your cell phone fallen down the staircase and yet still rings? These two real miraculous mobile survival stories show that phones are so sturdily built these days that they are virtually indestructible. Still, Nokia has decided to set up a cell phone care centre in Kathmandu. "It's not just a repair store, it's a care centre," explained Prem Chand (pictured), managing director of Nokia Emerging Asia while opening the centre in Kathmandu last week. This is the first authorised showroom in Nepal for repairing mobile phones a sort of hospital for phones.

Chand says the care centre is a way for Nokia to extend its brand to customer care and maintenance. With a broad range of mobile phones catering to both the high and the low end, Nokia wants to show that it doesn't forget its customers after selling a device to them.

Although the hardware may be sturdy, with phones getting more and more complicated there are more software glitches. This is why Nokia is opening similar care centers around the region, including Pakistan, Maldives and all over India. The one in Kathmandu will be followed by similar care centres in Pokahara, Narayanghat, Jankapur, Biratnagar and Birtamode.

What's the big deal right, there is a repair centre in every corner street, New road is cluttered with more repair shops for phones than anything else? But as Prem Chand says, "With so many grey areas, its hard to figure out which is genuine and which has been imported by unofficial means.

Also, in a use-and-throw society, you'd think that it's easier to buy a new phone than get involved in the hassle of fixing and repairing. Those who can afford it usually take this option but others usually take it to small repair centres which charge a lot and usually put in faulty spares.

Promising international standard service, Chand says the care center will provide proper diagnosis of whatever problem there is, using genuine imported spare parts to fix faults. Another service the centre will provide is to swap a faulty mobile under warranty with a new one.

Nokia's future plans in Nepal include users being able to send Nepali SMS soon. Moutushi Kabir, communication specialist at Nokia says his company will work with regulators, government and service providers to improve accessibility and mobility. "Tax rates and heavy duty on phones need to be reduced," he says, "mobile penetration can help growth in GDP."

But with the global economic recession looming, it's a wonder that people aren't getting more cautious about investing in technological products. But Prem Chand says: "People are so dependent on phones that we don't see a drop in sales."

Shradha Basnyat