Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, aware that a no-confidence vote may be registered against him soon, has been advised by his close assistants to make the most of his last days in power. Sources close to the prime minister say that he has been advised to secure a regular source of income even after he's out of power. If he takes that advice, he and a close family relation may get permission to operate a satellite telephone service. The Nepal Telecommunication Corporation should issue a public notice regarding the new telecommunication services. But, the source tells us, even before that the prime minister, with the agreement of the secretary level, has openly asked for proposals, says the source.
At a time when hurdles are being created for the private sector in the operation of mobile telephone services in Nepal, the new satellite phone service would cause an automatic drop in the demand for mobile services. Since the NTC is the sole operator of mobile services in the country, the corporation will bear the direct impact.