Nepal Telecommunication Authority has finally implemented the mobile device management system (MDMS) from Thursday in Nepal. This system effectively addresses the problem of grey smartphone imports which also making it simple to track lost or stolen handsets. This includes everything from stolen phones brought from abroad to bulk personal imports or those that have not received “Type Approval” from NTA. Due to which the government loses potential revenue while official importers lose business.
To address this issue, NTA first mandated IMEI registration.MDMS is now being implemented in Nepal for the same purpose.
It was originally planned to go live in Jestha 2078, but it was postponed due to the second wave of COVID-19 and a variety of other factors in subsequent attempts.
What is MDMS?
The mobile device management system is a centralized government-owned system that tracks all phones and similar electronic accessories that enter the country using their unique IMEI number(s).This includes smartphones, feature phones, bar phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
Impact of MDMS?
- Phones that are not registered with the NTA (illegal/grey imports) will be blocked from all Nepali network operators (NTC, Ncell, Smart). This means you’ll be able to use other phone functions like connecting to WiFi and streaming videos, but you won’t be able to make or receive phone calls or messages.
- There is no cellular connectivity, but everything else a smartphone should have works just fine.
- Additionally, you won’t be able to call the police if you lose one of these phones but if your phone is registered, under MDMS, Nepal Police and other relevant authorities can assist you in tracking them down.
- According to NTA’s official notice, mobile phones imported by official distributors are automatically registered under MDMS.
How to check if your phone is registered under MDMS?
- You can visit “mdms.nta.gov.np” to see if your device is officially listed in MDMS.
- There are two input fields there: one to see if your current phone or phones are registered in the system, and the other to see if the phone you’re about to buy has been logged into MDMS or not.
- In order to enroll your phone in the database, please go to:https://eir.nta.gov.np/individual/register
- Additionally, you must upload a JPG or PDF file of your citizenship or another official ID card that is less than 1MB in size.
The system will also accept a valid passport or visa in the case of foreigners. - Your request for IMEI registration will be confirmed via email once the application has been submitted.
- Once NTA completes the background study and verifies theapplication, it will either dis/approve the application.
- And to check if your phone has been accepted into MDMS, you can visit the same link: https://mdms.nta.gov.np/.
Unregistered phones are currently working without a problem including phone calls, SMS, mobile data, and everything. The NTA warns that these phones will be removed from the network of Nepali telcos in 7 days if they are not individually registered.
As of right now, it appears that NTA is not charging you any money to register your phone with the system. And that begs the question of whether grey imports could be instantly registered in MDMS. Perhaps there is a cap on the number of handsets that one person can register; the system itself is not perfect. For the time being, the system’s precise mechanism is unclear.
