Huawei Likely to Get Nepal Telecom’s Billing System Contract

Chinese technology giant Huawei is likely to get Nepal Telecom’s (NT) billing system contract after a government-commissioned study committee recommended allowing the stalled procurement process to move forward without further interference.

The interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki had halted the procurement and formed a study panel headed by former secretary Maniram Gelal, following questions over why Huawei was the only bidder to pass the technical evaluation.

With the committee now submitting its report, Nepal Telecom will proceed to review Huawei’s financial proposal.

Huawei and Whale Cloud —another Chinese firm and a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group— had both submitted bids for the contract. Huawei, however, was the only company deemed technically compliant.

Minister for Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) Jagadish Kharel reiterated that his administration would not intervene in the process. “Nepal Telecom has been given autonomy to advance the procurement in accordance with the law,” he said.

Committee coordinator Gelal expressed hope that the government would implement the panel’s recommendations.

Nepal Telecom had invited bids on March 18, 2025 for the new billing system, estimated to cost around Rs 5 billion. The opening of Huawei’s financial proposal — initially scheduled for September 24, 2025 — was postponed indefinitely due to unspecified “special circumstances” shortly after Minister Kharel assumed office. The ministry subsequently formed the study committee on November 9.

In addition to Gelal, the panel included MoCIT’s joint secretaries Gaurav Giri, Adesh Khadka and Krishna Pant at at; Nepal Telecommunications Authority Deputy Director Pradeep Paudel; Nepal Telecom Manager Kamal Lamichhane; and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Undersecretary Rajesh Thapa.

Dispute

The billing system dispute stretches back more than a decade. In 2011, the contract was awarded to the Chinese company AsiaInfo, and the system was repeatedly renewed in subsequent years.

Those renewals prompted allegations of corruption, leading the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to file cases against senior Nepal Telecom officials. The Supreme Court later ordered the operator to procure a new billing system through a fresh tender.

Following the court directive, Nepal Telecom issued a first call for bids, but only one company responded. A second call attracted two bidders — Huawei and Whale Cloud — with Huawei emerging as the only firm meeting the technical criteria.