Nepal Telecom has canceled a controversial tender worth around Rs 5 billion for the procurement of a convergent real-time billing system. The decision was announced on Monday, coinciding with the transfer of Communication Secretary Radhika Aryal. The procurement process had faced criticism over alleged “vendor lock-in” provisions favoring Chinese technology firm Huawei. A probe led by former secretary Maniram Gelal found that technical specifications were tailored in a way that restricted competition. Nepal Telecom spokesperson Rabinman Manandhar said the tender documents will be revised based on expert recommendations before launching a new international bidding process to ensure transparency and stronger cybersecurity safeguards.
