Ahmed al-Derbesti (right) and Amar Nath Singh exchange documents after concluding the agreement between Qtel and Nepal Telecom

Qtel has signed a major agreement with Nepal Telecom, building on the strong relationship, to improve telecommunication and technology links between the two countries.
Under the terms of the agreement, Qtel will establish and manage a multi-service point of presence (PoP) in Qatar.
The new telecommunication hub in Doha will link Nepal Telecom’s network to Qtel’s Global Internet network, allowing for greater connectivity and capacity in Qatar, as well as across the region and beyond.
“For customers, this will mean better quality of services, so that calls between Qatar and Nepal will be clearer and data connections faster and more effective. It will also provide the basis to offer more value for customers, by deploying more advanced technology,” Qtel said.
As an additional benefit, the positioning of Qatar as a communications hub for Nepal will enable clearer communication with neighbouring countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The new hub in Doha will carry voice and Internet traffic from Qatar and the wider region over to Nepal Telecom’s landing base in Mumbai, India, and then up through to Nepal.
The agreement was signed by Qtel executive director (international services) Ahmed al-Derbesti and Amar Nath Singh, Nepal Telecom managing director.
Since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in January 1977, Qatar and Nepal have enjoyed an ‘excellent’ relationship. A significant number of Nepalese are employed across the region, making reliable and cost-effective communication between Nepal and the GCC countries vital. The creation of a hub in Doha for Nepal Telecom creates a ‘speedier and more reliable’ telecommunication network between the two countries. This will prove necessary with the growing commerce links between the two nations.
“Qtel and Nepal Telecom are currently discussing attractive call offers a new range of great value telecommunication packages to customers calling Nepal and Qatar, based on the strength of this new technological connection.
“The natural synergy between the two companies marks another important step forward in collaboration between Asian and Middle Eastern companies, and reflects the ongoing growth and development of Qatar’s knowledge-based economy,” Qtel said.