Kathmandu, September 18, 2026 — Ncell, Nepal’s first private-sector GSM mobile service provider, has completed 21 years of commercial operations, marking more than two decades of expansion in the country’s telecommunications and digital sectors.
Ncell began commercial service on September 17, 2005, under the name Mero Mobile. At the time, mobile penetration in Nepal was around 6 percent. The company now serves more than 14 million customers, while overall mobile penetration in Nepal has crossed 100 percent, according to figures presented in connection with its 21st anniversary.
The company was incorporated as Mero Mobile in 2004. TeliaSonera entered Nepal through the acquisition of Spice Nepal in 2008, and Mero Mobile was rebranded as Ncell in 2010. Axiata Group acquired Ncell in 2016. On December 1, 2023, UK-based Spectrlite UK Limited acquired 100 percent of Reynolds Holdings Limited from Axiata UK; Reynolds holds an 80 percent equity stake in Ncell.
Ncell was converted into a public limited company and renamed Ncell Axiata Limited on August 3, 2020. This corrects an earlier reference to 2021.
Over its 21-year history, the company has expanded from basic mobile services to 3G, 4G and a range of digital services. Ncell's 4G network currently reaches around 95 percent of Nepal’s population, according to figures reported for its anniversary.






