Roaming is a feature that lets you use your own SIM card in a foreign country for phone calls, text messages, and data connections. Both telcos of our country, NTC and Ncell offer roaming services. So, in this article, we'll compare the roaming packs of both NTC and Ncell.
NTC vs Ncell Roaming Packs
How to Activate Roaming Pack in NTC?
Before heading in, let's first learn the process to activate the roaming service in Nepal Telecom (NTC) and Ncell.
- Dial 14157# on your phone.
- Select option 2 and send.
Alternatively, using the Nepal Telecom app:
- Open the app and go to the “Buy Packages” section.
- Choose “International Services” as the first option.
- Select “GSM Prepaid Roaming Service” as the second option.
- The “Roaming Activation” option will appear automatically in the third step.
- Click on “Buy Data Pack” to complete the activation.
For Postpaid Users of NTC
- First and foremost, postpaid users need to have more than 5000 rupees balance in their SIM.
- Then, you can just simply dial *1415*7# and activate the international roaming service.
- You can also visit the nearest NTC counter with any government-authorized ID cards.
How to Activate Roaming in Ncell?
If you didn't know Ncell’s roaming service is activated by default for other countries except for India. So, the following steps are only required if you are traveling to India.
- You can go to your phone’s dialer and then, dial *17129# and press 1.
- You can also use the Ncell app, go to the roaming tab, and activate the service.
Roaming Data packs of NTC and Ncell
Nepal Telecom currently provides a roaming data pack for India only.
| S.N. | Pack Name | Tariff | Data Volume | Validity | Valid Country |
| 1 | Monthly | Rs. 900 | 1024MB | 28 Days | India |
| 2 | Weekly | Rs. 450 | 500MB | 7 Days | India |
| 3 | Daily | Rs. 100 | 100MB | 1 Day | India |
Meanwhile, Ncell provides roaming packs for multiple countries.
| Ncell India Roaming Data Pack | Tariff | Validity |
| Unlimited 1 Day recurring | NPR 190.18 per day | 1 Day (recurring) |
| 500MB | NPR 300 | 3 Days |
| 4GB | NPR 2,499 | 28 Days |
| Ncell India Roaming Voice and SMS Pack | Tariff | Validity |
| 25 minute Outgoing Call (Nepal + India), + 25 minute Incoming Calls + 25SMS | NPR 450 | 1 Day |
| 30-minute Outgoing Call (India) + 30-minute Incoming Call +15 SMS | NPR 100 | 3 Days |
| 45 minute Outgoing Call (Nepal + India), + 45 minute Incoming Calls + 30SMS | NPR 2,499 | 7 Days |
| Ncell Roaming Daily Data Pack | Tariff | Validity |
| Daily Data Pack | NPR 100.16 | 1 Day |
| Booster Data Pack | NPR 190.18 | 1 Day |
| 28 Days 4GB Pack | NPR 2,499 | 28 Days |
| Ncell Roaming Voice and SMS Pack | Tariff | Validity |
| 25 minute Outgoing Call (Nepal + Roaming country), + 25 minute Incoming Calls + 25SMS | NPR 450 | 1 Day |
| 45 minute Outgoing Call (Nepal + Roaming country), + 45 minute Incoming Calls + 30SMS | NPR 1,250 | 7 Days |
| Ncell Roaming Sangai Beema (Insurance) Pack | Tariff | Validity | Applicable Countries |
| 750MB Data + Accidental hospitalization up to 1 lakh | NPR 750 | 7 Days | India, UAE, Qatar, Malaysia |
| Ncell Border Roaming Data Pack | Tariff | Validity | Applicable Countries |
| 500MB Data Pack | NPR 100 | 3 Days | India, China, Bangladesh |
| 30 minute Outgoing call to India + 30 minute Incoming Calls + 15 SMS | NPR 100 | 3 Days | India only |
Daily Data Roaming at Rs. 100.16 (including tax)
Daily Data Roaming at Rs. 190.18 (including tax)
| Bangladesh | Indonesia | Singapore | Malaysia |
| Cambodia | India | Sri Lanka | |
| China | UK | Thailand | |
Daily Data Roaming at Rs. 633.93 (including tax)
| Australia | Finland | Israel | Norway | Sweden |
| Austria | France | Japan | Netherlands | Spain |
| Albania | Greece | Kuwait | Pakistan | South Korea |
| Belgium | Germany | Lithuania | Romania | Switzerland |
| Canada | Hong Kong | Latvia | Poland | South Africa |
| Czech Republic | Hungary | Malta | Philippines | South Arabia |
| Denmark | Italy | Myanmar | Russia | Turkey |
| Estonia | Ireland | New Zealand | Slovakia | Taiwan |
NTC vs Ncell Roaming Packs: Conclusion
As it wasn't obvious going through the above tables, Ncell has better data roaming packs and multiple countries. If one is wise enough, you can choose better packs as per your requirements on Ncell. In this regard, NTC should also offer competitive roaming packs and more areas of operation. Having only India as the operating region for roaming is not acceptable for its customers who frequently travel abroad.
