Ncell Admits Technical Glitch After TechPana Investigation Into Unexplained Balance Deductions, Claims Users Were Refunded—but Customer Records Tell a Different Story
साउन १२, २०८३ १३:२१
Kathmandu. Private telecom operator Ncell has acknowledged that customers were being charged from their main balance even when mobile data was switched off and they were connected to Wi-Fi, attributing the issue to a technical error in its billing system.
The acknowledgment came after TechPana investigated unexplained deductions in the main balance of Ncell users and submitted detailed questions to the company, along with technical evidence.
However, instead of directly responding to the inquiries, Ncell first attempted to address the issue through a public social media post before issuing an official response.
Timeline of Ncell's Response
TechPana had sent an email to Ncell's Corporate Communications team at 2:26 p.m. on Monday, seeking explanations for repeated deductions of Rs 1.27 from customers' balances even when mobile data was turned off and users were connected to Wi-Fi.
The questions asked why the deductions were occurring under the company's Pay As You Go (PAYG) system and requested a technical explanation for the issue.
At around 4:15 p.m., Ncell Corporate Communications Unit Head Ramesh Shrestha informed TechPana via message that the company was preparing a response.
However, before replying to the email, Ncell published a public notice on its official Facebook page at 5:18 p.m. addressing the issue.
According to TechPana, eight minutes after the Facebook notice was published, Shrestha said the public statement had always been part of the company's plan.
"I am still waiting for approval for your response. The information is already out," he wrote in a message to TechPana.
The publication claims this sequence suggests the company attempted to soften public reaction by issuing a social media statement before responding directly to the media's questions.
Ncell eventually sent its official email response to TechPana at 5:57 p.m.
Company Claims Refunds Were Issued
In both its Facebook notice and email response, Ncell stated that the balance deductions occurred due to a technical issue and claimed that affected customers had already been refunded.
The company also said customers had been notified of the refunds through SMS.
Refund Claim Does Not Match Its Findings
However, TechPana’s investigation found no evidence supporting Ncell's claim that refunds had already been completed.
None of the customers whose numbers were being closely monitored during the investigation had received refunds by the time the report was prepared. Moreover, none of those customers had received SMS notifications confirming that the deducted amounts had been returned.
This raises questions about the accuracy of Ncell's public statements regarding refunds.
What TechPana's Investigation Found
According to TechPana’s technical testing and analysis of customers' Call Detail Records (CDRs), unexplained deductions had been occurring since at least October 17, 2025.
Investigation uncovered multiple instances where customers were charged Rs 1.27 despite mobile data being completely switched off and 0.00 MB of data being recorded as used.
In some cases, the same customer reportedly experienced as many as eight deductions in a single day.
The investigation cited complaints and evidence submitted by customers including Milan Karki and Bibek Gupta, who reported repeated unexplained balance deductions.
It also noted that despite Ncell promoting services such as Always On plans and Balance Protection, its investigation found customers' balances were still being deducted under these circumstances.
Questions Raised Over Regulator's Role
The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has also commented on the issue.
NTA spokesperson Min Prasad Aryal described the matter as serious and urged customers who believe they have been affected to file formal complaints.
According to Aryal, the authority will investigate complaints, determine whether any violations occurred, and, if necessary, take action against the company while ensuring affected customers receive compensation.
TechPana noted that Ncell has more than 12.4 million subscribers and argued that if even a small proportion of customers experienced similar daily deductions, the cumulative amount could be substantial.
Questions arise about whether issuing a Facebook notice alone is sufficient, saying the company has yet to disclose transparently which customers were affected, how much was deducted from each account, and how refunds will be processed.
Similarly, questions about whether the regulator should proactively investigate the issue given its potential scale, rather than relying solely on individual customer complaints, are raised.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: साउन १२, २०८३ १४:३३
