Spice Nepal Private Ltd., the first and leading private mobile operator in Nepal offering its services under the brand Mero Mobile, announced today that it is rebranding to Ncell. The rebranding comes as part of the company’s strategy to further strengthen its position on Nepal’s mobile telecommunication services market. From today, Ncell with a new brand identity including a new brand symbol in the shape of a hi-tech stone in rich purple color is replacing the brand Mero Mobile with its red-and-yellow coloring. 

The new brand reflects Ncell’s corporate values which are: being a pioneer in the market, reliability, agility in response to the market’s and consumers’ needs, social responsibility, and a deep and abiding aspiration to be an integral part of the country.

“Telecommunication services drive growth, competitiveness and transition to a knowledge-based society. These services strongly encourage and promote economic, social and environmental benefits across industries, driving domestic and foreign investments. Development of telecommunication infrastructure and services is essential for the future prosperity of Nepal. People, who previously have never had access to telecommunication services, will inevitably gain from increased possibilities to connect to others and access information. Therefore, I am excited about launching the new Ncell brand, marking a new chapter in the company’s history,” says Mr. Pasi Koistinen, CEO, Spice Nepal/Ncell.

Ncell plays an important role in developing the telecommunication infrastructure and services in Nepal, contributing to the future prosperity of the country and its citizens. During 2009, Ncell more than doubled its mobile network which now covers more than 60 percent of Nepal's population. As a result, Ncell has today the best mobile network quality in Nepal, according to customer and technical surveys.

“The expansion of mobile network coverage and the introduction of new technologies - especially 3G, to start with, are of utmost importance for the future development of telecommunications in Nepal - as this is and will be the most efficient way of connecting all business and citizens to the information highway.

Like in any other advanced economy, we are convinced that the citizens and business people of Nepal also want coverage and telecommunication services at home, at work and indoors as well as outdoors, where access to information and communications – regardless of income, age, gender or geography – improve their quality of life.

The new Ncell brand identity is an embodiment of this aspiration. The stone symbolizes connectivity, the start of a new conversation, a link between all people in Nepal, the history and tradition of this land being enriched with modern technologies. The purple color is energizing and inspiring, it reflects the creativity, passion and reliability with which Ncell will continue to serve its customers. We are committed to continue investing in the future development of the telecommunication infrastructure and services in Nepal and contribute to the future prosperity of the country and its citizens,” says Mr, Pasi Koistinen.

The rebranding will be implemented gradually nationwide, finally covering all Ncell’s offices, shops and dealers.

About Ncell

Spice Nepal Private Ltd. was established in 2004 as the first private mobile operator in Nepal and launched its services under Mero Mobile brand in 2005. In October 2008, TeliaSonera acquired controlling interest in Spice Nepal. As of the year-end 2009, Spice Nepal had some 2.2 million subscriptions and around USD 90 million in annual net sales. As of March 12, 2010, Spice Nepal operates under the brand Ncell.

Spice Nepal/Ncell is part of TeliaSonera, the fifth largest telecommunication company in Europe in terms of market value as of January 2010.  For more information about Ncell please visit   www.ncell.com.np

About TeliaSonera

TeliaSonera provides telecommunication services in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey, and in Spain. TeliaSonera is now in 20 markets with close to 460 million inhabitants. The number of subscriptions in 2009 reached over 147.6 million. For the year 2009, TeliaSonera's net sales amounted to approximately USD 14.3 billion and TeliaSonera had around 30,000 employees. The TeliaSonera share is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and Helsinki stock exchanges. The two largest shareholders are the Swedish State with 37.3 percent of the shares and votes and the Finnish State with 13.7 percent. Market value as of January 2010 was approximately USD 30 billion.

TeliaSonera provides network access and telecommunication services that help people and companies communicate in an easy, efficient and environmentally friendly way. TeliaSonera creates value by focusing on delivering a world-class customer experience, securing quality in our networks and achieving a best-in-class cost structure. TeliaSonera is an international group with a global strategy, but wherever we operate we act as a local company.

In the emerging markets of Eurasia, TeliaSonera has majority holdings in leading mobile operators in Kazakhstan (Kcell), Azerbaijan (Azercell), Georgia (Geocell), Moldova (Moldcell), Tajikistan (Indigo and Somoncom), Uzbekistan (Ucell), Nepal (Ncell) and Cambodia (Star-Cell). TeliaSonera is also a minority owner of MegaFon in Russia and Turkcell in Turkey. 

For more information about TeliaSonera, please visit www.teliasonera.com 

For further details:

Sanju Koirala
Corporate Communication Manager - Ncell
Cell: 9802225597, 9805554444
Fax:  9805554488
Email: sanju.koirala@ncell.com.np
URL: www.ncell.com.np