1 ACCESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE IN BHUTAN Presented By Tandin Wangchuk Bhutan Communications Authority

2 Country Profile –Area…46,500 sq km –Population…700,000 –Location…between China in the North and India in the South –Topography…Mountainous and rugged terrain

3 Bhutan Telecom Sole Operator State owned corporation Corporatized in July employees Provides domestic and international telephony, internet, fax, pay phone, telex, leased line services and HF communications in rural areas

4 Telecommunications Scenario in Bhutan Telephone lines established in 1963 Telecom Master Plan… ,500 subscribers Tele-density…2.9% Less than 10% of total connection in rural areas Nov. 11, 2003…Cellular mobile telephony introduced contd….

5 4,014 subscribers only Technology…GSM900 &GSM …Internet introduced 1900 internet dial up account holders Approximately 5000 users 26 leased lines 2500 computers connected Only 0.73% of ppln use internet Regulated by BCA established in 2000

6 Regulatory Texts Bhutan Telecommunications Act 1999 Media and ICT Act (drafted)

7 Definition of Access and Universal Service “A telephone within every walking distance of Two and Half Hours” “Ten Telephone lines in each Geog by the end of 9 th FYP”… interim target

8 BT’s experiments in Universal Access Rural Telephony Project Pilot project on Wi-Fi system Prepaid cards for fixed telephony Internet Access.. Uniform rate

9 ICT (BIPS) Vision “with people at the center of development, Bhutan will harness the benefits of ICT, both as an enabler and as an industry, to realize the Millennium Development Goals and towards enhancing Gross National Happiness”

10 KADINCHE THANK YOU