Telecommunications in Bhutan

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Telecommunications in Bhutan includes telephones, radio, television, and the Internet.

Telephones[]

See also: Telephone numbers in Bhutan
  • Main lines: 27,900 lines in use, 179th in the world (2012).[1]
  • Mobile cellular: 560,000 lines, 165th in the world (2012).[1]
  • Telephone system:
    • general assessment: Urban towns and district headquarters have telecommunications services (2012);[1]
    • domestic: very low tele-density, domestic service is poor especially in rural areas, mobile cellular service available since 2003 is now widely available (2012);[1]
    • international: international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India (2012);[1]
    • satellite earth station: 1 Intelsat (2012).[1]
  • Country codes: Bhutan +975,[1] Phuentsholing (0)1, Thimphu (0)2, Bumthang (0)3, Paro (0)8.

Radio and television[]

  • First radio station, Radio NYAB, privately launched in 1973, is now state-owned (2012).[1]
  • Five private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012).[1]
  • Radios: 37,000 (1997).
  • The Bhutan Broadcasting Service first commenced television transmissions in June 1999, upon legalizing television,[2] one of the last countries in the world to do so.[1]
  • Cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels (2012).[1]
  • Televisions: 11,000 (1999).[citation needed]

Internet[]

  • Top level domain: .bt[1]
  • Internet hosts: 14,590 hosts, 126th in the world (2012).[1]
  • IPv4: 23,552 addresses allocated, 32.9 per 1000 people (2012).[3][4]
  • Internet users: 182,338 users, 155th in the world; 25.4% of the population, 137th in the world (2012).[5][6]
  • Fixed broadband: 16,015 subscriptions, 135th in the world; 2.2% of population, 124th in the world (2012).[6][7]
  • Mobile broadband: 17,851 subscriptions, 133rd in the world; 2.5% of population, 122nd in the world (2012).[6][8]
  • Internet Service Providers: Bhutan's main and only ISP is Druknet, owned by Bhutan Telecom. It provides a dial-up service, at a reasonable cost.
  • Internet cafes: Located in most large towns.

See also[]

  • Censorship on the Internet
  • Radio Waves, a radio station in located in Thimphu, Bhutan. Formed in December 2010, it is currently run by Kelzang Thinley and broadcasts in Dzongkha and English.

References[]

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Communications", Bhutan, World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 5 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  2. ^ https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bhutan/
  3. ^ Select Formats Archived 13 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.
  4. ^ Population, The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012", International Telecommunications Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Calculated using penetration rate and population data from "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012" Archived 29 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013
  7. ^ "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012", Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012", Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.

External links[]

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