Telecommunications in Bhutan

Template:Short description Telecommunications in Bhutan includes telephones, radio, television, and the Internet.

Telephones

• Main lines: 18,000 lines in use, 174th in the world (2023 est.).<ref name=":0">Template:Citation</ref>
• Mobile cellular: 752,000 lines, 169th in the world (2023 est.).<ref name=":0" />
• Telephone system:
  • general assessment: Urban towns and district headquarters have telecommunications services (2012);<ref name="WFB-2013-Bhutan">"Communications", Bhutan, World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 5 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013.</ref>
  • domestic: very low tele-density, domestic service is poor especially in rural areas, mobile cellular service available since 2003 is now widely available (2012);<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
  • international: international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India (2012);<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
  • satellite earth station: 1 Intelsat (2012).<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• Country codes: Bhutan +975,<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/> 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).<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• Five private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012).<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• Radios: 37,000 (1997).
• The Bhutan Broadcasting Service first commenced television transmissions in June 1999, upon legalizing television,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> one of the last countries in the world to do so.<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• Cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels (2012).<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• Televisions: 11,000 (1999).Template:Citation needed

Internet

• Top level domain: .bt<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• Internet hosts: 14,590 hosts, 126th in the world (2012).<ref name=WFB-2013-Bhutan/>
• IPv4: 23,552 addresses allocated, 32.9 per 1000 people (2012).<ref>Select Formats Template:Webarchive, Country IP Blocks. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Site is said to be updated daily.</ref><ref>Population, The World Factbook, United States Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on 2 April 2012. Note: Data are mostly for 1 July 2012.</ref>
• Internet users: 88% of the population (2023 est.).<ref name=":0" />
• Fixed broadband: 10,000 (2023 est.), 183th in the world<ref name=":0" />
• Mobile broadband: 17,851 subscriptions, 133rd in the world; 2.5% of population, 122nd in the world (2012).<ref name="NIUCalc">Calculated using penetration rate and population data from "Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2012" Template:Webarchive, Population data, International Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved 26 June 2013</ref><ref name="MobleBroadbandITUDynamic2012">"Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012" Template:Webarchive, Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>
• 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.

External links

• nic.bt, Bhutan Network Information Center.
• www.bbs.bt, Bhutan Broadcasting Service.
• Wireless Voice/Data Communication in Remote Bhutan