Telecommunications in Bhutan

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

Telephones

See also: Telephone numbers in Bhutan

• Main lines: 18,000 lines in use, 174th in the world (2023 est.)^[1].
• Mobile cellular: 752,000 lines, 169th in the world (2023 est.).^[1]
• Telephone system:
  • general assessment: Urban towns and district headquarters have telecommunications services (2012);^[2]
  • domestic: very low tele-density, domestic service is poor especially in rural areas, mobile cellular service available since 2003 is now widely available (2012);^[2]
  • international: international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India (2012);^[2]
  • satellite earth station: 1 Intelsat (2012).^[2]
• Country codes: Bhutan +975,^[2] 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).^[2]
• Five private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012).^[2]
• Radios: 37,000 (1997).
• The Bhutan Broadcasting Service first commenced television transmissions in June 1999, upon legalizing television,^[3] one of the last countries in the world to do so.^[2]
• Cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels (2012).^[2]
• Televisions: 11,000 (1999).^{[citation needed]}

Internet

• Top level domain: .bt^[2]
• Internet hosts: 14,590 hosts, 126th in the world (2012).^[2]
• IPv4: 23,552 addresses allocated, 32.9 per 1000 people (2012).^[4][5]
• Internet users: 88% of the population (2023 est.).^[1]
• Fixed broadband: 10,000 (2023 est.), 183th in the world^[1]
• Mobile broadband: 17,851 subscriptions, 133rd in the world; 2.5% of population, 122nd in the world (2012).^[6][7]
• 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.