Communications in Bhutan

Telephones - main lines in use in Bhutan: 25,200 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 23,000 subscribers to a new network set up late 2003

Telephone system:
- domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with few telephones in use
- international: international telephone and telegraph service is by landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) Satellite radio services carrying major foreign stations (BBC, CNN etc) are accessible.
Radios: 37,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1999). Cable TV is readily and cheaply available in the larger centres, carrying the Indian HBO, Zee and Star networks. The Bhutan Broadcasting Service first commenced television transmissions in June 1999, one of the last countries in the world to do so.
Televisions: 11,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): Bhutan's main and only ISP is Druknet, owned by Bhutan Telecom. It provides a dial-up service, at a reasonable cost. Despite the ISP's excellent anti-virus software, subscribers are frequently targets for virus attacks from outside the country. Most government offices have Internet access but its use by public servants is restricted to an hour or two a day. There are Internet cafes in most large towns.
Country codes: Bhutan +975 Phuentsholing (0)1 Thimphu (0)2 Bumthang (0)3 Paro (0)8

This article was originally adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000.

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Communications in Asia

¹ Has some territory in Europe.

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