Bhutan Communications 2022, CIA World Factbook

total subscriptions: 22,987 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 745,137 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 97 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: the small land-locked Kingdom of Bhutan has only recently emerged from decades of isolation from the modern world; that, and its mountainous terrain, left the country far back in the field in terms of teledensity as well as access to the Internet; over the last decade, the country has undergone a significant transformation due to the opening of its borders, liberalization of its telecom sector, and the active support from the government towards increased competition in the mobile, broadband, and ISP segments; the relatively widespread availability of the mobile platform has caused an explosion in mobile broadband subscriber numbers, growing from zero to over 100% penetration in just ten years (between 2010 and 2019).; the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 caused the subscription rates to drop back a little; growth is projected to return in 2022 (along with the broader mobile market) as the overall economy recovers; the government opens up more to foreign investment, trade, and tourism; and network expansion continues – the recent (December 2021) launch of 5G services by both of the country’s mobile operators being particularly noteworthy (2022)

domestic: approximately 3 to 100 fixed-line and 97 to 100 mobile cellular; domestic service inadequate, notably in rural areas (2020)

international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Broadcast media

state-owned TV station established in 1999; cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels; first radio station, privately launched in 1973, is now state-owned; 5 private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012)

Internet country code

.bt

Internet users

total: 416,671 (2020 est.)

percent of population: 54% (2020 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 3,189 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.4 (2020 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Bhutan on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bhutan 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bhutan 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.