Satellite Internet in Bhutan

Satellite Internet Access Service

Bhutan is situated in south Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas and is landlocked. Bordered by Tibet and India, it is a country of stunning and dramatic landscapes and deep culture. Bhutan is the second least populated country after the Maldives with a population of just over 750,000. The Bhutanese economy is based on agriculture, forestry and also hydroelectric power, which is sold to India. Although the economy is one of the world’s smallest, over recent years it has experienced considerable growth. Agriculture is the main occupation for over 55% percent of the population and this mainly consists of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. The landscape of Bhutan features lots of mountains and rugged terrain and it is due to this fact that the rollout of infrastructure such as roads and telecommunications is very difficult and expensive. For this reason, cottage industries are also popular as some regions can be challenging to reach.

Expanding Access to Telecommunications

The mobile market in Bhutan is expanding. The domestic fixed line infrastructure is not well developed and very difficult to expand due to the terrain of the country. There were just over 289,000 Internet users in Bhutan in 2016. That is 36.9% of the population. Therefore, there is still much work to do in order to reach the tricky, more remote areas of the country. Bhutan is a late developer in terms of the Internet and this is mainly due to the landscape. 3G and 4G/LTE is gradually being introduced but it is a very slow process.

Satellite can enable the Bhutanese population to benefit from broadband access today. Satellite connectivity requires no cable, no terrestrial infrastructure at all so it can be very quickly deployed to provide the full range of broadband services. For communities that are very remote and cut off from important services such as healthcare and education, access to a broadband connection can enrich their lives in so many ways. Broadband brings with it a wealth of information, e-health and telemedicine, distance learning, mobile money and financial services as well as resources and advice. It can be a game-changer for individuals and communities.

At BusinessCom Networks, we are dedicated to bringing the digital divide between urban and rural areas of Bhutan, offering a suite of satellite-based services that are tailored for rural areas. For Mobile Network Operators that cannot afford to build expensive cell towers or simply cannot build them across mountainous landscapes, we can offer a cost-effective and scalable solution that enables them to tap into these pockets of rural population that have yet to experience any kind of broadband connectivity. This is achieved through a VSAT terminal that may be deployed anywhere, no matter how remote the area is. Once deployed, a rural mobile solution that offers fast return on investment can instantly grow an MNO’s subscriber base. For the connection of Bhutanese communities, a VSAT networks similarly offers an extremely cost-effective and instant means of offering broadband connectivity. We have the solutions for communities, businesses and government. Discuss your needs with our expert team and we will design, install, and operate the satellite-based solution that perfectly meets your requirements.