The Department of Information and Technology, DIT, is skeptical about meeting the deadline for connecting all the 205 Gewogs with fibre optic cables. The deadline is December 2012 as per the decision of the cabinet.
Under the National Broadband Network Project, 20 Dzongkhags and 60 Gewogs have been connected with fibre cables so far. The Director of DIT, Phuntsho Tobgay, said they may not be able to meet the deadline.“We had insufficient cables and we have to increase the number of fibre cables. Moreover, the allocated budget is not sufficient and we had to ask for additional budget,” he said. Lack of planning and proper policies was also some of the challenges, according to the Director. “We are working on framing a national broadband policy.”
Budget shortage was another problem. The Ministry of Information and Communications has asked for an additional Nu. 57million from the Gross National Happiness Commission.The initial budget for the project was Nu.600 million.
The Director said once all the Gewogs are connected with the fibre optic cables, the services will be much faster with better quality. Business opportunities will also open up. “It is not just about the speed and quality of the internet. Once connected, it will generate a lot of business opportunities like internet and telecommunications, television, radio and any form of technology which can ride through the cable.”
The fibre optic cables are connected using the network of Bhutan Power Corporation. The project is carried out along with the rural electrification works.
By June this year, 131 Gewogs will be connected while another 70 Gewogs will be connected by June 2013. The National Broadband Network Project is funded by the Government of India.
