Now more people can avail themselves of the internet leased line at their homes and offices for reliable and uninterrupted internet services. This is because the monthly charge for the internet leased line has decreased to more than half of its original cost. A leased line is a dedicated permanent connection to the internet which is available 24/7 for a flat monthly fee.
If you have subscribed to an internet speed of two Mbps by using Bhutan Telecom’s internet leased line, you will now have to pay Nu 1,100. The monthly cost before the reduction was about Nu 2,500.
Similarly, TashiCell has also brought down the cost from Nu 2,700 to Nu 1,350. Two Mbps is the minimum internet speed both the telecom operators provide.
“If you look at the leased line tariff, I think within the stage of five years, we have brought down from Nu 4,500 per Mbps to Nu 1,286 and now to Nu 550. So, over a year of five years, I think we have brought down the rate so low that everybody can afford the services. And if you look at the growth of leased lines from 2017, I think for a leased line, the growth is 70 per cent plus,” said Jigme Thinley, marketing GM of Bhutan Telecom.
The Ministry of Information and Communications expects that with the reduction of leased line rates, people will subscribe to this service and reduce the congestion on the mobile network.
The initiative is also expected to enable people to enjoy better internet services, and thus better online public services resulting in renewed economic growth through online businesses including overall efficiency gains.
The internet cost was reduced for government agencies a few months ago. And according to the Department of IT and Telecom, while doing so, the government was able to save more than Nu 13 M monthly.
The Ministry of Information and Communications is also working towards making mobile data plan more affordable.
Currently, there are more than 5,000 leased line users subscribed to eight Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the country.
Samten Dolkar
Edited by Sonam Pem
