The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Good Governance Committee (GGC) has called on the National Assembly to take urgent and coordinated action to address the persistently weak and unreliable mobile network services affecting Bhutan’s highland and remote communities. The appeal follows a detailed investigation carried out after concerns were raised in Parliament about the severe digital inequality faced by highland residents, especially during important economic activities such as cordyceps collection.
During its assessment, the Committee visited high-altitude regions including Soe, Lingzhi, Chokhor and selected gewogs in Chukha, and held discussions with telecom operators, BICMA, and local leaders. The Committee stated that despite efforts by Bhutan Telecom and TashiCell to upgrade and expand services, many highland areas continue to experience chronic call drops, unstable signals, limited 4G coverage, lack of 5G readiness and frequent service disruptions due to harsh weather, solar power limitations and weak backhaul capacity. Some regions like Laya, Lunana, Merak and Sakteng have seen improvements through additional towers and solar-powered systems, but the Committee confirmed that major gaps still remain, affecting education, public services, administration, emergency safety and tourism.
The Committee also reiterated that Bhutan Telecom still has more than 250 areas without any network coverage, and that TashiCell’s 5G expansion remains focused in urban centers, deepening the digital divide between urban and rural Bhutan. Difficult terrain, low population density and high infrastructure costs continue to make these areas commercially non-viable for telecom companies, creating a market failure that requires direct government intervention. Slow and complicated land and right-of-way approval processes were also found to be a major barrier to network expansion.
To address these issues, the Committee urged the National Assembly to consider a series of strong reforms and investments. It recommended prioritizing highland and remote connectivity in the national digital infrastructure plans and developing a National Connectivity Priority Map to identify the most underserved communities. It called for greater use of government subsidies and the Universal Service Obligation fund to support telecom expansion in hard-to-reach areas. The Committee also highlighted the need for durable, weather-resilient technologies, expanded fiber and satellite links to essential public institutions, and dedicated maintenance budgets for highland infrastructure.
The Ministry of Industry Commerce and Employment Minister, Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said, “The government is working, spending money, installing network towers in the remote places from day one and still we are into it.”
In addition, the Committee requested the creation of a fast-track approval system through better coordination among BICMA, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment and local governments. A single-window clearance mechanism was proposed to reduce delays in building telecom towers and laying transmission routes. To ensure people can meaningfully access improved services, the Committee also recommended launching programs to promote affordable 5G-compatible devices for rural and low-income households and ensuring that data tariff reductions are introduced only alongside network capacity upgrades to avoid congestion. Regular monitoring and public reporting of network performance by BICMA were also emphasized.
The National Assembly endorsed the Committee’s recommendations and directed all relevant agencies to implement them systematically and in coordination with local governments, telecom operators and disaster management teams. The House further instructed the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment to review all remote areas lacking reliable connectivity and to present a detailed report during the next Winter Session. The possibility of turning highland connectivity improvements into a national Flagship project will also be explored.
The Committee stressed that reliable mobile networks are essential for safety, economic participation and equitable development. It warned that the digital divide in Bhutan’s highlands threatens to leave remote communities behind and urged Parliament to take decisive action to ensure that every citizen, regardless of location, receives dependable access to communication services.
