The Druk-Net division of the Bhutan Telecom Limited (BTL) has decided to continue its email service (druknet.bt) for the time being as majority users are against its plan of abandoning it.
Earlier the tour operators in the country raised concerns through this paper and through emails to other tour operators asking the Druk- Net division to reconsider its decision of stopping the email services.
The objective behind starting the service was to provide internet users in Bhutan with free email service while promoting the brand.
The general manager of Druk-Net division, Tshering Norbu said, “Operating and managing free email service under druknet.bt domain has been our constant challenge-from maintaining the service uptime to addressing the cyber security issues despite the direct resources we have to invest in and the operating expenses we incur.”
He talked about the constant struggle they have to face in providing the service. He also added there is a need to focus on the growth and sustainability of their core businesses to serve their valuable customers.
“The cost is significant and is hard to give precise cost as resources are shared with other hosted email service based on annual fee,” he added.
He recommended better email options that are available from the likes of global players like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc., who can afford to provide free email service with enhanced capabilities and good reliability.
On the other hand, Karma Tashi from Bhutan Traveler said that they do not trust such emailing addresses. He added that it was good for his business to use the druknet email domain as his clients trust the emails received from Bhutan’s Internet Service Provider (ISP). Karma Tashi pointed out that other email IDs are not trustworthy as they are given free globally to anyone. “The service has been available and in existence for ten years,” Karma said. “If the Druk-Net email service is abandoned, the tour operators would be affected the most as large numbers of the service-users are the tour operators across the country, whereby their clients possess Druk-Net ID either through the emails, company’s visiting cards, leaflets, brochures, listing in guide books both print, and online or as information and review sites, travel portals, web directories, and social media platforms,” he added.
Since the inception of the service in 1999, there are close to 1,700 Druk-Net email users using the free service.
Thukten Zangpo