TashiCell connects final dots, services go nationwide

TashiCell on August 15 went full circle to achieve nationwide coverage as 960 mobile subscribers in Lhuentse connected to its network.

Five year old TashiCell, Bhutan’s first and only private cellular service provider has now upped its customer base to 133,000 registered and active users.

The nationwide connection was achieved after establishment of a highly complex core network in the capital such as construction of international and domestic transmission network over optical fiber and 190 transmission stations spread across the country.

TashiCell chairman Wangchuk Dorji said the company has achieved 85% of its total target in terms of coverage and various value-added services such as 3G services are in the pipeline. The company’s 3G service will be made available by the second quarter of next year in major towns and core areas with a speed of 24mbps.

TashiCell’s executive director Tashi Tshering said “the main aim is to connect everyone and it will also be convenient for Bhutanese travelers along the border areas”.

Remote places like Lunana, Merak and Sakteng among other chiwogs are yet to be connected.

Tashi Tshering said “the main aim is to connect everyone and it will also be convenient for Bhutanese travelers along the border areas”.

The executive director said one of the unique aspects of TashiCell unlike other private companies is the company’s human resource management. Currently there are 217 regular trained employees of which almost 99% are under the age of 25, majority of them fresh graduates. He also said the employees are entitled to various benefits such as gratuity and Provident Fund (PF) among others.

“Our jobs are even ‘better’ than the ones in civil services,” he added.

TashiCell now has customer care centers in 11 locations, 85 distributors and 2,432 outlets across the country.

With Nu 777mn, Tashi Infocomm Limited was launched on April 6, 2008 as the first and only private cellular mobile network in Bhutan. Initially it started its services only in the western region, in a span of four years, TashiCell’s services are now available not only in Dzongkhag headquarters but almost in all of the satellite towns, Gewogs and Chiwogs.