The Bhutanese Leading the way.
As digital connectivity becomes the backbone of Bhutan’s economy, a growing gap has emerged between user expectations and the reality of internet performance.
Recent data from the Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA) reveals that while mobile speeds show promise, the country’s fixed-line infrastructure is currently struggling to meet even modest domestic standards, with a long road ahead before global benchmarks are reached.
The mobile and fixed-line divide
According to BICMA’s regular monitoring using File Transfer Protocol (FTP), mobile users experience a significant difference between the two primary telcos.
Bhutan Telecom (BT) currently leads the 4G market with an average download speed of 33.55 Mbps, while TashiCell trails at 21.99 Mbps.
However, the situation for fixed leased lines (the home and office WiFi that many rely on) paints a more complicated picture.
Speed tests conducted by BICMA show that many customers are barely receiving the speeds they pay for. For instance, one BT customer subscribed to a 5 Mbps plan recorded a result of 4.34 Mbps, while a TashiCell customer on a 3 Mbps plan received only 2.94 Mbps.
A few weeks ago, individuals from the general public claimed that the internet speeds were terribly slow, affecting crucial everyday services such as mobile banking, government services and even streaming social media.
Independent speed tests from sites such as fast.com, Ookla and Google Fiber showed that download speeds for BT and TashiCell networks fell down to 3.2 Mbps, which is considered very slow.
This was tested on 14th April 2026 when The Bhutanese received messages from the public. As of 8th May 2026, the speed has climbed back to the 25-30 Mbps rate.
The smaller players
While BT and TashiCell dominate the market, Bhutan is home to several smaller Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Their performance varies wildly:
Some providers, like SuperNet InfoComm, showed results as high as 28.6 Mbps for a 15 Mbps plan, while DataNet Wifi hit 23.8 Mbps on a 30 Mbps plan.
Other niche providers like KT Internet Service and TeraNet saw results frequently dipping below the 4 Mbps mark.
Providers like Netvision Infocomm and Nilo FiberNet generally hovered around the 5 to 6 Mbps range, aligning closely with their advertised speeds.
The 5 Mbps definition: A global outlier
One of the most pressing questions is the official definition of “broadband.” While global standards have shifted toward 100 Mbps.
BICMA has set the entry-level broadband threshold at just 5 Mbps. BICMA justifies this lower bar as a directive from the Government Technology Agency (GovTech).
The challenge is that even this 5 Mbps target is proving difficult to achieve. BICMA records show that only 40 percent of the total lease line connections in the country currently meet this minimum speed.
Congestion and the grace period
Many users in urban hubs like Thimphu have complained of “throttling” or severe slowdowns during peak hours.
BICMA maintains that it monitors the Quality of Service (QoS) at regular intervals and instructs providers to “optimize” their networks when they fall below regulatory thresholds.
However, frustrated users should not expect immediate legal action against underperforming ISPs. BICMA confirmed it has not imposed any penalties for failing to meet the 5 Mbps requirement.
The authority explained that they are in a “transition phase,” and providers have been granted a network upgradation timeline until the end of 2026 to bring their systems up to standard.
As Bhutan looks toward its digital future, the next two years will be critical. For now, the majority of the country remains in a waiting game, hoping that by 2027, the broadband experience finally matches the government’s promises.
Ministry’s response
During the 27th Meet-the-Press session, MoICE Minister said that QoS is influenced by factors including network congestion during peak usage periods, international and domestic bandwidth capacity, backbone and last-mile connectivity constraints, terrain-related challenges, weather conditions, as well as routine maintenance and technical faults.
Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said that BICMA continues to closely monitor the performance of telecom operators and remains in regular engagement with service providers to ensure timely improvements in network quality and overall user experience.
“While no major widespread disruption has been formally reported recently, operators have been advised to remain responsive to service concerns and strengthen network reliability, particularly during periods of high demand,” he added.
The paper will be following up with the telecom companies about information on network speeds.
