What’s wrong with our internet quality?

Imagine this scenario. You are about to pay your bills, using one of the banking apps, and the app refuses to load. You tap, refresh, and punch in the details again. Yet, it refuses to load again. This is a normal scene these day—a common experience faced by Bhutanese. Thanks to the constant fluctuation of internet service in the country.

As these simple tasks turn into frustrating everyday challenges, it is little wonder that social media pages of the telecom companies are flooded with complaints. In fact, these complaints, if turned into a book—a compendium of grievances— can easily run into a few volumes. In a nutshell, that’s the sort of daily frustrations users across the country go through almost everyday.

In 2024 alone, the two telecom companies recorded around 6,300 complaints related to network services, averaging 700 complaints each month. Users from various regions, including Thimphu and Trashigang, complained about slow speed and unreliable connections.

Bhutan Information, Communication, and Media Authority (BICMA) is aware of these complaints. It says that the problem stems from various factors—network congestion, infrastructure limitations, and the country’s challenging mountainous terrain. As the demand for connectivity increases, network issues are becoming more pronounced.

Despite the introduction of Druk Speed App by BICMA to monitor internet quality, the app has seen limited engagement. Although the app has seen 174,184 downloads from the Play Store and 821 from the App Store, not a single complaint has been lodged using the app. This raises serious questions about its effectiveness, and if at all the app serves its purpose. Another wasteful government expenditure?

Digital transformation is a key pillar of Bhutan’s development strategy.  For that, we need robust internet services to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. As long as the quality of connectivity is subpar, the potential for digital growth will remain a distant dream. For businesses relying on digital platforms, the inability to access online services hampers productivity and growth.

In Bhutan, we are faced with the paradox of high internet costs and poor quality service. And for that the two telecom companies, that enjoy duopoly in the market, must be held accountable for the service they provide. High prices for internet access should correlate with high-quality service. Yet this is not the case.

As a regulatory authority, BICMA has a crucial role in this equation. It must take decisive action to ensure that telecom companies meet their service obligations.

BICMA should implement stricter regulatory measures that hold operators accountable for service quality. Regular audits and assessments of service performance, along with penalties for non-compliance, will incentivise telecom companies to prioritise infrastructure and customer service.

Initiatives such as expanding mobile tower networks, particularly in rural areas, are critical. The geographical challenges of Bhutan require innovative solutions to enhance network coverage. The ongoing Rural Communication Projects aim to address some of these issues, but progress must be accelerated to meet the growing demand.

Further, public engagement is vital for improving service quality. BICMA should invest in awareness campaigns to encourage users to report issues through the Druk Speed App and other channels. Feedback is essential for understanding where problems exist and for developing targeted solutions.

The poor quality of internet service poses major barriers to digital innovation. In fact the future of digital transformation depends on it. It is time for the telecom companies to pull up their socks!