Policy: efficiency, transparency, legal and regulatory framework.

Infrastructure: liberalisation, competition, accessibility.

Human Resources: awareness, training, accreditation.

Content and Applications: business, culture, health, education, media, good governance.

Economy: private sector, outsourcing, financing, export.

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

Bhutan aims to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) to work towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and to augment gross national happiness (GNH). The Ministry of Information and Communications was developed in 2003, followed closely by the initiation of an ICT policy process. Informed by Bhutan’s Vision 2020 strategy paper, the development of the Bhutan Information and Communications Technology Policy and Strategies (BIPS) involved multiple stakeholders from government, semi-government, and private sectors. This process resulted in the formation of five committees - policy, human capacity, infrastructure, enterprise, and content and applications - responsible for developing strategies and activities to advance Bhutan’s integration of ICT. The public and private sectors are responsible for the implementation of the policy, and progress will be monitored by recently-established ICT units within each ministry.

The BIPS has three overarching policy objectives:

• the use of ICT for the purposes of good governance;
• the creation of an info-culture in Bhutan;
• the development of a “High-Tech Habitat”.

The guiding principles to achieving these objectives are strong government leadership, convergence of ICT markets and technologies, and a strong public-private partnership.

Below are specific sectoral strategies outlined within this document to achieve the ICT policy objectives:

Policy

Activities in the policy area will concentrate on rendering government more inclusive, transparent, and efficient; implementing a modern regulatory and legal framework; fortifying regulatory and policy bodies; and exploring methods of funding ICT and reducing service costs.

ICT will make government more efficient and inclusive through the establishment of policies on inter-agency information-sharing, ICT security, and free and open source software, the establishment of ICT units in each ministry, the delivery of public services through ICT, and greater online access to government reports and communications. A modern regulatory environment will be introduced by 2007, and will be based upon the introduction, finalisation, and enforcement of legislation relating to access to information and the ICT industry. The existing policy and regulatory bodies will be strengthened to ensure they remain relevant and effective in the new ICT regulatory and policy environment. An investigation into reducing ICT funding and access costs will focus on the development of a National ICT Infrastructure Fund, and an examination of how costs associated with ICT software, hardware and services could be reduced.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure activities centre around two strategies: the implementation of a competitive and liberalised infrastructure market, and the development of an appropriate, sustainable, secure and affordable ICT infrastructure throughout the country. This first strategy will involve licensing of new operators and service providers, establishing incentives for ICT businesses, and creating an infrastructure provider coordination body. The second strategy necessitates the development of a Bhutan-wide backbone infrastructure, a plan for countrywide connectivity, the establishment of a government-wide intranet and telecentres, and the deployment of appropriate technologies.

Human Capacity

Activities in this area aim to ensure awareness of ICT and the development of appropriate ICT skills at all levels to provide a boost to the domestic ICT industry. Strategies to achieve this goal include the prioritisation of ICT skills in recruitment for the public and private sector; the establishment of an ICT “Center of Excellence” through which partnerships with educational and international institutions will be formed and research and development carried out; the expansion of ICT institutes and training opportunities to all regions; the integration of ICT into basic education; and the implementation of a national awareness-raising campaign of the benefits of ICT.

Content and Applications

These activities aim at allowing Bhutan full access to the benefits of ICT with the goal of furthering the country’s development. Strategies include establishing a legal and regulatory framework for e-business, leveraging ICT to preserve Bhutan’s cultural heritage, enhancing the quality and accessibility of online education and health services, extending access to Bhutanese media in real-time, and supporting good governance through such measures as the establishment of data interoperability standards and an online presence for all ministries.

Enterprise

The enterprise policy focuses on increasing the competency level of the ICT private sector, outsourcing government ICT work to provide local business opportunities, facilitating access to finance mechanisms for ICT-oriented businesses, exploring the potential for the export of ICT services, and promoting the integration of ICT applications into non-ICT businesses.

Title: Bhutan Information and Communications Technology Policy and Strategies (BIPS)
Year: 2004
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Relevant Links:

• Ministry of Information and Communications (BIPS)
• Bhutan Department of Information Technology website (BIPS)
• UNESCO Bangkok - ICT in Education - Bhutan
• Asia-Pacific Development Information Program - ICT Profile: Bhutan
• UNDP Bhutan
• Digital Review of Asia-Pacific 2005/6 - Bhutan