ICT in Bhutan

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ICT in Bhutan

• Challenges and Opportunities

Christopher Faris ICTD Focal Point, UNDP Bhutan
Presented at APDIP POWII Workshop Kuala Lumpur,
12-14 February 2004
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ICT in Bhutan Presentation Structure

• Bhutan Background
• New Ministry - Policy Challenges
• Digital Opportunity Initiative and Bhutan ICT
  Policy and Strategies
• Free and Open Source Software
• Obstacles into Opportunities
• Future directions Bhutan and APDIP
• A half-baked idea

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Bhutan Brief Background

• Gross National Happiness, not Gross National
  Product
• Small (700,000 people)
• Mountainous up to 7500m steep terrain
• Dispersed rural population
• Not rich (LDC, LLC)
• Embryonic ICT sector

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Where does new Ministry sit in Government?
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ICT Policy Process Digital Opportunity
Initiative
2 previous attempts, but no national ownership or
political will

• Five concurrent Committees
• Cross-cutting membership overseen by Council of
  Secretarys
• But
• Donors? Resource mobilisation?
• Participatory?
• Sector plans eg health?

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FOSS, WTO and culture - no laughing matter
Language cultural heritage national
sovereignty
MS Office/XP 250 143 days salary
(Bhutan) 2.5 days salary (US)
Option 2 Pentium I (donated) 0 Open Office
CD 1 1 ( installation)
Option 1 Pentium IV 1200 MS
Office/XP 250 1450
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Obstacles into opportunities
??? Wireless? ??? FOSS? ??? SME
development? ??? (Indian joint ventures?)
1. Mountainous, dispersed population living in
hamlets 2. Cost of software relative to
income 3. Small ICT sector
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Future Directions Bhutan and APDIP

• Commenced - FOSS IDRC / NUCES PAN
  localisation
• - A2I initiative DGTTF3 portal, access
  points, services
• APDIP - SMEs - Appropriate industry development
• - Wireless possible solution for rural areas?
• UNDP Bhutan - ICT and Crisis Prevention /
  Recovery
• - ICT4D Donor Co-ordination meeting soon!
• RGOB - E-government strategy
• - Private sector development (outsourcing)
• - Preservation of cultural heritage
• - Awareness-raising AV material, Korean IT
  Ambassadors?

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Finally, a half-baked idea
Open source model of knowledge management?
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Thank you Tashi Delek