UN, India And Bhutan Team To Bridge Digital Divide

Two United Nations‘ agencies – the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) – are teaming with India to help boost the delivery of postal services to citizens in the least accessible parts of India’s neighbor Bhutan with a package of equipment, satellite capacity and training worth US$450,000. The resulting satellite-based “e-post” service will allow people without computers in remote areas to send e-mail between post offices for printing and delivery.

India will help Bhutan by providing connectivity to six remote post offices that are not connected to the national fixed telecommunication network. To support the provision of voice and low- to medium-speed data services to those post offices, India will provide six VSAT terminals in remote areas with a hub in Thimpu, solar energy sources, access/transponder capacity on the INSAT system for the duration of the project, as well as training and maintenance.