Find Telecommunication expertise in Brunei Darussalam
- Operators
- Infrastructure and Usage
The telecommunications sector in Brunei Darussalam is fairly well developed by world standards, and has enjoyed a period of significant growth since the late 20th century. Brunei Darussalam achieved initial targets of 100% digitalisation by the end of the 1990s. Since the turn of the century telecommunications infrastructure and services throughout the country have developed to a fairly high standard. The penetration rate of telecommunications, in particular mobile phone penetration, grew remarkably throughout the early 21st century.
The native telecommunications market in Brunei Darussalam is largely dominated by Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru), a public limited company that became fully operational in April 2006 following the corporatisation of the state-owned Jabatan Telekom Brunei (JTB). TelBru provides internet and broadband services, as well as leased lines and data services. Prominent mobile phone providers in the country include DST Communications Sdn Bhd and B-Mobile.
The government of Brunei Darussalam has a heavy involvement in the telecommunications sector in Brunei. The local market has been continually dominated by a single player, firstly JTB and then TelBru. Although there are plans to privatise TelBru, it was still under partial government control in 2013. The corporatisation of JTB in 2006 was a significant step in terms of sector reform, however further steps need to be taken before the sector can be fully liberalised.
The national telecommunications regulatory body is the Authority for Infocommunications Technology Industry (AITI). The AITI is a statutory body responsible for the regulation of all telecommunications and radiocommunications, as well as overseeing the development of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in the country. The Brunei Information Technology Council (BITC) is a separate agency which serves to advise the government on policy matters involving ICT and telecommunications development. The BITC works to assist the country in harnessing ICT to the greatest extent possible in order to allow the nation to thrive.
In 2013 it was announced that a project had been agreed between Singapore and Brunei Darussalam to allow select students from Brunei to carry out work placements with information communication companies in Singapore. The project is known as the Internship Student Programme for ICT-related Education (INSPIRE). The INSPIRE programmes aims to give students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills of ICT, by providing them with hands-on experience and interaction with professionals.
Telecommunications infrastructure throughout Brunei Darussalam is of a fairly high standard and the country ranks well in comparison to developed nations across Asia. The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2013-14 reported relatively high numbers of mobile phone subscriptions in Brunei Darussalam: in 2014 there were 1,101 mobile telephone subscriptions for every 1,000 people in the country. By comparison the numbers of telephone landlines were fairly low, with 114 fixed telephone lines per 1,000 people in the same year. Internet usage in the country is moderate with results for 2013 showing that 60.3% of the population had access to the internet.
Broadband internet subscriptions in the country are moderate by world standards, with 4.8 fixed broadband internet subscriptions and 39.9 mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The international internet bandwidth speed in Brunei Darussalam is also moderate by world standards. In 2013 the average internet speed was 7.6 kbps per internet user, giving the country a rating of 89 out of 148 countries included in the WEF Report (WEF, 2013).
Telecoms and Internet Service Providers organisations in Brunei Darussalam | |
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Mach Telecommunications Systems |
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