December 25: Government offices and agencies in Thimphu will be able to share information and download documents easily with the launch of the Wide Area Network (WAN) in the capital yesterday morning. It was inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Mr Sudhir Vyas.

The network can also be used for video conferencing. The network will provide faster access to government websites without having to go through the internet.

It links the various government ministries and departments through an optical fiber network. The network will also enable user agencies to share resources, data files, customized operating systems, and software updates at high speed.

Video streaming will also be possible using the network. It means BBS TV can also be viewed on computers that are in the WAN.

The Director of the Department of Information Technology Tenzin Chhoeda said DIT has established local area networks in 20 dzongkhag with funding from Government of India.

However they will not be able to fully enjoy the benefits of the data speed in Thimphu as the speed of connecting to the Thimphu Gateway will be dependent on the internal link from the Dzongkhags to Thimphu.

Karma Wangdi the project manager said the network will increase the efficiency of the government organizations and cut down government expenditure. The Thimphu WAN was set up with financial assistance of Nu 43 million from the government of India.

The inauguration of the government intranet was attended by senior government officials including the Minister of Information and Communications Lyonpo Leki Dorji.