Brunei  Darussalam  National  Broadband  Policy       Introduction   Broadband  is  a  term  used  to  describe  services  that  provide  a  high-­‐speed  connection  to  the  Internet  and  to   other   information   services.   As   the   importance   of   broadband   is   in   the   applications   and   services   that   it   enables,   broadband   is   not   defined   in   terms   of   a   minimum   bandwidth.   Rather,   the   definition   focuses   on   the  two  core  concepts  of  broadband,  namely:     •   an  always-­‐on  service  that  does  not  need  to  make  a  new  connection  to  a  server  each  time  a  user   wants  to  go  online;  and   •   high-­‐capacity  that  can  carry  huge  amount  of  voice,  video  and  data  per  second.   The  importance  of  broadband  to  economic  development  and  to  the  social  interactions  of  citizens  is  widely   recognised.  Broadband  and  broadband-­‐enabled  services  have  the  potential  to  transform  the  economy  of   Brunei   Darussalam   and   are   already   starting   to   do   so.   This   fact   is   at   the   heart   of   the   Ministry   of   Communications   Strategic   Plan   2008   –   2017   and   its   vision   of   a   smart   society   that   is   dynamic,   creative,   innovative   and   intelligent.   Broadband   is   also   a   key   component   of   Wawasan   Brunei   2035   and   the   realisation   of   the   Government   vision   for   Brunei   Darussalam   to   be   recognised   by   2035   for   the   accomplishments  of  its  people,  its  quality  of  life,  and  its  dynamic,  sustainable  economy.  Access  to  better   broadband  services  will  provide  many  benefits  for  all  citizens  of  Brunei  Darussalam,  including  enhanced   access   to   education,   healthcare   and   other   public   services.   Broadband   will   also   promote   greater   transparency,   responsiveness   and   accountability   as   well   as   cost-­‐effective   options   for   delivery   of   various   government   and   commercial   services.   It   will   also   further   improve   Brunei   Darussalam’s   profile   as   a   digitally-­‐enabled  economy,  improve  its  international  competitiveness  and  encourage  foreign  investment.     Figure 1: Brunei Darussalam’s Key Broadband Indicators 2011 2012 56.0% 60.3% 8% Fixed (wired) broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 5.7 4.8 16% Active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 6.3 7.6 21% 21,995 39,861 81% n/a 12.1% n/a 83.2% 86.9% 4% Percentage of households with internet access 69% 72.4% 5% Percentage of primary schools with internet access 100% 100% – Percentage of secondary schools with internet access 100% 100% – Percentage of individuals using the internet International internet bandwidth (bits/second) per internet users Digital natives as a share of total population Percentage of households with computer Change   Source : ITU, Measuring the Information Society (2013) Brunei   Darussalam   has   envisaged   broadband   as   a   necessary   utility   service   comparable   to   that   of   electricity   or   water.   Consequently,   Brunei   Darussalam   already   has   a   solid   foundation   for   the   broadband   era  (see  Figure  1).     On  15  July  2012,  the  Government  of  His  Majesty  the  Sultan  and  Yang  Di-­‐Pertuan  of  Brunei  Darussalam  has   consented   to   a   budget   of   BND  230   million   to   implement   a   nationwide   broadband   initiative.   In   line   with   the  Brunei  Darussalam  Government  vision,  Telekom  Brunei  Berhad  (TelBru),  has  under  its  own  initiative,   commenced   a   phased   construction   of   a   fibre-­‐to-­‐the-­‐home   (FTTH)   broadband   network.   Today   that   deployment   has   the   potential   of   connecting   over   41  000   homes   in   Madang,   Gadong   and   Bandar   Seri   Begawan.    As  of  January  2014,  15  000  subscribers  were  connected  to  the  FTTH  network  and  enjoying  high   speed  broadband  access.         1