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[[File:Kuala Belait Highway 15 July 2023 05.jpg|thumb|A [[Radio masts and towers|telecommunication tower]] in [[Belait District]].]]
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This article covers [[telecommunication]] in [[Brunei]].


==Telecommunications==
==Telecommunications==


===Telephone===
===Telephone===
Telephone service throughout the country is good; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US<ref name=":0" />
Telephone service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Brunei |date=2024-01-17 |work=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/brunei/ |access-date=2024-01-20 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref>

* Main lines in use: 122,204 (2022)<ref name=":0" />
* [[Mobile phones]]: 603,486 (2021)<ref name=":0" />

Landing points for the SEA-ME-WE-3, SJC, AAG, Lubuan-Brunei Submarine Cable via optical telecommunications submarine cables that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2019)<ref name=":0" />


IDD Country Code: +673
* Main lines in use: 74,213 (2016) <ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bx.html|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|language=en|access-date=2017-10-05}}</ref>
* [[Mobile phones]]: 523,453 (2018) <ref name=":0" />


=== Mobile Telephone===
Landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable network provides new links to Asia and the US; the South-East Asia Japan Cable System linking Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2017) <ref name=":0" />
Brunei has 3 major telco namely DST, Imagine (TelBru) and Progresif which offers prepaid and postpaid plan. UNN is the Single Wholesale Network with holds all the telecommunication infrastructures in Brunei.


==Internet==
==Internet==
*[[Internet service provider]]s: 2 (2017), [[Telekom Brunei|Telbru]] and Go!Broadband of DSTCom
*[[Internet service provider]]s: 3 (2020), [[Telekom Brunei|Telbru]], Progresif Cellular and DSTCom
* [[Country code]]: [[.bn]]<ref name="worldfactbook">{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/brunei/ |access-date=2020-06-14 |website=www.cia.gov |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Country code]]: [[.bn]]
*Internet hosts: 14,950 (2008)
*Internet fixed subscriptions: 49,452 (2020)
*Internet users: 306,000 (2017) <ref name=":0" />
*Internet users: 410,800 (2019)<ref name="worldfactbook" />


===Broadband===
===Broadband===
[[Brunei]]'s Internet service is monopolized by Telekom Brunei. ADSL speeds were ranging from 512 kbit/s to the maximum speed of 1 Mbit/s through [[ADSL2+]] broadband. 1 Mbit/s was introduced in 2006 and priced at BND$128 per month (Equivalent to Singapore currency). It is known that the Brunei's broadband ranging from 512 kbit/s to 1 Mbit/s is one of the most expensive in the world. The limited market in Brunei means that new developments in the telecommunications sector is stagnant. Currently only about 110,000 users out of a population of 380,000 have any connection to the Internet.
[[Brunei]]'s Internet service was monopolized by Telekom Brunei. ADSL speeds were ranging from 512&nbsp;kbit/s to the maximum speed of 1&nbsp;Mbit/s through [[ADSL2+]] broadband. 1&nbsp;Mbit/s was introduced in 2006 and was priced at BND$128 per month (Equivalent to Singapore currency). It was well known that the Brunei's broadband ranging from 512&nbsp;kbit/s to 1&nbsp;Mbit/s is one of the most expensive in the world. The limited market in Brunei means that new developments in the telecommunications sector is stagnant.


In 2002, Telekom Brunei was incorporated become Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru). In 2008, the internet were improved with dramatically with speeds ranging from 1Mbit/s to maximum speed of 5Mbit/s. Price starting from B$65 to B$105 per month respectively.
In 2002, Telekom Brunei was incorporated become Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru). In 2008, the internet were improved with dramatically with speeds ranging from 1&nbsp;Mbit/s to maximum speed of 5&nbsp;Mbit/s. Price starting from B$65 to B$105 per month respectively.
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In 2012, Telekom Brunei started deploying its [[FTTH]] network capable of 100Mbit/s through a contract awarded to [[Huawei]]. It aims to provide FTTH coverage to around 85% of the population by 2017.
In 2012, Telekom Brunei started deploying its [[FTTH]] network capable of 100&nbsp;Mbit/s through a contract awarded to [[Huawei]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Brunei FTTH network built by Huawei |url=https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2010/10/26/brunei-ftth-network-built-by-huawei/ |website=www.commsupdate.com |access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="oxfordbusinessgroupanalysis">{{cite web |title=The recent launch of 4G services and a new fibre-to-the-home initiative are set to provide better access to higher-speed internet |url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/recent-launch-4g-services-and-new-fibre-home-initiative-are-set-provide-better-access-higher-speed |website=Oxford Business Group |access-date=14 June 2020 |language=en |date=30 November 2014}}</ref> They aimed to provide FTTH coverage to around 85% of the population by 2017.<ref name="oxfordbusinessgroupanalysis" />

In 2016 Telbru drastically reduced the price and increased the speeds of its broadband plans. Due to the fact that a significant number of people were now connected via FTTH and not via the old copper cables.<ref name=":1" />


In 2016 Telbru drastically reduced the price and increased the speeds of its broadband plans. Due to the fact that a significant number of people were now connected via FTTH and not the old copper cables.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Telbru new internet plans.png|none|thumb|179x179px]]


On 1 March 2018 Telbru rolled out their new 'high speed' broadband plans<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/telbru-introduces-new-broadband-plans/|title=TelBru introduces new broadband plans – Borneo Bulletin Online|date=2018-03-01|work=Borneo Bulletin Online|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en-US}}</ref> They also split the plans which have unlimited quota into 'unlimited plans'<ref name=":1" />
On 1 March 2018 Telbru rolled out their new 'high speed' broadband plans<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://borneobulletin.com.bn/telbru-introduces-new-broadband-plans/|title=TelBru introduces new broadband plans – Borneo Bulletin Online|date=2018-03-01|work=Borneo Bulletin Online|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en-US}}</ref> They also split the plans which have unlimited quota into 'unlimited plans'<ref name=":1" />


Brunei has the 4th most expensive broadband service in the world<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Brunei/comments/7fld6k/forbes_brunei_is_the_4th_most_expensive_broadband/|title=(Forbes) Brunei is the 4th most expensive Broadband service in the world • r/Brunei|website=reddit|language=en|access-date=2018-03-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/22/the-most-and-least-expensive-countries-for-broadband-infographic/|title=The Most And Least Expensive Countries For Broadband [Infographic]|last=McCarthy|first=Niall|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en}}</ref>
In 2017 Forbes reported that Brunei had the 4th most expensive broadband service in the world<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Brunei/comments/7fld6k/forbes_brunei_is_the_4th_most_expensive_broadband/|title=(Forbes) Brunei is the 4th most expensive Broadband service in the world • r/Brunei|website=reddit|language=en|access-date=2018-03-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/22/the-most-and-least-expensive-countries-for-broadband-infographic/|title=The Most And Least Expensive Countries For Broadband [Infographic]|last=McCarthy|first=Niall|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-03-31|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=Niall |title=The Most And Least Expensive Countries For Broadband [Infographic] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2017/11/22/the-most-and-least-expensive-countries-for-broadband-infographic/#c64d5ea23ef7 |website=Forbes |access-date=14 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>


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On 4 September 2019, The UNN took over all of the telecommunications infrastructure in Brunei.<ref name="scoopunntakeover">{{cite web |title=UNN takes over all telco infrastructure in Brunei |url=https://thescoop.co/2019/09/04/unn-takes-over-all-telco-infrastructure-in-brunei/ |website=The Scoop |access-date=14 June 2020 |date=3 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=UNN now operates Brunei’s telecommunication networks – The Bruneian |url=https://www.thebruneian.news/unn-now-operates-bruneis-telecommunication-networks/ |access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="daunntakeover">{{cite web |title=UNN takes over all telco infrastructure in Brunei : Darussalam Assets |url=https://www.da.com.bn/unn-takes-over-all-telco-infrastructure-in-brunei/ |website=www.da.com.bn |access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref> By doing so they aimed to provide equal infrastructure to all the isps in the country. This brought an end to a long held monopoly by [[Imagine Brunei|Imagine Sdn Bhd]] (Formerly Known as Telbru) over the home broadband market with the introduction of Datastream Digital's 'Infinity' home broadband plans on 24 January 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=r/Brunei - UNN Related News |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Brunei/comments/e7dkva/unn_related_news/ |website=reddit |access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=DST on Instagram: "Save the date. Limitless connectivity. Everywhere. #dstbn #limitlessconnectivity #everywhere" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wZIBKl3-5/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B6wZIBKl3-5 |archive-date=2021-12-24 |url-access=limited|website=Instagram |access-date=14 June 2020 |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=twitter.com/thewheat/status/1220343782010343424 |url=https://twitter.com/TheWheat/status/1220343782010343424 |website=Twitter |access-date=14 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref>


==Television==
==Television==
*Terrestrial TV Stations (Free to air)
*Terrestrial TV Stations (Free to air)
In some areas residents may enjoy some of the Malaysian TV channels
In some areas residents may enjoy some of the Malaysian TV channels
# RTB Perdana (Formerly known as RTB 1 and RTB 5) - An 18-hour national flagship channel of Radio Television Brunei aired news and information programs, with local and sinetron Indonesia series in 1080p HDTV.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtb.gov.bn/SitePages/RTB%20Perdana.aspx|title=Radio Television Brunei - RTB Perdana|website=www.rtb.gov.bn|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>
# [[RTB Perdana]] (Formerly known as RTB 1 and RTB 5) - An 17.5-hour national flagship channel of Radio Television Brunei aired news and information programs, with local and sinetron Indonesia series in 1080p HDTV.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtb.gov.bn/SitePages/RTB%20Perdana.aspx|title=Radio Television Brunei - RTB Perdana|website=www.rtb.gov.bn|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>
# RTB Aneka (Formerly known as RTB 2 and RTB 3 HD) - A 14-hour second channel of Radio Television Brunei airs entertainment programmes in 1080p HDTV.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtb.gov.bn/SitePages/RTB%20Aneka.aspx|title=Radio Television Brunei - RTB Aneka|website=www.rtb.gov.bn|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>
# [[RTB Aneka]] (Formerly known as RTB 2 and RTB 3 HD) - A 16.5-hour second channel of Radio Television Brunei airs entertainment programmes in 1080p HDTV.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtb.gov.bn/SitePages/RTB%20Aneka.aspx|title=Radio Television Brunei - RTB Aneka|website=www.rtb.gov.bn|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>
# RTB Sukmaindera (Formerly known as RTB 4) - A 24-hour international satellite television channel airing all of RTB programs both locally and internationally in 1080p HDTV.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtb.gov.bn/SitePages/RTB%20Sukmaindera.aspx|title=Radio Television Brunei - RTB Sukmaindera|website=www.rtb.gov.bn|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>
# [[RTB Sukmaindera]] (Formerly known as RTB 4) - A 24-hour international satellite television channel airing all of RTB programs both locally and internationally in 1080p HDTV.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtb.gov.bn/SitePages/RTB%20Sukmaindera.aspx|title=Radio Television Brunei - RTB Sukmaindera|website=www.rtb.gov.bn|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>


*Pay TV (Satellite TV) 1 - Kristal Astro
*Pay TV (Satellite TV) 1 - [[Kristal Astro]]


==Radio==
==Radio==
All radio stations in the country use FM. 5 radio stations are broadcast by the state controlled [[Radio Television Brunei]]. The British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) broadcasts 2 other stations in the country. Reception from some Malaysia stations can be received.<ref name="worldfactbook" />
* [[Broadcasting|Broadcast]] stations: [[Frequency modulation|FM]] 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies), [[shortwave]] 0 (2006)


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 15:21, 23 April 2024

A telecommunication tower in Belait District.

Telecommunications[edit]

Telephone[edit]

Telephone service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US.[1]

Landing points for the SEA-ME-WE-3, SJC, AAG, Lubuan-Brunei Submarine Cable via optical telecommunications submarine cables that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2019)[1]

IDD Country Code: +673

Mobile Telephone[edit]

Brunei has 3 major telco namely DST, Imagine (TelBru) and Progresif which offers prepaid and postpaid plan. UNN is the Single Wholesale Network with holds all the telecommunication infrastructures in Brunei.

Internet[edit]

Broadband[edit]

Brunei's Internet service was monopolized by Telekom Brunei. ADSL speeds were ranging from 512 kbit/s to the maximum speed of 1 Mbit/s through ADSL2+ broadband. 1 Mbit/s was introduced in 2006 and was priced at BND$128 per month (Equivalent to Singapore currency). It was well known that the Brunei's broadband ranging from 512 kbit/s to 1 Mbit/s is one of the most expensive in the world. The limited market in Brunei means that new developments in the telecommunications sector is stagnant.

In 2002, Telekom Brunei was incorporated become Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru). In 2008, the internet were improved with dramatically with speeds ranging from 1 Mbit/s to maximum speed of 5 Mbit/s. Price starting from B$65 to B$105 per month respectively.

Bandwidth Plan Charges (BND)
1Mbit/s Value Surf $39/month
2Mbit/s Lite Surf $59/month
3.5Mbit/s Super Surf $79/month
5Mbit/s Premium Surf $105/month

In 2012, Telekom Brunei started deploying its FTTH network capable of 100 Mbit/s through a contract awarded to Huawei.[3][4] They aimed to provide FTTH coverage to around 85% of the population by 2017.[4]

In 2016 Telbru drastically reduced the price and increased the speeds of its broadband plans. Due to the fact that a significant number of people were now connected via FTTH and not via the old copper cables.[5]


On 1 March 2018 Telbru rolled out their new 'high speed' broadband plans[5] They also split the plans which have unlimited quota into 'unlimited plans'[5]

In 2017 Forbes reported that Brunei had the 4th most expensive broadband service in the world[6][7][8]

Broadband Plans Effective 1 March 2018[5][9]
Type of plan Bandwidth Up To Monthly Charge Quota
Quota Based 10 Mbit/s $25 50GB
Quota Based 10 Mbit/s $39 100GB
Quota Based 15 Mbit/s $59 200GB
Quota Based 20 Mbit/s $75 250GB
Quota Based 20 Mbit/s $99 350GB
High Speed Quota Based 30 Mbit/s $75 50GB
High Speed Quota Based 45 Mbit/s $135 100GB
High Speed Quota Based 60 Mbit/s $240 200GB
High Speed Quota Based 100 Mbit/s $290 250GB
High Speed Quota Based 300 Mbit/s $350 350GB
Unlimited 30 Mbit/s $199 N/A
Unlimited 45 Mbit/s $259 N/A
Unlimited 60 Mbit/s $339 N/A
Unlimited 100 Mbit/s $459 N/A
Unlimited 300 Mbit/s $999 N/A

On 4 September 2019, The UNN took over all of the telecommunications infrastructure in Brunei.[10][11][12] By doing so they aimed to provide equal infrastructure to all the isps in the country. This brought an end to a long held monopoly by Imagine Sdn Bhd (Formerly Known as Telbru) over the home broadband market with the introduction of Datastream Digital's 'Infinity' home broadband plans on 24 January 2020.[13][14][15]

Television[edit]

  • Terrestrial TV Stations (Free to air)

In some areas residents may enjoy some of the Malaysian TV channels

  1. RTB Perdana (Formerly known as RTB 1 and RTB 5) - An 17.5-hour national flagship channel of Radio Television Brunei aired news and information programs, with local and sinetron Indonesia series in 1080p HDTV.[16]
  2. RTB Aneka (Formerly known as RTB 2 and RTB 3 HD) - A 16.5-hour second channel of Radio Television Brunei airs entertainment programmes in 1080p HDTV.[17]
  3. RTB Sukmaindera (Formerly known as RTB 4) - A 24-hour international satellite television channel airing all of RTB programs both locally and internationally in 1080p HDTV.[18]

Radio[edit]

All radio stations in the country use FM. 5 radio stations are broadcast by the state controlled Radio Television Brunei. The British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) broadcasts 2 other stations in the country. Reception from some Malaysia stations can be received.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Brunei", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 17 January 2024, retrieved 20 January 2024
  2. ^ a b c "The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Brunei FTTH network built by Huawei". www.commsupdate.com. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b "The recent launch of 4G services and a new fibre-to-the-home initiative are set to provide better access to higher-speed internet". Oxford Business Group. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "TelBru introduces new broadband plans – Borneo Bulletin Online". Borneo Bulletin Online. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. ^ "(Forbes) Brunei is the 4th most expensive Broadband service in the world • r/Brunei". reddit. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Niall. "The Most And Least Expensive Countries For Broadband [Infographic]". Forbes. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  8. ^ McCarthy, Niall. "The Most And Least Expensive Countries For Broadband [Infographic]". Forbes. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  9. ^ (TelBru), Telekom Brunei Berhad. "Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru)". www.telbru.com.bn. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  10. ^ "UNN takes over all telco infrastructure in Brunei". The Scoop. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  11. ^ "UNN now operates Brunei's telecommunication networks – The Bruneian". Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  12. ^ "UNN takes over all telco infrastructure in Brunei : Darussalam Assets". www.da.com.bn. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  13. ^ "r/Brunei - UNN Related News". reddit. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  14. ^ "DST on Instagram: "Save the date. Limitless connectivity. Everywhere. #dstbn #limitlessconnectivity #everywhere"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  15. ^ "twitter.com/thewheat/status/1220343782010343424". Twitter. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Radio Television Brunei - RTB Perdana". www.rtb.gov.bn. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  17. ^ "Radio Television Brunei - RTB Aneka". www.rtb.gov.bn. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Radio Television Brunei - RTB Sukmaindera". www.rtb.gov.bn. Retrieved 25 September 2018.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.