Bhutan Discovers The Phone Booth

from the a-bit-behind-the-times... dept

Okay, perhaps, I'm a bit behind on how things work in Bhutan, but it sounds like they're a few generations back when it comes to telephone technologies. While the rest of the post-mobile phone world is trying to figure out just what the hell to do with all their useless phone booths, Bhutan is excited that they're getting their first unmanned phone booths. That's right. It appears the current generation of phonebooths in Bhutan require supervision from a phone booth operator, but now they're going high tech and are going to offer (gasp!) a little box with a phone that lets you dial on your own. The boxes have been built, but no phones have been put in them just yet. Apparently, it's a good thing Clark Kent was never in Bhutan when Superman was needed...
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2003 @ 1:26pm

    Yup

    All tourists (group or individual) must travel on a pre-planned, prepaid, guided package tour. Independent travel is not permitted. It is a place a lot like Afghanistan under the Taliban, where women had no rights; however, Westerners regard Tibetan Buddhism as a pet religion, and therefore turn a blind eye to its abuses. Conversely, it could be that the Taliban wanted to become a secluded place like Bhutan.

    Next-door Nepal offers a case study of vulgar tourism -- Kathmandu is so choked with dark brown smog that the Everest is invisible on some days. Mopeds roar continuously for 24 hours, Indian pop music blares from loudspeakers on every street corner, and child prostitution is a booming trade.


    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    aNonMooseCowherd, 12 Aug 2003 @ 2:07pm

    No Subject Given

    Reminds me of what long distance phone service was said to be like in China some years ago (and may still be like). Before you could make an operseas call, You had to tell the phone operator what language your call was going to be in -- so they could be sure that the government censor monitoring the call would understand what was being said, in case any subversive topics came up.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Aug 2003 @ 5:51pm

    Maybe people don't know how to use phones

    This is the latest step in the oppression of the poor, who will no longer receive state support for telephone usage.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.