Belize - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband

While Belize’s GDP per capita is high for Central America, its telecoms services have attracted much dissatisfaction. The incumbent BTL has been at the centre of a string of ownership litigations; further disputes arose in 2008, after a change of government brought to light questionable agreements between the previous administration and BTL. Despite liberalisation, BTL dominates the market and blocks VoIP traffic. SpeedNet launched competing mobile services branded Smart in March 2005, but its owners are allegedly closely linked with BTL’s majority shareholders. A company called MirrorNet began to compete with BTL in early 2008, offering Internet and VoIP services. This report provides an overview of the country’s telecom sector accompanied by relevant statistics and analyses.