History

Telecommunications in Belize date back to 1902 when a manual line linked Belize City with Consejo Village in the Corozal District. Development of services continued with the installation of exchanges, cables and lines until 1963 when the Government gave a license for telecommunication services to the British firm Cable and Wireless plc.

In 1956 Cable and Wireless plc. introduced the first telephone system in Belize that had international radiotelephone links. In 1963, Cable and Wireless installed a one-thousand line step-by-step dial office in Belize City with access to the international service via H.F. radio circuits.

In 1972, by Ordinance No. 22 Belize Telecommunications Authority was established as a statutory Board. The authority assumed responsibility for the management of the national telephone services, while Cable and Wireless continued to provide international telephone services. In addition, the statutory body was established to not only operate, maintain and administer the national telecommunication services and to regulate, but also to control and plan all other internal and external telecommunication services. In 1975 BTA began operating the regional services as well to Mexico and Central America.

On December 13, 1987 Cable and Wireless plc. and Belize Telecommunications Authority merged and formed Belize Telecommunications Limited (BTL). On December 30th 1987 the Government vested the assets of BTA to BTL and on January 1, 1988, BTL was granted a 15 years exclusive License to operate the telecommunication services in Belize.

BTL then assumed responsibility for the management of the international telephone services previously operated by Cable & Wireless plc. Not long after, the company upgraded the Intermediate Date Rate System, which allowed one circuit to facilitate five simultaneous conversations. The Earth Station was upgraded to digital technology and a circuit multiplication equipment was installed.

In January 1988 the customer base consisted of approximately 7,800 telephone customers. By the end of the year, that number grew to 12,000.

In those days, customers were assigned a meter, which was read each month and charges were calculated. The billing process was completely manual, done handwritten, then folded, sorted, enveloped and delivered. The company later revised and upgraded its Billing System to a computerized process called a Telephone Information System (TIS). TIS calculated and sorted all bills alphabetically in order of City Zone and Streets.

BTL has come a long way and has grown from a small company to one of the nation's most productive corporations. We have embedded ourselves as the catalyst for the development of telecommunications in Belize. Moreover, we have remained vibrant in upgrading and keeping Belize in the forefront of telecommunications.

BTL started as a telephone company, armed with unwavering commitment to serve its customers through the provision of telephone services. Today the services and products provided are vast and varied, distinguished by efficiency and quality. BTL has expanded its mission to go beyond just providing telephone service to also providing telecommunication solutions to its customers.

BTL now operates a vast network of telecommunication services in Belize. By using the most modern technology available, BTL has available first class telecommunication services in the areas of: Wireline, Mobile, Data, Internet and value added features. Each offers a full range of products and services that include Regular Telephone Service, National and International calling service, PrePaid services, High-Speed Data Service, Analogue and GSM Cellular, International Cellular Roaming, Fixed Wireless, Dial-up and Dedicated Internet, High-Speed DSL Internet Service, and National and International Data Networks. With a focus on the future, BTL will continue to satisfy the needs of its customers and ensure that Belize remains at the forefront in telecommunications.