B.T.L. cuts off foreign phone cards

If the new developments at Intelco gave consumers at least a glimmer of hope for lower telephone and Internet rates, a decision taken by B.T.L. has dealt a severe blow to the pocketbook of some enterprising Belizeans and visitors from abroad. As of the first of July, consumers can no longer access international operators to use U.S. prepaid calling cards. Originally, those cards, sold by AT&T, Sprint and M.C.I. in the United States, were used primarily by North American visitors who found that they could call home for as little as thirty-five cents U.S. per minute instead of the dollar seventy-five Belize charged by B.T.L., along with the ample surcharge invariably added by their hotel. It wasn’t long before industrious Belizeans learned the same trick and soon the calls, made with Sam’s Club discount cards via B.T.L.’s 115 operator, were cutting significantly into the local phone company’s profit margin. Well, all that ended on Tuesday when B.T.L. decided to discontinue access to the international prepaid operators. Public Relations Officer Suzette Tillett initially told News 5 that the service had not been dropped, only changed to bypass the overworked B.T.L. operators. It turned out, however, that the new number given for the service, 871, does not work for prepaid cards, only for regular credit cards or U.S. residential accounts–at rates no cheaper than B.T.L.’s. Tillett later corrected the misinformation, but added that the prepaid card service does remain available from special blue phones in major Belize City hotels or at the B.T.L. office. Outside of that it’s back to the drawing board or 10-10-199.