Work begins on govt. telecom project

The government today released more information on its project to bring Belize into the computer age and at the same time kick our favourite telecom monopoly where it hurts. A government press bulletin says that the Ministry of Education has launched its effort to train teachers to use the five thousand computers that it is purchasing as part of a twenty million U.S. dollar scheme to set up its own telecommunications network. The initial purpose of the network will be to use wireless technology to connect schools, libraries and government departments to the internet and each other, while later the infrastructure will form the nucleus of a privately owned system that will compete directly with Belize Telecommunications Limited. Work will begin shortly on a nationwide network of towers that will support the wireless system. The hardware will be supplied by the Korean conglomerate LG Electronics in a joint venture with the start-up local telecom ITL, which is part of the Glenn Godfrey group of companies. The deal with government allows Godfrey to get a headstart in advance of the expiration of BTL’s private sector monopoly in 2003. ITL was able to get its foot in the door when BTL opted for a hardball policy of premium prices, big profits and gargantuan dividends. The resulting bad PR has made it possible for a sweetheart deal that would normally raise more than a few eyebrows to fly undetected under the radar of a public fed up with crippling prices for phone and internet service.