Smart says limited international services restored

In respect of the war between the two telephone operators, SMART subscribers were able to access limited international and roaming services this morning through independent services and not through Belize Telemedia. On Friday, the battle between the two escalated when Telemedia cut off SMART from its international circuits claiming that Speednet, SMART’s parent company, was benefiting from a lopsided arrangement with Telemedia. The Public Utilities Commission was unavailable for comment even though late Friday it advised that Telemedia ought not to cut off the ninety thousand SMART subscribers. The P.U.C. has the power to intervene as regulator in the industry and is mandated to ensure that the dominant operator, being Telemedia, does not take advantage by eliminating or substantially damaging another licensee in the market. The Chamber of Commerce told News Five today that they were hoping for a sit down with Telemedia as soon as possible.