Godfrey says deal is good for Belize
While the system is designed primarily for data and Internet use, a limited amount of voice transmission will also be provided. But the equipment can be upgraded and expanded to form the nucleus of a full national telecommunications system. Glenn Godfrey, whose company, International Telecommunications Limited, partnered with L.G. on the project, was asked if the government contract wasn’t just a way to give I.T.L. a head start to compete head to head with B.T.L. when that company’s monopoly ends in January of 2003.
Glenn Godfrey, President, I.T.L.
“I would not deny that I have ambitions of competing with B.T.L. But initially the system does not compete with B.T.L., it will have to be significantly upgraded. This system is exclusively for high speed data, something that the schools need and that B.T.L. is not providing.”
Stewart Krohn
“But when the B.T.L. monopoly ends at the end of 2002, certainly this system is the nucleus of a system that could provide data and telephony to the private sector?”
Glenn Godfrey
“Yes, it’s capable of doing that. In fact, I have offered government, in writing, a buy back. We’re lending them the money from Asia to buy the system and we’re saying that if in two years you’re unhappy with the system, we will buy it back for exactly what you paid for it, plus interest. It’s very, very cost effective. If you look at what B.T.L. paid for instance, they paid nine million dollars to run fibre optics from here to Belmopan alone. This twenty million dollars will cover the entire country with fibre optics, plus do the wireless local loops, plus provide five thousand computers.”
“Our undertaking with government is that it will cost no more than ninety percent of what they’re paying now to do what they’re doing, plus provide the schools. So that would mean that government is in a win-win situation. My real ambition is only to provide telecommunications for the zones, the E.P.Z.’s, the data processing zones. I don’t have any large ambition of coming out, except if B.T.L. makes it impossible for me to function by failing to provide interconnection between the zones, then I have no alternative. But certainly the general carrier, they have problems running down people for fifty dollar bills. It’s not the type of business I would find terribly attractive. I would far prefer to stay in the zones.”
Stewart Krohn
“One final question, former People’s United Party minister obviously carries a lot of weight with the present government. There is a lot of suspicion amongst the general public that the favours that are being done for Glenn Godfrey now are being done for a reason, that there is a quid pro quo involved? What is that quid pro quo or how do you fit into that?”
Glenn Godfrey
“First of all I don’t…Certainly on this project I feel I have a lot of public support. People want another carrier. That’s without doubt. The other benefits I’ve gotten, I think in this for instance, what is the benefit? We have been providing the financing in the form of a loan. We’re taking the risk in that if it doesn’t work government can hand it back to us and say, “here is it.” and then we have to pay back the loan because it’s basically funds that we have guaranteed. So I think it’s a good deal for government, I think the other projects that I’m involved in are all good deals for government and certainly I don’t find anybody else saying “I am prepared to put up twenty million dollars to set up something for schools.” Do you know anybody who’s willing to do that?”
Godfrey said that by September, phase one of the school Internet project will be up and running in Belize City and Ladyville. While L.G. will be supplying the computers and high speed Internet connections, it will be up to the Ministry of Education to train teachers and develop a relevant curriculum. Godfrey also said that he has not ruled out working with B.T.L., emphasising that would be the best solution for Belize. Talks, he said, are in their early stages.
