Telecommunications in Belize

I wrote an article here in the forum on Internet service.  BTL is the provider country wide.  I use a Smart cell phone, but will be switching soon to Digicell (they are the only two cell phone providers country wide).

Digicell offers prepaid internet access, whereas Smart charges $5 bze a day to have the function turned on, whether you use it or not.  Also, Digicell works in certain areas of Guatemala and Mexico, which Smart does not.

Making calls to the U.S. costs $.87 a minute unless you pay to have an international plan.

For internet, I brought down a satellite system from Canada called Galaxy Broadband, it is $60.00 CDN per month.  For my Belize phone I use BTL's Digicell, no data plan on it.  For long distance calls to Canada, I first dial 10 10 199, then dial like I'm in Canada or the USA country code 1-area code-phone number, all one long string of numbers.  This saves a fortune.  A typical 15-20 minute call home cost about $5.00 Belize using this system, no additional costs.

I plan on maintaining my Canadian business while living in Belize. I'm researching different options for communications. Using Skype has been suggested to me, as it is possible to get a U.S. number for clients to call in and then forward it to a local mobile or landline. Just wondering if anyone has tried this and what their experience was. I spend several hours each day on the telephone with my Canadian colleagues and clients so my success will depend on reliable telephone service that is still cost-effective. I'd be so grateful for any advice on this.

I have tenants in the U.S. and didn't especially want them knowing I was living in Belize, so I set up an 800 number that forwards to my Belize cell phone via alliancecall.com.  The service works great, but it hardly gets used.  At $.34/minute, that's probably a good thing.  There may be more economical services out there, I just could find one - this was the cheapest rate I found.  If anyone else has found better, would love to know.

In regards to Skype, don't get me started!  BTL is the internet provider in Belize, and they do not want to lose any money on people circumventing their technology, so they prohibit Skype use.  I paid $100 for a VPN (Virtual Private Network) so I could use Skype, and they musst have discovered that as well because it no longer works either.

Corozal Dave, I would love to know if since being here you have heard of any satellite internet services that aren't Canadian based.

Hope this helps.

I've heard that Direct TV ans Starband offer satellite internet service but not sure how current that info is... here is a link that I found: Belize Satellite

I havent had a chance to check into it yet...

I noticed your post about relocating to Belize this summer. I'm searching for a way to relocate also and wondering what kind of visa or business type investment allows you to stay in Belize and what the qualifications are.
I may retire in a year, but they require $2000 US per month, which I'm short of, so looking for plan B.
Thanks,
Rich in Tucson

Hi Rich, not sure if you've seen this info but I hope it helps...  it's my understanding that the proof of $$ portion of this is fairly lax in reality but you never know so I plan to be sure I have sufficient funds to show.

On a telecommunications note... thank you Wealthships for the heads up on Skype. I have discovered that my current Canadian VOIP provider promotes packing up their equipment and using their service from anywhere in the world. Only concern I have with this is the minimum requirement of 1 mgps download speed. I've heard this is not typical speed in Belize (although I currently have 9 mgps here with unlimited  usage for $40/mo! ...but we're not in Canada anymore Toto!) I suppose this leaves me with only the issue of finding fast AND affordable internet service... not sure if this is possible. Any thoughts?

hello wealthships,
since you live in belize you might know if my magic jack will work in belize or does btl stop this as well as skype?
thanks
charlie in milwaukee

Liv, BTL currently offers 4MB DSL service. They’ve been increasing that steadily over the last year or so, which is a good sign for even better speeds in the near future.

SaigonCharlie1, yes, I have heard others say their Magic Jack works but it is a bandwidth hog and works more like a two-way radio where you can’t talk over each other.  There’s conflicting reports of how they get it to work, however.  You may get it to initially work over BTL’s DSL or a VPN, but it seems BTL may discover that and shut it down.

I’ve also heard great things about Hughes Broadband Satellite service in the States.  Many have it here.  It’s more expensive than BTL, in both start up costs and month-to-month, but if you have a business to run, like Liv, it may be worth it to check them out.  Skype should work over that is my understanding.

Since Skype was really for my personal use, I’m just learning to live without for now!  Hope this helps.

Thanks again wealthships! I have just contacted Galaxy Broadband in Canada, a HughesNET supplier... they advised that a new dish is $1,500 and a rebuilt one can be had for $499, they estimate local installation to be approx $299... (I'm guessing it should be fairly easy to find an installer if satellite is commonly used in Belize) and monthly rates (with a 2-3 yr contract) start at $69.00 (US)

Additional information they provided:

There is a one time system access fee of $49.95 and an annual Industry License fee of $75.00 which would be billed on the first billing. Any and all invoices for the hardware and installation are paid directly to the local Reseller. 

Fair Access Policy and Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

To ensure equal Internet access for all HughesNET® subscribers, Hughes Network Systems maintains a running average Fair Access Policy (FAP). Fair Access establishes an equitable balance in Internet access across satellite broadband services by service plan for all HughesNET customers regardless of their frequency of use or volume of traffic. To ensure this equity, if you happen to exceed your daily download threshold (dependant on your service plan) your internet speed will be throttled back (HughesNET Internet access is not guaranteed during this time) and this will last up to 24 hours until the system refreshes itself..  At that point speeds will be returned back to normal.  Everyday from 2am to 7am eastern standard time are unlimited downloads. You can put the service on seasonal hold for up to six months once per calendar year at $15 per month.
 
Connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with the HughesNet service is not recommended, despite the faster speeds available with the HN7000s modem. If you choose to run VPN over satellite internet, your data speeds may be reduced as much as 50% to 75% while the VPN session is active. Once the VPN session is terminated, the subscriber’s typical connection speed resumes. 

After checking out BTL's monthly rates for 4mbps service, I think the satellite option is definitely the way to go for a small business which does not use a VPN.

That is great info, Livwellness!  That's why using Magic Jack over satellite can be problematic, because it will significantly impact your FAP.

I like that you can put it on hold for six months - this is great for my absentee owner clients.

I agree - if you are running a business from Belize, this option makes sense, and you should see a return on your investment quickly. 

A word of caution, make sure you can take it with you if you move.  If you start out renting and then decide to buy a home, you won't want to pay to repurchase the equipment again.  Also, living in an apartment is probably out of the question.  I heard the dishes must be at least 4-6 feet tall to be worth anything.  I don't think many landlords will let you install that outside their building.

Thanks for sharing!  Sharon Hiebing

Wealthships wrote:

I have tenants in the U.S. and didn't especially want them knowing I was living in Belize, so I set up an 800 number that forwards to my Belize cell phone via alliancecall.com.  The service works great, but it hardly gets used.  At $.34/minute, that's probably a good thing.  There may be more economical services out there, I just could find one - this was the cheapest rate I found.  If anyone else has found better, would love to know.

One of the companies I happened upon in my search for telecom solutions was Ring Central. I'm not sure about it being more cost-effective for minimal usage but thought it was a great resource for those conducting high volumes of business, esp while abroad.

Ring Central offers complete service packages which includes regular VOIP telephone service with a U.S. number if you wish, fax service with U.S. number, 800 number, voicemail & all other calling features AND a professional PBX system with auto attendant, forwarding to any number etc... not sure whether the telephone svc is something that BTL could block but it only requires 500 kbps to function. I can't say what the call quality is like but their prices and customer service are both good. (I have picked them up for my current fax service. So far no issues and I plan to give their phone svc a try when I get to Belize... I'll let you know how that goes.)

For minimal usage I believe Skype offers a local U.S. call-in number which would forward to any number as well and they charge next to nothing, definitely the cheapest out there, but again just not sure how well it would work even if used only for call-forwarding, with BTL's anti-skype position

Wealthships wrote:

In regards to Skype, don't get me started!  BTL is the internet provider in Belize, and they do not want to lose any money on people circumventing their technology, so they prohibit Skype use.  I paid $100 for a VPN (Virtual Private Network) so I could use Skype, and they musst have discovered that as well because it no longer works either.

Sharon, would you mind saying which VPN you purchased?  If you'd rather not say on the forum, a PM would be great.  I know that some are blocked, some not, and I don't want to buy one that I don't even have a chance of using there.

Thanks so much!

Emily

I have no problem saying, Caribe Gal.  It's www.strongvpn.com.  It's not their fault, but BTL's. Their vpn was great while it lasted. 

BTW, BTL has blocked me from accessing this forum as well.  I have absolutely no idea why, but I have to get tricky to get on here (I don't want to say in case they read this somehow).

I've tried from local internet cafes as well, and it doesn't work.  Others who live in Belize have told me the same.  I've brought to expat-blog's attention, but they haven't responded yet.

Wow, I can't believe they'd block your access to the forum.  So strange! 

Thank you for the reply re. the VPN.  The two I have in mind aren't the one you used, so I am crossing my fingers...

Thanks, Sharon! 

Yeah, it's bizarre. I'm going to contact their customer support and see if I can get to the bottom of it.  I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!

this communications thing has got me to thinking.
let btl do whatever they want. i'll just leave my computer in milwaukee at my son's home, hooked up to time warner (road runner)and access my computer with a computer in belize with gotomypc. then when i am on my computer in belize it's the same as being in front of my computer in milwaukee. btl can't block anything on a computer in milwaukee!
hopefully they can't block gotomypc? or can they?
anybody know?

update on last message.
gotomypc does not send audio. it does receive audio. so you can hear any sounds that your main computer makes but the mic on the pc in belize will not be transmitted to the main computer.
great idea that will almost work.
i'll keep on researching.

Thanks for the research. Look forward to seeing what you come up with.
I know Hughes Net satellite internet provides service in Belize. I am not sure if their contract to operate in Belize requires them to block access to Skype or other VOIP systems. Might be worth looking in to.

found another provider that offers a service similar to gotomypc, but they say it will support two way audio,(speaker and mic).at $5 per month it would save tons of money in long distance to usa and canada. i will confirm their claims on monday and purchase and test.
i'll keep you posted.