Belize

Overview

Belize, formerly British Honduras, is an independent country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea.

Telecommunications in Belize dates back to 1902, when a manual line linked Belize City with Consejo Village in the Corozal District in the Northern region of the country. Mobile cellular penetration is below the regional and global levels, which can be attributed to the concentrated duopolistic market dominated by the two main players: DigiCell and Smart. According to latest ITU data (June 2017) 3G mobile coverage reaches 95% of the population, and 4G LTE accessible by 46.9% of citizens.

Belize is a member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and as such follows radio frequency harmonisation principles according to ITU-R Region-2. The regulatory body governing communications policy is the Ministry of Finance, Public Service, Energy & Public Utilities, and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is charged with regulating the country's radio frequency spectrum activities such as planning, allocations, and licencing.