Ministry of Education and Sports Introduces the Information and
Telecommunication Improvement Project

20 March, 2001 - Belmopan
The Ministry of Education has launched its Belize Information and
Telecommunication Improvement Project that includes the training of
teachers in Information Technology and the donation of 5,000 computers
to various Schools. This initiative was developed to produce an
integrated and sustainable public sector Education and Information
Telecommunication Network.

In addition to this, the project along with the donated 5,000 computers
will increase the access to digital information and its use by students
and teachers alike. This endeavor will increase the capacity of Belize
to successfully participate in global activities and provide more
profitable opportunities to Belizean Entrepreneurs.

In order to do this the Ministry of Education will be implementing the
following project components:
1. Develop integrated and sustainable public IT infrastructure through
the construction of a network of IT towers all over the country.
2. Link Schools, Libraries, Government and other facilities to the
Public IT infrastructure.
3. Increase access to digital infromation and its use to the public by
training teachers, public officers and employees of the Government of
Belize Statutory Boards.
4. Expand the general population's access to the public
information and telecommunication system.
5. Develop a comprehensive public sector information and
telecommunications policy.
6. Strengthen and expand the management capacity of both the Employment
Training and Education Services Unit of the Ministry of Education and of
the Planning Project and Performance Measuring Unit of the Ministry of
Education.

All participating schools will sign a memorandum of understanding for
the School's Computer Wide Area network. This document outlines
the services that will be provided by the Ministry of Education and
Sports and the Responsibilities that each school has upon the acquiring
of the computer network. The memorandum also details the information
needed by the Ministry of Education from the Managing authority of the
participating schools. Each participant will receive a copy of the
document that will be signed by representatives from the Ministry of
Education and Sports and the school's Managing Authority.

Copied from newsletter from the Govt. of Belize

A lot of good it does to beef up computer inventory. Like putting the cart in front of the horse. Better fix the core problem first and get a decent ISP in here. The existing service is taxed enoughed without adding another 5000 computers!

Just a personal opinion!

Please feel free to comment!

Guess you missed this news when it first broke. Gov't. has given the green light to Glenn Godfrey and his companies to develop a whole new telecommunications system to provide high speed access to the internet. As I understand it, he will, in return for this opportunity, provide the 5,000 computers to the schools.
Best part of all this is that he'll be up and running by the time the BTL monopoly runs out, and in a prime position to take over the entire phone system.

From CH5 TV:
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.

Well....that's what happens when you don't have a TV.....LOL.....thanks for that info Jesse. It would be really nice if this plan goes through without a hitch.

I will remain skeptical until I see it happen considering Ashcroft's tight hold on the reins of BTL.

Money talks and seems to rule the world.

Keep me posted Jesse on any TV reports.....LOL

Actually I don't see Belize TV. CH5 is online with the news.

[This message has been edited by Jesse (edited 03-21-2001).]

Actuall

Actually, Glen's company, ITL, is setting up more than it appears at first glance. They are implementing an WLL system (Wireless Local Loop). This is essentially your own telephone/data infrastructure without BTL. It will be wireless, and will provide Internet (Data), Voice, and Cellular services countrywide. In other words - They are getting ready to kick butt. I hope the government keeps the competition open though!!

Does anyone happen to have an addy/phone # for this ITL Company? Just might be my ticket to moving to Belize!!

Dan... I'm in brrrland too... just south and east of you ......

This sounds great! I hope it will get implemented fast.

This is very interesting. My husband works for the telephone company in the US for almost 30 years. I was hoping he would be able to do something to help Belize. He will retire soon and this would allow me to spend time there. I don't know if he can go without working. I heard when I was there that the Electric Company is owned by the Canadians. Let us know if there is something we can do to help. We don't have the money to buy the Phone Company HA HA

Anyone have any clue how to get it touch with Glenn Godfrey Company's? I to am looking into escapeing to a work environment.
Please..help brother out here....9 days to go...bags packed...limo to airport ordered..still gotta pick up the Dom P. for the first night celebration! Can't sleep either...geez

Govt. telecom system uses new technology

Representatives of L.G.
Electronics, the giant Korean
Corporation that is contracted to
provide government with its own
high speed communication
network, are in town this week to
provide details of the system.
News 5's Stewart Krohn met with
them this morning and was told that the wide band
C.D.M.A. technology, originally developed for military
use, is ideal for Belize's terrain and low population
density. The way the system will work is that Belize
City, Belmopan and each town will have its own tower
and wireless transceiver that will interact with local
terminals at schools and government offices. Each
town and city will then be connected via fibre optic
lines that will be integrated with the neutral wire of
B.E.L.'s nation-wide high voltage electricity grid. The
international connection will join the network in Belize
City using a new underwater fibre optic line that links
much of the Caribbean to North and South America.
L.G.'s Kyeong Woo Lee explained the system's
advantages.

Kyeong Woo Lee, L.G. Electronics
"It's very easy to deploy and very low initial
investments. So it can make possible high speed
Internet connections, which is three hundred and
eighty-four KBPS, the maximum speed of the, data
speed. So this one can communicate broad band data
communication to government, organisations, and to
schools and all over the Belizean territories."

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.

Glen Godfrey's company ph# 011 501 23 3530

This is all extremely interesting to me, though I'm not sure I understand all of the politics. All I know is that if I can get high speed internet access (including the transfer of voice files) my husband and I ARE THERE in a few years for more than just a quick vacation. Keep us posted on the prospects!

Kathy