AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Nation Fiber Optic lines in Belize

The Government of Belize is committed to improve the standard of living of the people of Belize. To this end tourism development has been earmarked as one of the most promising avenues of growth thus increasing the demand for safe, fast and reliable telecommunication services. As always the relevant issue is how to steer growth in a sustainable direction so that it will provide sustainability for all stakeholders, local, national and international stakeholders. The object of the project is to ensure social, economical and environmental sustainability and equilibrium, which are the three keys to a successful project.

The Belize Telemedia Limited (btl) has embarked on a nationwide venture that will upgrade and improve a hundred fold the service of telecommunications not only to the mainland sector of Belize, but also to the island of San Pedro [See Fig 1.0].

The project entails the installation of a Submarine Fiber Optic Cable (SFOC) from mainland Belize to Ambergris Caye, where it will be incorporated into the network that presently exists on the island [See Fig. 1.0]. This upgrade, by virtue of Fiber Optic Cable (FOC), which is a state of the art tool in telecommunications, will allow for quicker service time and allow easier access and download times on the internet, which in the case of San Pedro, is essential due to its importance to the tourism industry of Belize.

The FOC will run from Maskall to Bomba and from Bomba to the coastline, overhead on the existing Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) poles [See Fig 1.1]. The FOC will then proceed underground and via a SFOC to the island of San Pedro [See Fig 1.2] and [Plate 1.0].

Once the SFOC reaches the island, it will be incorporated into the grid via manholes that have already been installed throughout the town [See Fig 1.5].

It must be noted that this project will be implemented during the dry season, thus decreasing and\or minimizing the impacts onto the environment, both land and marine.

CLICK HERE to download the full report, a 1.8mb ZIP file of a MICROSOFT WORD file. HERE's the straight up word doc not zipped. The file got all messed up when i tried to PDF it.

Barbados-based Columbus International Inc is the owner of the undersea fiber optic cable to Belize. http://www.columbus-networks.com/

The island of San Pedro???

That is funny.....When we first arrived in Belize City (about 10 years ago) we told the immigration officer we were staying on Ramon's' Island.....Each time I think of the officers face when he shook his head at me I get embarrassed all over again....Including now.