Belize Telemedia Limited’s (BTL) new Chief Executive Officer, Rochus Schreiber, said this week that the company, under his leadership, will be making strides towards upgrading its infrastructure and improving customer access to the internet.

Schreiber held a press conference on Wednesday, at the company’s St. Thomas street office in Belize City, to speak on some of the improvements he wishes to make during his time at the helm of the company.

Schreiber, accompanied by BTL Board Chairman, Nestor Vasquez, said that the company is preparing to expand its mobile coverage to 67 new sites, which will roll out in phases. He explained that BTL already has a plan for 17 new sites, and is budgeting for another 50, once the first amount has been installed. Other works include rolling out fibre optic network cables to San Pedro, Belize City, and eventually the rest of the country.

“Overall our plan is to provide high speed internet to every customer in Belize,” Schreiber said. “”What I have seen here is that we do have issues with an aging network that we are operating so BTL is operating a copper fixed network which is quite old, it has been in place for many years and it’s coming to the end of its life.”

He also committed to working with staff and improving the relationship between the company’s management and the Communications Workers Union. Schreiber said that the issues the union raised during its walk out last month have been addressed, and that the management remains in constant contact with the union.

Schreiber takes over as CEO from Anwar Barrow, son of Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who demitted office earlier this year. The opposition People’s United Party had heavily criticized Barrow’s appointment as CEO, calling it a blatant act of nepotism.

The Reporter

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