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Belizeans will have a wait of two to three months before they have a choice of telecommunications service providers, Intelco CEO Juan McKenzie told the media at the Princess Hotel last Friday morning.
After more than nine months of negotiations with the Public Utilities Commission, Intelco was finally issued its general telecommunications license earlier this month. With the license in hand, the company is now free to compete with BTL in providing an unlimited range of telecommunications services beginning January 1, 2003.
Intelco will not jump into the market immediately beginning January, Mckenzie explained. Rather than offer service only in Belize City, the company is holding off until it can offer nationwide service. Consumers will have to wait another three months while Intelco's engineers complete the erection of 32 towers for a completely cellular network. Eventually IntelcoÕs network will encompass 43 towers.
All the hardware will not be in place for another three months. This means Belizeans may expect Intelco's service to come online in April 2003 at the earliest.
"We did not anticipate how time-consuming the application process would be," Mr. McKenzie explained. "And without the actual license in hand, it was not possible for Intelco to complete the rollout of its network. With the license in place, Intelco can now move full speed ahead to implement its planned rollout."
The company has already invested $28.5 millions and has now gotten approval for the financing to complete the network.
Intelco will offer various forms of telecom services to more than 60% of the current market by next April. These will include the 'Infinitum' GSM digital cellular service. Intelco signed a multimillion dollar contract with Alcatel, the world's fastest growing GSM/GPRS manufacturer, to provide and install its GSM system.
Intelco's digital cellular service is based on similar GSM technology to that recently introduced by the incumbent monopoly provider. Intelco CEO Juan Mckenzie also promised that his company will offer more value added services at more better prices. These services will include enhanced mobile data services such as broadband Internet, e-mail, mobile entertainment and mobile e-commerce as well as data wireless transactions.
Intelco is still in the process of finalizing its fee schedule, Mr. Mckenzie admitted. But he assured the press that Intelco's rates will be significantly lower than the present rates.
"As one example," Mr. McKenzie noted, "the competition is offering a combination of 50 peak-time minutes and 100 off-peak-time minutes for $50 per month (33 cents per minute). Intelco will provide more than three times this amount of minutes usable at any time of the day or night for the same price, $50 per month." That's less than 11 cents per minute.
Mckenzie also promised roll-over minutes, for the customers to get what they're paying for.
Mckenzie promised that the more affordable telecommunications services would change the way Belizeans do business, to remain competitive in the new global e-economy.
The company has laid the groundwork for young Belizeans to acquire the skills for e-commerce with their SWAN network, which includes the donation of 5000 computers and Internet access to schools and other educational institutions throughout the country.
Intelco is currently providing voice and data services to the Government of Belize through an exclusive contract.
More information is available from Intelco's Public Relations Department at tel. 225-4128
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SOURCE: http://www.belizereporter.com/ 1/3/2003 9:06:05 AM
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DISCLAIMER:
The text of this article was copied "as is" from the above referred source in order to guarantee our readers that it will be
always available for them to read; Comments, suggestions, commendations or claims regarding the above article's text should be addressed to http://www.belizereporter.com/ .
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