Senator Herrera Warns: Merger Risks Telecom Monopoly

Business Senator Kevin Herrera ended today’s virtual Senate meeting with a sharp warning about the proposed BTL–Speednet merger. He says Belizeans fought for years to escape a telecom monopoly, and this deal could drag them right back into one, despite BTL selling it as “efficiency.” His comments come after the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed continued consultations but insisted the process must be transparent and grounded in a clear look at how the move would affect competition. The Chamber also urged BTL to come to the table and answer the public’s questions. Tonight, Senator Herrera says Belizeans deserve better, and he’s not convinced this deal delivers.

 

Kevin Herrera, Business Senator

“The people of Belize deserve better than a return to the past. I speak of the proposed acquisition of Speednet by Belize Telemedia Limited. We are being sold a narrative of efficiency. We are being promised a strategic consolidation. But let us peel back the corporate jargon and call it what it truly is, the state sponsored execution of competition in the telecommunication sector. History is a tough but effective teacher, and the history of Belize’s telecom monopoly is a story of high prices, and pain with telecommunication rates. So, we don’t forget the late 1990s when BTL enjoyed a profit margin of fifty cents on every dollar in revenue earned. To move back towards a single provider is a voluntary walk back into the cage we fought decades to escape. The BTL board argues that this merger is a survival tactic against the inevitable entry of Starlink. This is not just flawed logic. It is a dangerous delusion. Biying competition is not innovation. Removing a local rival does not make BTL more agile against a global satellite giant. It simply makes BTL a larger, slower and more bureaucratic target.”

 

As consultations move forward, Senator Herrera says the issue is clear: Belizeans worked hard to gain real competition, and this merger could reverse that progress. Now, he says, it’s up to BTL to face the public and justify the deal.