On February 13, 2012 Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow backed off his promise to allow VoIP in Belize:
"You don't want to go too far with VOIP, which will without a doubt; affect the profitability of the company (BTL), before you know what you are in for with compensation. We know what our side - what our experts have said, but until there is a court determination, or some other impartial determination, I hope and expect that Belizean will see with us when we say quite clearly that it cannot be a wholesale introduction of VOIP.”
Just what is 'Limited VoIP"? The PM admits he has no real understanding of the technology involved. The Government of Belize needs to put an end to bandwidth blocking, period. The problem with a state owned utility is the state becomes more interested in profits then in progress, freedom or service. To paraphrase former USA President Reagan: "Mr. Barrow, tear down this wall!"
Fortunately, it is just not that hard to get around this foolishness. Here are a few options to get your VoIP working in spite of BTL's best efforts to stop you.
Commercial Virtual Private Networks
Working! as of 02/14/2012
- All VPN servers access!
- USA, UK, CZ, SK Public IP!
- Dynamic IP (not SHARED)!
- 100% traffic encrypted!
- Bypass restrictions!
- No ISP control!
- OpenVPN support!
This is a commercial Virtual Private Network with servers in the USA, SK, CZ and the UK. It is working flawlessly in Belize, bypassing all attempts at censorship and VoIP blocking. Works with any internet application, including Skype, Magic Jack, and Yahoo Messenger. They also offer a 3 day free trial.
Working! as of 02/14/2012
This is a Commercial Virtual Private Network with servers in the USA, UK and Germany. It works flawlessly in Belize, bypassing all attempts at censorship and VoIP blocking. This service will not, however, allow P2P Torrent sites to be accessed. The cost is a little higher than some other options. Works with any internet application, including Skype, Magic Jack, and Yahoo Messenger.
US VPN Accounts: Shared IP Unmetered Bandwidth Usage
Monthly $14.97
Quarterly $39.97
Semi Annual $74.97
Annual $120
Working! as of 02/14/2012
WiTopia offers several inexpensive plans for problem free VoIP. It is working perfectly in Belize as it punches right through all of BTL's attempts at blocking. Their best plan for folks in Belize is their personalVPN™ – SSL (openVPN)
WiTopia openVPN customers enjoy full access to all WiTopia gateways – Los Angeles, Manchester UK, New York Metro, San Francisco, Washington, DC – as well as alternate ports and 256-bit encryption options. This will ensure the ultimate in speed, unblockability, and security. This works perfectly with Skype, Gizmo and Magic Jack.
$59.99 / YEAR
GoTrusted is an other Private Secure VPN Tunnel with high grade encryption. There is a 7 day free trial, after which they charge $6.99 per month. It also is very simple to use. It is currently working flawlessly in Belize with Skype and Magic Jack.
Just go to GoTrusted.com. Sign up for an account then download the program and follow the instructions. If you can't make it work or just don't like it, you can cancel anytime in the first week at no cost.
Personal Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Working! as of 02/14/2012
This option is for the more computer savvy. It is the best solution to ISP blocking. You will need someone outside Belize with a true static IP broadband internet connection, who will let you set up a VPN on their connection. You will also need a dedicated computer at the other end to act as a server for the Network and a proxy for Internet access. You then connect to the internet through that VPN just like the commercial ones listed above. All blocked services will be restored.
There are several Free VPN programs available. Set up is not all that difficult, but it does require more than basic computer skills. The need for dedicated hardware and a second broadband connection makes this option a little expensive, even with free software. If I were running a business in Belize that depended on phone availability, this is the only solution I would consider. Also, if the server is on to a USA style broadband (3mbs+) connection, you could set a few of your friends and neighbors up to use this VPN and share the cost of the setup.