We all had high hope that Internet Censorship would end when the UDP government nationalized Belize Telemedia. We should have known better. Now that BTL's profits go to the treasury, the company is being even more aggressive in blocking VoIP and other 21st century services.
We call once again upon Prime Minister Barrow to please stop Internet Censorship and move Belize Telemedia into the 21st Century. We are not very hopeful. Rt. Hon. Barrow is on record as saying he is "not an advocate of free markets."
Skype and other VoIP options now require a private or commercial VPN to work reliably. The new government owned and operated 'people's phone company' is blocking VoIP more than vigorously ever. Why are we surprised?
Here are a few options to get your VoIP working should the blocking recommence.
Transparent Redirects
UltraSurf 9.7+ is an Anonymous Internet Connection with Transparent Redirect. It is simple to use. It is FREE. It is also a "green" program, meaning it is a stand alone that makes no system changes. It connects you to the internet through random servers around the world. This is not currently working, expect an update soon.
Commercial Virtual Private Networks
Unblock VPN
- All VPN servers access!
- 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 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.
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
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)
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 conceder. 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.