In a press briefing held on August 19, 2026, Belizean Prime Minister John Briceño pushed back against speculation that he single-handedly derailed BTL’s proposed $80 million takeover of competitor Speednet Communications, also known as SMART, emphasizing that the final rejection of the deal was a collective decision by the national Cabinet.
Addressing questions from local outlet News Five, Briceño reaffirmed that all Cabinet discussions follow strict confidentiality protocols, and said the body collectively determined moving forward with the acquisition did not align with the public interest. “I believe that Cabinet in its wisdom decided that we should not proceed,” the prime minister stated.
The rejection of the merger announcement late last week drew an immediate response from Speednet. In an official statement issued after the decision was made public, the telecommunications provider signaled that all future government telecommunications contracts would need to be opened up to public tender. The statement also referenced the existing regulatory designation of BTL as a dominant market player, which carries a series of competition-focused obligations: these include requirements to share network infrastructure with competitors at cost, along with potential adjustments to the surcharges BTL currently charges rival providers for access to its network.
When asked whether Speednet’s statement amounted to a threat against the government, Briceño rejected that framing, telling reporters “I don’t think it was a threat.”
Briceño went on to defend the existing regulatory framework that designated BTL as a dominant telecommunications operator, a ruling issued by Belize’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC). He noted that the PUC’s designation followed directions from the national courts, meaning the regulatory body had no choice but to formalize the dominant provider classification. “They did what the court had been saying, BTL is a dominant operator and as such they had to do that, to declare that,” Briceño explained.
When reporters asked if the government would move to support a repeal of the Statutory Instrument (SI) that enshrines BTL’s dominant provider status, Briceño tied the question to longstanding public demands for stable telecommunications pricing. Pointing out that widespread public opposition to price hikes has been a core demand from labor unions and the general public, the prime minister noted that the dominant provider classification is a critical tool for preventing excessive price increases. “You all have been saying you don’t want prices to go up… BTL is a dominant operator and as such they had to do that,” he said.
Briceño also addressed growing market concerns that Speednet could deliberately undercut BTL’s pricing to gain market share following the collapsed merger. He clarified that the existing SI only imposes restrictions on price increases for dominant providers, not price cuts. “What the SI says is that they cannot raise their prices, but of course a company can reduce its prices,” he confirmed.