In a stunning display of strategic growth that closes out the company’s latest five-year business cycle, Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has announced a jaw-dropping 581% surge in net profits between 2020 and 2026, a milestone unveiled at the telecom giant’s 20th Annual General Meeting.
Five years ago, at the start of the current leadership term, BTL posted a net profit of just $5.4 million. By the close of the 2025/2026 fiscal year, that figure had skyrocketed to a historic $36.9 million. This remarkable growth extends far beyond paper gains: company executives confirmed that operational expansion, customer base growth, and improved shareholder returns have all accompanied the bottom-line surge, marking what leaders call one of the strongest performance periods in BTL’s 20-year history.
BTL Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga broke down the full scope of the company’s gains for attendees at the meeting, noting that nearly every key financial metric has seen dramatic improvement over the half-decade. “Earnings per share increased tenfold, jumping from 7 cents to 70 cents,” Lizarraga explained. “Annual revenue grew at an average rate of 4% year-over-year, reaching $164.9 million by the end of the period. Return on equity climbed from just 1.9% to 15%, outpacing even our most ambitious internal targets. This shift reflects a vastly improved ability to turn shareholder investment into consistent, sustainable earnings and long-term institutional value.”
BTL CEO Ivan Tesucum echoed that optimism, highlighting the dramatic turnaround in the company’s balance sheet that accompanied the profit surge. “We have boosted the organization’s overall earnings power by 6.8 times, and grown return on equity eightfold,” Tesucum noted. “Most striking is the shift in our cash position: five years ago, BTL held a net debt position of $35.8 million. Today, we hold $45.9 million in net cash. That’s an $81.7 million swing in just five years – that is tremendous.”
Alongside its financial gains, BTL has invested heavily in expanding its network and service offerings across Belize over the past five years. The company built 41 new mobile cell sites, extended broadband access to 47,000 additional households, and repositioned itself as Belize’s only full-service “five-play” provider, offering customers integrated mobile, broadband, fixed-line, television, and fintech services.
With record profits now official, industry observers and customers alike are turning their attention to what this milestone means for stakeholders going forward. The key question remaining is how BTL will translate this unprecedented financial success into tangible improvements for customers, more competitive service offerings, and sustained long-term returns for shareholders.