WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/DCS/W/BLZ
24 January 2003
(03-0469)
Trade in Services Original:  English
BELIZE
Draft consolidated Schedule of Specific Commitments1
Attached is a draft consolidated version of the Schedule of Specific Commitments of Belize
in word format.  This document  does not substitute for the legally binding commitments undertaken
by Belize in its Schedule of Specific Commitments (GATS/SC/10; GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1)
The draft consolidated version of the Schedule was prepared by the Secretariat, at the request
of Members, to facilitate the process of negotiations, including the presentation of initial offers.
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1 This document has been prepared, in English only, under the Secretariat's own responsibility and without
prejudice to the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO.S/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 2 Mode of Supply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or Sub-sector Limitations on Market Access Limit ations on National Treatment Additional Commitments
I. HORIZONTAL COMMITMENTS
ALL SECTORS
INCLUDED IN THIS
SCHEDULE
4)  Unbound, except for senior managerial 
personnel and technical experts not available in the local labour market.4)  None, with respect to categories of persons 
indicated in market access.  Unbound for all other categories of persons.
II. SECTOR SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
1. BUSINESS SERVICES
A. Professional Services
General Medical Services(CPC 93121)1) None
2) None3) None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measures1) None
2) None3) None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measures
Neuro-surgery 1) None
2) None3) None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measures
Epidemiological services 1) None
2) None3) None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measures1) None
2) None3) None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measuresS/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 3Mode of Supply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or Sub-sector Limitations on Market Access Limit ations on National Treatment Additional Commitments
CATSCAN series 1) None
2) None3) None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measures1)  None
2)  None3)  None4) Unbound except as indicated under
horizontal measures
2. COMMUNICATION
SERVICES
C. Telecommunication
Services
All sub-sectors 1),3) Subject to the availability of the
desired frequency.See attached 
additional commitments on regulatory disciplines.
(a) Voice telephone services
excluding trunked radio
service (CPC 7521)
(f) Facsimile services
(CPC 7521**, CPC
7529**)1) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator .Callback and refile not
permitted. Bypass of the networkof existing exclusive operator notpermitted.
2) None
3) Reserved to existing exclusive operator.
4) Unbound except as indicated in the horizontal
section.1) None
2) None
3) Articles of Association of Belize
Telecommunications Limited limit shareholding to any one entity to 25%.
4) Unbound except as indicated in the horizontal
section.
(b) Packet-switched data
transmission services(CPC 7523**)1) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator.Bypass of the network of existingexclusive operator not permitted.1) NoneS/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 4Mode of Supply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or Sub-sector Limitations on Market Access Limit ations on National Treatment Additional Commitments
(c) Circuit-switched data
transmission services(CPC 7523**)
(d) Telex services
(CPC 7523**)2) None
3) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator2) None
3) Articles of Association of Belize
Telecommunications Limited limit shareholding to any one entity to 25%.
(e) Telegraph services
(CPC 7522)
(g) Private leased circuit
services(CPC 7522**, CPC7523**)
(h) Electronic mail
(CPC 7523**)
(l) Voice mail (CPC 7523**)(j) Enhanced/Value added
facsimile services includingstore and forward, store andretrieve
(CPC 7523**)4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.
(o) Other
Internet and internetservices
(except voice)
(CPC 75260)
(j) On-line information and 
database retrieval(CPC 7523**)1) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator until December 30, 2007and thereafter only through facilities
supplied by the existing exclusive
operator providing voice telephoneservices (CPC 7521).1) None
(k) Electronic data interchange
(CPC 7523**)2) None 2) NoneS/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 5Mode of Supply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or Sub-sector Limitations on Market Access Limit ations on National Treatment Additional Commitments
(m) Code and protocol
conversion3) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator until December 30, 2007and thereafter only through facilitiessupplied by the existing exclusiveoperator providing voice telephoneservices (CPC 7521).3) Unbound
(n) On-line information and/or
data processing (including
transaction processing)(CPC 843**)4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.
(o) Other
Trunked radio service
(CPC 75213*)1) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator until December 30, 2002.
2) None
3) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator until December 30, 2002,and thereafter, only through jointventure arrangement with Belizeannational.
4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.1) None
2) None
3) Unbound
4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.
Paging (CPC 75291) 1) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator providing voice telephone
services CPC (7521) until December
30, 2007.
2) None3) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator providing voice telephoneservices CPC (7521) until December
30, 2007, and thereafter, only
through joint venture arrangementwith Belizean national.
4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.1) None
2) None
3) Unbound
4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.S/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 6Mode of Supply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or Sub-sector Limitations on Market Access Limit ations on National Treatment Additional Commitments
Tele-conferencing services
(CPC 75292)1) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator until December 30, 2002,and thereafter only through facilitiessupplied by the existing exclusiveoperator providing voice telephoneservices (CPC 7521).1) None
2) None
3) Reserved to existing exclusive
operator until December 30, 2002,and thereafter only through facilitiessupplied by the existing exclusiveoperator providing voice telephoneservices (CPC 7521).
4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.2) None
3) Unbound
4) Unbound except as indicated in the
horizontal section.S/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 7
REFERENCE PAPER
Scope
The following are definitions and principles on the regulatory framework for the basic
telecommunications services.
Definitions
Users mean service consumers and service suppliers.
Essential facilities mean facilities of a public te lecommunications transport network or service that
(a) are exclusively or predominantly prov ided by a single or limited number of 
suppliers;  and
(b) cannot feasibly be economically or technically substituted in order to provide a 
service.
A major supplier is a supplier which has the ability to materially affect the terms of participation (having
regard to price and supply) in the relevant market for basic telecommunications services as a result of:
(a) control over essential facilities;  or(b) use of its position in the market.
1. Competitive safeguards
1.1 Prevention of anti-competitive practices in telecommunications
Appropriate measures shall be maintained for the purpose of preventing suppliers who, alone or
together, are a major supplier from engaging in or continuing anti-competitive practices.
1.2 Safeguards
The anti-competitive practices referred to above shall include in particular:
(a) engaging in anti-competitive cross-subsidization;(b) using information obtained from compe titors with anti-competitive results;  and
(c) not making available to other servi ces suppliers on a timely basis technical
information about essential facilities and commercially relevant information 
which are necessary for them to provide services.
2. Interconnection
2.1 This section applies to linking with supplie rs providing public telecommunications transport
networks or services in order to allow the users of one supplier to communicate with users of another
supplier and  to access services provided by another supplier, where specific commitments are
undertaken.S/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 8
2.2 Interconnection to be ensured
Interconnection with a major supplier will be ensured at any technically feasible point in the
network.  Such interconnection is provided.
(a) under non-discriminatory terms, conditi ons (including technical standards and 
specifications) and rates and of a quality no less favourable than that provided for its own like services or for like services of non-affiliated service suppliers 
or for its subsidiaries or other affiliates;
(b) in a timely fashion, on terms, conditions  (including techni cal standards and 
specifications) and cost-oriented rates that are transparent, reasonable, having regard to economic feasibility, and sufficiently unbundled so that the supplier 
need not pay for network components or facilities that it does not require for 
the service to be provided;  and
(c) upon request, at points in addition to the network termination points offered to 
the majority of users, subject to charges that reflect the cost of construction of 
necessary additional facilities.
2.3 Public availability of the procedures for interconnection negotiations
The procedures applicable for interconnection to a major supplier will be made publicly
available.
2.4 Transparency of interconnection arrangements
It is ensured that a major supplier will make publicly available either its interconnection
agreements or a reference interconnection offer.
2.5 Interconnection:  dispute settlement
A service supplier requesting interconnection with a major supplier will have recourse, either:
(a) at any time or
(b) after a reasonable period of time which has been made publicly known
to an independent domestic body, which may be a regulatory body as referred to in paragraph 5 below,
to resolve disputes regarding appropriate terms,  conditions and rates for interconnection within a
reasonable period of time, to the extent that these have not been established previously.
3. Universal service
Any Member has the right to define the kind of universal service obligation it wishes to
maintain.  Such obligations will not be regarded as anti-competitive per se , provided they are
administered in a transparent, non-discriminatory  and competitively neutral manner and are not more
burdensome than necessary for the kind of universal service defined by the Member.
4. Public availability of licensing criteria
Where a licence is required, the following will be made publicly available:S/DCS/W/BLZ
Page 9
(a) all the licensing criteria and the period of time normally required to reach a 
decision concerning an application for a licence  and
(b) the terms and conditions of  individual licences.
The reasons for the denial of a licence will be made known to the applicant upon request.
5. Independent regulators
The regulatory body is separate from, and not accountable to, any supplier of basic
telecommunications services. The decisions of and the procedures used by regulators shall be impartial
with respect to all market participants.
6. Allocation and use of scarce resources
Any procedures for the allocation and use of scarce resources, including frequencies, numbers
and rights of way, will be carried out in an ob jective, timely, transparent and non-discriminatory
manner. The current state of allocated frequency bands will be made publicly available, but detailedidentification of frequencies allocated for specific government uses is not required.
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