WORLD TRADE GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
11April 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-1424)
Trade inServices
BELIZE
Schedule ofSpecific Commitments
Supplement 1
(This isauthentic inEnglish only)
_______________
Thistextisinserted astheTelecommunication services section indocument GATS/SC/10.GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page2BELIZE -SCHEDULE OFSPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional Commitments
2. COMMUNICATION
SERVICESSeeattached addition
commitments onregulatory
disciplines.
C. Telecommunications
services
Allsub-sectors (1),(3)Subject totheavailability ofthe
desired frequency.
(a) Voice telephone services
excluding trunked radio
service (7521)(1) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator.
Callback andrefile notpermitted.
Bypass ofthenetwork ofexisting
exclusive operator notpermitted.(1) None
(f) Facsimile services
(7521**, 7529**)(2) None (2) None
(3) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator. (3) Articles ofAssociation ofBelize
Telecommunications Limited limit share
holding toanyoneentity to25%.
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.
(b) Packet-switched data
transmission services
(7523**)(1) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator.
Bypass ofthenetwork ofexisting
exclusive operator notpermitted.(1) None
(c) Circuit-switched data
transmission services
(7523**)(2) None (2) None
(d) Telex services (7523**) (3) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator. (3) Articles ofAssociation ofBelize
Telecommunications Limited limit share
holding toanyoneentity to25%.
(e) Telegraph services (7522) (4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page3Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional Commitments
(g) Private leased circuit
services (7522**, 7523**)
(h) Electronic mail(7523**)
(i) Voice mail (7523**)
(j) Enhanced/Value added
facsimile services
including store and
forward, store andretrieve
(7523**)
(o) Other
Internet andinternet
services (except voice)
(75260)
(j) On-line information and
database retrieval (7523**)(1) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
until December 30,2007 andthereafter
onlythrough facilities supplied bythe
existing exclusive operator providing
voice telephone services (7521).(1) None
(k) Electronic datainterchange
(7523**)(2) None (2) None
(m) Code andprotocol
conversion(3) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
until December 30,2007 andthereafter
onlythrough facilities supplied bythe
existing exclusive operator providing
voice telephone services (7521).(3) Unbound
(n) On-line information and/or
dataprocessing (including
transaction processing)
(843**)(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page4Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional Commitments
(o) Other
Trunked radio service
(75213*)(1) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
until December 30,2002.(1) None
(2) None (2) None
(3) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
until December 30,2002, and
thereafter, onlythrough joint venture
arrangement withBelizean national.(3) Unbound
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.
Paging (75291) (1) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
providing voice telephone services
(7521) until December 30,2007.(1) None
(2) None (2) None
(3) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
providing voice telephone services
(7521) until December 30,2007, and
thereafter, onlythrough joint venture
arrangement withBelizean national.(3) Unbound
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.
Tele-conferencing services
(75292)(1) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
until December 30,2002, andthereafter
onlythrough facilities supplied bythe
existing exclusive operator providing
voice telephone services (7521).(1) None
(2) None (2) NoneGATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page5Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional Commitments
(3) Reserved toexisting exclusive operator
until December 30,2002 andthereafter
onlythrough facilities supplied bythe
existing exclusive operator providing
voice telephone services (7521).(3) Unbound
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page6
REFERENCE PAPER
Scope
Thefollowingaredefinitionsandprinciplesontheregulatoryframeworkforthebasictelecommunications
services.
Definitions
Users mean service consumers andservice suppliers.
Essential facilities mean facilities ofapublic telecommunications transport network orservice that
(a) areexclusively orpredominantly provided byasingle orlimited number ofsuppliers;
and
(b) cannot feasibly beeconomically ortechnically substituted inorder toprovide aservice.
Amajor supplier isasupplier which hastheability tomaterially affect theterms ofparticipation (having
regard toprice andsupply) intherelevant market forbasic telecommunications services asaresult
of:
(a) control overessential facilities; or
(b) useofitsposition inthemarket.
1. Competitive safeguards
1.1 Prevention ofanti-competitive practices intelecommunications
Appropriate measures shallbemaintained forthepurpose ofpreventing suppliers who, alone
ortogether, areamajor supplier from engaging inorcontinuing anti-competitive practices.
1.2 Safeguards
Theanti-competitive practices referred toabove shallinclude inparticular:
(a) engaging inanti-competitive cross-subsidization;
(b) using information obtained from competitors withanti-competitive results; and
(c) notmaking available toother services suppliers onatimely basistechnical information
about essential facilities andcommercially relevant information which arenecessary
forthem toprovide services.GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page7
2. Interconnection
2.1 Thissection applies tolinking withsuppliers providing public telecommunications transport
networks orservices inorder toallow theusers ofonesupplier tocommunicate withusers ofanother
supplier and toaccess services provided byanother supplier, where specific commitments are
undertaken.
2.2 Interconnection tobeensured
Interconnection withamajor supplier willbeensured atanytechnically feasible point inthe
network. Such interconnection isprovided.
(a) under non-discriminatory terms, conditions (including technical standards and
specifications) andratesandofaquality nolessfavourable thanthatprovided forits
ownlikeservices orforlikeservices ofnon-affiliated service suppliers orforits
subsidiaries orother affiliates;
(b) inatimely fashion, onterms, conditions (including technical standards and
specifications) andcost-oriented ratesthataretransparent, reasonable, having regard
toeconomic feasibility, andsufficiently unbundled sothatthesupplier neednotpay
fornetwork components orfacilities thatitdoesnotrequire fortheservice tobe
provided; and
(c) upon request, atpoints inaddition tothenetwork termination points offered tothe
majority ofusers, subject tocharges thatreflect thecostofconstruction ofnecessary
additional facilities.
2.3 Public availability oftheprocedures forinterconnection negotiations
Theproceduresapplicableforinterconnectiontoamajorsupplierwillbemadepubliclyavailable.
2.4 Transparency ofinterconnection arrangements
Itisensured thatamajor supplier willmake publicly available either itsinterconnection
agreements orareference interconnection offer.
2.5 Interconnection: dispute settlement
Aservice supplier requesting interconnection withamajor supplier willhaverecourse, either:
(a) atanytimeor
(b) afterareasonable period oftimewhich hasbeenmade publicly known
toanindependent domestic body, which maybearegulatory bodyasreferred toinparagraph 5below,
toresolve disputes regarding appropriate terms, conditions andrates forinterconnection within a
reasonable period oftime, totheextent thatthese havenotbeenestablished previously.GATS/SC/10/Suppl.1
Page8
3. Universal service
AnyMemberhastherighttodefinethekindofuniversalserviceobligationitwishestomaintain.
Such obligations willnotberegarded asanti-competitive perse,provided theyareadministered in
atransparent, non-discriminatory andcompetitively neutral manner andarenotmore burdensome than
necessary forthekindofuniversal service defined bytheMember.
4. Public availability oflicensing criteria
Where alicence isrequired, thefollowing willbemade publicly available:
(a) allthelicensing criteria andtheperiod oftimenormally required toreach adecision
concerning anapplication foralicence and
(b) theterms andconditions ofindividual licences.
Thereasons forthedenial ofalicence willbemade known totheapplicant upon request.
5. Independent regulators
Theregulatory body isseparate from, andnotaccountable to,anysupplier ofbasic
telecommunications services. Thedecisions ofandtheprocedures usedbyregulators shallbeimpartial
withrespect toallmarket participants.
6. Allocation anduseofscarce resources
Anyprocedures fortheallocation anduseofscarce resources, including frequencies, numbers
andrightsofway,willbecarriedoutinanobjective,timely,transparentandnon-discriminatorymanner.
Thecurrent stateofallocated frequency bands willbemade publicly available, butdetailed identification
offrequencies allocated forspecific government usesisnotrequired.