Mail and Telecommunications
Belizean postal services are perhaps the most efficient (and most expensive) in Central America. Sending letters , cards and parcels home is straightforward: a normal airmail letter takes around four days to reach the US, under eight days to Europe, and up to two weeks to Australia; parcels have to be wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. Belize has a modern (albeit expensive) phone system with payphones found throughout the country. The international country code for Belize is 501, used only when calling from outside the country. There are no area codes in Belize; wherever you are in the country you have to dial all seven figures of the telephone number. Since this system was only introduced in May 2002, you may find many brochures and business cards will still list the old number. The BTL (Belize Telecommunications Limited) website www.btl.net has a tool that converts the old number to the new one. In practice, however, this doesn't always work and cell phone numbers particularly appear not to be readily available. More number changes can be expected from 2003 onward, as BTL's monopoly comes to an end and long-suffering customers try out the competition. Most payphones now only accept phonecards , which can be used on any phone. These are widely available from BTL offices, hotels, shops and gas stations; to use them just scratch off the strip concealing the PIN, dial the access code (printed on the card), the PIN and then the number you're calling. Some rural areas are served by community telephones (nowadays often fixed cellular phones), usually located in a private house; you can either use a phonecard or pay the person who operates the phone. Calling home collect is easy using the Home Country Direct service, available at BTL offices, most payphones and larger hotels. Simply dial the access code (printed on some payphones and in the phone book) to connect with an operator in your home country. Most hotels and businesses now have fax machines and any BTL office will have a public fax you can use. Fax numbers are listed in the pink pages in the telephone directory. Belizean businesses and individuals are also avid users of email and the Internet , and Internet access is available in all the main towns and for guests at many hotels.
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