Making phone calls in Belize

I am not aware of many folks having landlines.  I purchased a cell phone from Smart and pay as I use my minutes.  I also purchased a hotspot called a mi-fi made my Verizon for internet  service. Initially I purchased minutes from Smart for it but now use BTL.   I have since unlocked my iphone and will be purchasing a sim card from BLT to allow me to use my iphone.  I pay approximately $90 BZ per month for my phone.

You mentioned that you bought a Verizon hot spot. Was that purchased in Belize?

I live in Corozal. I do not have, nor do I recommend a land line unless you have a business and need it. I have a Belize cell phone through Smart phone company. I started out on a monthly plan where I got 200 minutes a month for $56.25BZD. I switched to pay for minutes as I go, because I seldom use many minutes.
I do have a US based phone through Republic Wireless. It works similar to Magic Jack, except it is completely portable. All I need is access to WiFi and I can call the US and Canada free. The cost for the WiFi connection service is $5US a month. With tax it comes to $6.12. What is so nice is that I can take it to the states, add cell phone service and the cost only goes up to $10 plus tax a month. You can switch it back and forth twice a month. Two draw backs: you have to buy their phone, they have two to choose from. the other is that the phone has to be set up in the states. Any friend can set up the phone but you still have to have it shipped here, unless you go there.
I have a friend that has Magic Jack. We talk on our US phones and it does not cost a dime! There is no international service, so calling a Belize number won't work.
A couple plugs: Best car rental in Corozal, http://CorozalCarRental.com 
                         Belize want ads,  http://BelizeClassifiedAdds.com

Hi. I'm not familiar with the acronyms. But, what is BTL or BLT when it comes to cell phone. I used Magic Jack when I was there. I will be using it when my home gets built.

BTL Belize Telephone Limited

We used to have a land line as it was the only way to access internet. Lots of people still have landlines.
Now that we moved to where we no longer have access to a BTL (Belize Telemedia Limited) line, we use our factory unlocked IPhones with post paid BTL plans.
We have lost too many numbers and credit when we were pre paid, as we are quite often away more than 3 months.
With post paid we keep our numbers no matter how long we are away, and never have to worry about running out of credit.
We don't pay much more on post paid plans than we did with pre paid.
At home, we use Viber, FaceTime and Skype via our internet provider/wifi.
BTL used to allow a no fee disconnect while away and a no fee reconnect, so you kept your number. They still do that, but they "take" your number and "reserve" it for, again, a no fee dis/reconnect.
So there are lots of different options, and that's just with BTL. Just depends on your needs, location and what you are willing to pay.

Does anyone use a VOIP service like Magic Jack?

I use Magic Jack on a Smart wifi and have been having a great deal of trouble, Smart is very slow 3 months to respond and I am probably going to try BTL for my internet. connectivity is the problem.
Most calls if over 10 min get dropped or just get so bad its not worth it.
Don't know the reason for it but can't wait forever for Smart to do something.

Getting a land line in Belize is not necessary unless you are needing it for a fax machine.  Most people in Belize use one of two cell phone services, Smart or Digicell which can either be on a plan or prepaid.  You need to provide proof of address in Belize to obtain a plan. You can purchase the phone without a plan and simply add credit to the phone as you need. The phone credit if not used lasts for approximately 45 days. You can add credit anytime from almost any store to extend the date once again.  The rates aren't to bad. Some people use the Magic Jack voip service but it has been known to be cut off.  You an use other protocols such as Skype Whatsapp and Viber as well.

I use digicell with an unlocked nexus 5 phone I bought stateside. Had to get sim chip cut to size at BTL

I buy credit on double triple days so $50 credit gets me 150 and that usually lasts till the next time around.
I pay 39.99 to have 2 gigs a month internet on  my phone and think it is worth it. Then I pay 129.99 for home internet.

Use skyle and gchat sometimes at home as ways of talking.

BTL does not require you to have a landline anymore (thankfully)

Hola, are you talking US, or Belizan currency?

Belize dollars sorry I forgot to add that.

Don't be sorry, Half price!

having tried various alternatives, I can recommend the smart dongle at B$30 a month for the basic service, B$50 for twice the capacity.  this gives access to the new skype system,  a great improvement on the earlier service.   this assumes some sort of internet access.   skype offers an automatic top up, or a monthly subscription.     call any phone , almost any where.    computer to computer is free.
in another life we use a sattelite link, the dongle is not very much slower.      i have used the dongle all over Belize, though there are a few  areas  with no signal.  if incoming calls are important, a skype enabled phone is probally the answer.

Thank you.

That is very helpful! What do you do for internet access?

TL offers internet access as well as phone.  I think we paid about $75 per month BZ.  Speed varies but generally it is pretty reliable.  We have used it with both a wired connection in our apartment and with a hotspot device which we purchased previously from SMART.