The Island’s telecoms providers will finally be able to offer bundled services to customers from next March.Bermuda’s first Integrated Communications Operating Licences (ICOLs) will be issued in less than a year, Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Marc Bean announced at a news conference yesterday. He added he was confident the litigation surrounding Digicel’s long distance launch would be settled by then.”I can commit to issuing an ICOL no later than March 31, 2013,” Mr Bean said. “As the Ministry fully engages and mobilises the technical and professional expertise in the coming months, we shall be working diligently to deliver in advance of this critical date. In this regard, I shall provide an update at the beginning of October this year. However, there is much to be done between now and then and the support of the industry will be pivotal to our ability to hit this target.”Mr Bean said he would like to be able to issue ICOLs sooner than next March, ackowledging the industry had outpaced the current legislation, and he planned to continue to work towards issuing licences by December, however, he said, next March was considered the most realistic date.“Issuing the first ICOL remains a major milestone of the telecommunications reform but, in order to get to that stage, there are a number of significant steps that will be accomplished along the way,” he said.The long-awaited passage of the Electronics Communications Act and the Regulatory Authority Act in November 2011 paved the way for the Government’s planned telecoms overhaul to allow providers to offer bundled services under one monthly bill such as phone, internet, TV and wireless.“It is well known that product and service developments as well as customer expectations in this industry have outpaced the current legislative framework and hence the introduction of these two Acts.,” Mr Bean said.Mr Bean also noted half million dollars in funding was allocated to his Ministry so that the implementation plans for reform would be funded as required.“The Ministry has already begun the search for a chief executive officer to head up and lead the soon-to-be established Regulatory Authority,” he said. “This local and international search has identified a healthy range of qualified candidates and I expect that I will be able to make an announcement regarding the appointment of that officer towards the end of July this year.“The appointment of a chief executive officer will signal another major milestone along this road to reform. The CEO will have full responsibility for breathing life into the Regulatory Authority. The CEO will be supported by a team of professional staff with expertise in the fields of law, engineering and economics.“In addition, the Minister of Justice Senator the Hon. Kim Wilson JP will soon appoint the four Telecommunications Commissioners as set out in the recently passed legislation.“Going forward, we plan to retain the services of private sector expertise in the field of telecommunications law and economics. This support will translate into the production and delivery of another set of key milestones to progress the reform in the industry. Furthermore, this support demonstrates and affirms the commitment from this Ministry, on behalf of the Government of Bermuda, to attracting and retaining foreign direct investment in this critical industry.“This private sector support, which has been sourced from both the United States and the United Kingdom, will be responsible for providing the needed expertise to deliver the final products attached to the major work streams that will define the progress towards reform. These include an economic assessment of the current market and the dominant positions held by particular players. This assessment will confirm where the significant market power lies and will in turn inform the process of establishing the structure and content of the future licences.”Mr Bean said there will also be a comprehensive spectrum audit in the next few months.“The outcome of this work will be of major interest to the market as there is a spin off in the form of a new revenue stream for Bermuda. I expect that these steps would be completed over the next few months,” he said.