amend its licence and provide wireless Internet links without using phone lines. Mairi Mallon reports Internet providers North Rock will have to wait up to a month to hear if they can bring ultra-high speed wireless Internet links to the Island, it was revealed yesterday.

Two rival companies lodged appeals to block an extended licence -- which could allow North Rock to move into the off-shore e-commerce market -- at a public hearing in Hamilton yesterday morning.

If North Rock's application succeeds, it will give homes and businesses super-fast Internet access which does not need telephone lines. The technology they would use works through radio waves and will dispense with dial-up facilities.

North Rock has signed an exclusive agreement with a listed Canadian company WaveRider Communications Inc., which will supply new wireless communications products and services in Bermuda.

The ambitious plans would make Bermuda one of the first countries in the world to have wireless Internet access.

If the licence is granted, personal and business users in Bermuda will have an Internet speed up to 100 times faster than the current dial-up access and will have no involvement with telephone companies which deliver them.

Yesterday North Rock made a presentation to the panel of the Telecommunications Commission to have its licence amended.

Watched by a gallery of rival companies, a team of directors and legal advisors gave detailed company plans explaining why the request was being made.

But before proceedings started two appeals against the bid were made by BTC and Quantum Communications.

North Rock, which has provided Internet access to businesses and homes on the Island since 1997, wants to change its licence to allow it to provide services directly rather than having to depend on carriers such as BTC or Quantum.

Yesterday Quantum tried to block proceedings and asked for more time to review documents presented to the hearing and asked for detailed financial disclosure from North Rock.

Tim Marshall, representing Quantum, said: "The public has to have the right to digest the information and the information they have kept away from the public ought to be disclosed.'' Internet ruling expected soon BTC cited legal reasons as to why the bid could not go ahead and asked for an adjournment and also asked for disclosure of accounts.

But Trevor Moniz, the legal representative for North Rock, said that the company had provided the information as soon as it had been requested and asked that this not delay proceedings any further.

Mr. Moniz said: "It is not the fault of the applicant that the information came at this late date.'' He added on the matter of financial disclosure: "We strongly urge that this remains confidential to the commission. We do not wish this to become a fishing expedition for our competitors.'' After the panel retired for consideration, Chairman William Francis, decided to go ahead with the hearing, but allowed Quantum seven days in which to consider the new information now before them.

He said he believed that there had been "ample time to ask for the information'' which had been available since September 7, but said: "In the interest of fairness I will allow time for a review of the material.'' Mr. Francis gave a further seven-day period in which North Rock could respond to any objections lodged by Quantum. After this it could take another two weeks before the panel reached a decision.

He rejected the appeal on legal grounds by BTC by general counsel Alison Gracie for an adjournment and financial disclosure.

At the hearing North Rock said the "weak link'' in Bermuda's telecommunications industry was the second class local loop providers and added the quality of dial-up facilities was inconsistent with timely installation of dial-up residential access.

North Rock also said there was a lack of infrastructure to deliver dedicated frame relay circuits and that existing facilities did not meet demand.

Finally, it claimed that local loop providers were not allowing North Rock to introduce new high-speed technologies and value-added services.

Tom Coelho, General Manager of North Rock, said after the hearing: "I am very pleased that in spite of last minute procedural objections by BTC and Quantum, the commission has seen through our competitors' tactics to delay the introduction of competitive services to the Bermudian market place.

"The licence amendment will permit North Rock to deliver high speed wireless Internet access throughout Bermuda.'' If successful in their application, North Rock plans to introduce the commercial service immediately, with residential Internet services planned in the second quarter of next year.

Trevor Moniz