distance telephone rate reductions on a lone objection.

In announcing approval, of the rate reductions by the Telecommunications Commission, C&W said: " The new rates were originally proposed and gazetted in October and it was hoped to put them into effect in time for Christmas.

"Unfortunately, the Telecommunications Commission received an objection which delayed the introduction of the new rates.'' C&W published proposed changes on October 22 inviting any objections to be forwarded to the Department of Telecommunications within 21 days.

The application, made by C&W and the Bermuda Telephone Company Ltd. was approved by the commission on Monday, C&W said.

TeleBermuda International Ltd., the company granted a conditional telecommunications licence by the commission, filed the objection.

TeleBermuda president and CEO Mike Kedar could not be reached Tuesday.

Bermuda Stock Exchange-listed TeleBermuda plans to build an undersea fibre optic telecommunications cable linking Bermuda to the US. Phase two will take the cable on to Europe.

TeleBermuda, once operational, would compete with C&W, currently Bermuda's lone international telephone service provider.

Telecommunications Commission chairman Charles Collis preferred not to name the objector directly as the matter was not dealt with in an open meeting of the commission but his comments pointed directly to TeleBermuda.

"There was a major objection by another service provider,'' he said. "The basis of (the objection) was predatory pricing.'' But C&W's reductions are in "accordance with the desires and wishes of the commission''.

On predatory pricing, Mr. Collis said the commission felt that argument was thin because C&W reductions were not for calls to the UK, US and Canada.

Though these popular calling locations are not on the list, effective January 1, C&W will ring in reductions for calls to 86 countries.

Rate reductions range from 12 to 25 percent and include direct dialled and operator assisted calls to most Caribbean countries, Portugal and the Azores and the Philippines.

In one case, Austria, the rate falls 40 percent. Direct diallers to that country will pay $1.50 a minute. Back in it was $2.75. Currently, it is $2.50.

Rates for many European, Asian and Far East countries will also be lowered.