Bermuda?s two main overseas telephone providers are bidding to join the residential Internaet service market at a hearing today.

The Telecommunications Commission is to hear submissions in response to applications made by TeleBermuda International and Cable & Wireless ? both of which already provide corporate Internet access ? to move into the residential market.

TBI and C&W applied in writing to Telecommunications Minister Michael Scott earlier in the year.

And separately, two other communications companies have also petitioned Government for changes to their licences related to Internet-carrying technologies.

There has been a moratorium since 2002 on the granting of residential ISP ? referred to as ?Class C? ? licenses but now the entire telecommunications licensing scheme could come under review.

Government has begun the processing of weighing industry opinion, having invited the sector?s senior executives to a two-day roundtable last month.

Some in the industry say that Bermuda licensing classifications are outdated now that new technologies mean companies can offer multiple services, and that new technologies are creating more convergence between voice and data communication offerings.

Both TBI and C&W have previously been successful in asking Government to let them into the residential Internet Service Provider (ISP) market on the Island.

TBI, filing its request with the Minister on August 15, said it was at a competitive disadvantage without permission to be a residential provider, particularly in relation to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), that allows calls to be made over the Internet for a fraction of what they cost over telephone lines.

And C&W said it wanted to over residential Internet access over either a Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) or dial-up, as well as specialist web hosting services. The customer would be responsible for supplying their own DSL or telephone lines.

C&W?s one page submission posted on the Department of Telecommunications website appears to have been filed two months after TBI first made its bid.

No one from either company could yesterday be reached for comment.

Some in the industry said C&W may have made its own bid in response to TBI?s application, not wanting to be left behind if the closed area was opened.

But the general feeling was that the applications, which would likely have to stand-up to heavy scrutiny in a public hearing, were unlikely to be successful, at least for now.

Government did invite other ?Class C? carriers to submit their views on the applications, and it is believed this may be part of what will be reviewed by the Commission today.

None of the representatives yesterday reached by The Royal Gazette were willing to comment until the Commission considers their submissions.

The deadline for submissions to the TBI and C&W applications was last Friday.

There are currently five local ISPs licensed to be in the home market: Fort Knox, iTech Limited, Logic Communications Ltd., North Rock Communications Ltd. and Transact E.Biz Ltd.

iTech is not known to actively be using its licence. It had planned to offer both commercial and residential Internet access via a satellite feed.

Meanwhile, CableVision ? which already has permission to be a ?carrier of carriers? ? has petitioned the Minister for permission to extend the scope of its offering, including permission to set up Wide Area Networks (WANs) that would allow point to point data communications within Bermuda.

This could enable employees to ?telecommute? from home offices, to allow remote camera monitoring for security or business reasons, and even to allow network video gaming, the company said.

As a ?carrier of carriers?, CableVision can allow for data communications over a cable line but the customer still has to actually subscribe to an ISP for the actual Internet service.

And Bermuda Digital Communications, the parent company of Cellular One, is asking the Telecommunications Commission to allow it to offer Bermuda public Internet access and IP-related services.

The company previously landed in hot water when it launched a new Internet product marketed as the Bull that was ruled to be outside the terms and conditions of its existing licence.