fall on December 1.

Cable & Wireless and the Bermuda Telephone Company will now put the lower rates to the Telecommunications Commission to be rubber-stamped.

It is the second time that international call rates have been lowered this year, and the third time in two years.

Direct dial calls to the United States, except Hawaii and Alaska, will be dropped to as little as 80 cents per minute during the economy hours from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. -- a 10 cents reduction.

The full rate for a call to the US will be reduced from $1.25 per minute to $1.15 per minute.

Callers to the United Kingdom and Canada will also benefit by reductions of 10 cents per minute during full rate periods.

Operator assisted calls will see significant reductions by as much as 46 percent in some cases.

In addition direct dial and operator assisted calls will fall by up to 50 cents per minute to over 110 destinations worldwide.