A glitch in US telephone systems will prevent some callers from reaching Bermuda when the Island's new 441 area code comes into effect in October.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the complication lies in the automated switchboards, called PBXs, used by most large American companies.

In the 1940s when the area code system was designed, the codes were designed with only ones and zeros as their middle digits.

Today those numbers have been exhausted and new area codes have been put in place with middle digits of two to nine.

But PBX switchboards are designed to suit the old area codes. They can only read and dial numbers with a one or zero as the middle digit of the area code.

This will, as of October, leave someone trying to contact Bermuda through a PBX switchboard in the US with a message to check the number and dial again.

AT&T estimated it would cost between $850 and $17,500 to upgrade its PBXs.

Some companies had to scrap their entire systems and buy a new ones, costing some $100,000 each.

Costs vary depending on the age of the equipment. The older the equipment, the more expensive it is to fix.

To change every one of the estimated 400,000 PBXs in the US would cost millions, telecommunications experts said.

But eventually, all the nation's 400,000 PBXs must be scrapped or upgraded as other new area codes are activated, the experts said.

Until that happens, Bermuda will be shut off from many long-distance incoming calls.

Yesterday, Technology Minister the Hon. Grant Gibbons said he was not familiar with the problem.

But at least one local company has expressed concern.

Bank of Bermuda Telecommunications Manager Roland Lines said: "In terms of people and customers not being able to call Bermuda...I think that is pretty obvious. That's not a good sign.'' He also said: "From a business perspective, we have a project underway to prepare our systems for the new area codes, but no incoming calls, that's new to me.'' But Cable & Wireless (Bermuda) spokesman Mr. John Instone said neither his company nor the Bermuda Telephone Company Limited anticipated a similar problem in Bermuda.

"In fact,'' he said, "Telco has already addressed the problem of updating the PBXs they have supplied in Bermuda,'' Mr. Instone said. "We also understand PBX manufacturers have sent out advisories to all their distributors regarding the number changes.'' Mr. Instone also said from October 1 -- when the new area code will come into effect -- to September 30, 1996 both the 441 and the 809 area codes will "run in parallel''.

"We are confident that the PBX problems in the US will have been rectified by that time,'' he added.