BTC partnered with Cisco utilising its Carrier Ethernet System, including the Cisco ASR 9000 Series to support new and upgraded services on a common IP infrastructure.

The Cisco Carrier Ethernet System is a pre-tested end-to-end network solution for service providers, minimizing the amount of time and technical resources required to test, implement, and validate the performance of the network.

Bermuda Telephone will also leverage Cisco’s Prime network management suite which will facilitate faster provisioning of customer services and reduce operational costs.

A statement from the Company said, “The PRISM network is a state of the art transport facility for data and voice communications. In the City of Hamilton it is a series of 5 fiber rings.

“This ring topology supports an automatic redirecting of information over to alternative routes should a break occur– this backup system is known as redundancy. Outside of Hamilton the fiber network extends to both ends of the island, although the ring structure is only in the City of Hamilton.”

CEO of BTC Lloyd Fray [pictured below] said, “International business is a primary driver of Bermuda’s economy, and reliable communications services play a vital role in that success. Many of the worlds most influential businesses call our shores home.

“As the islands largest communications provider, BTC is proud to be able to meet their needs. Our continued investment in local infrastructure tells the world that Bermuda is open for business and infinitely well equipped to service them.”

Mr. Fray continued, “PRISM is not only a secure, reliable platform for Hamilton businesses but also supports those challenged with multiple locations through the island, as the network extends to both the Eastern and Western ends of the island.

“Both the services and pricing of PRISM are highly scalable and will provide businesses of varying size and communications requirements with solutions that will assist them in making their day-to-day operations more efficient.

“The resulting partnership between BTC, Bermuda’s premier communications provider and Cisco, the world’s leading networking equipment vendor has resulted in the island’s most robust, furthest reaching network,” concluded Mr Fray.

Greg Skinner, Caribbean Area Manager, Cisco Systems, said, “We’re delighted that a Cisco Carrier Ethernet solution was selected by Bermuda Telephone Company for their new PRISM network.

“The new network will provide the foundation for highly available voice, video, data, and collaboration services both for BTC’s international business customers and local residents alike.”

Minister Bean’s full statement follows below:

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“This initiative is in keeping with Saltus’s vision to be at the forefront of technology integration in the classroom—it is about how to improve student learning,” says Headmaster Ted Staunton, noting recent research indicates elementary-age students score better on literacy tests after iPad learning than students not exposed to tablet technology. “We expect to see high levels of student motivation, engagement and learning.”

Starting this week, students aged four to seven, in Foundation Year through S2 at the school’s Lower Primary “Cavendish” Department in Devonshire, will use Apple iPad2s to reinforce the three “Rs”—reading, writing and arithmetic—as well as to learn non-traditional skills such as problem-solving, collaboration and using a variety of multimedia content. The programme aims to revolutionise the way its teachers and students interact in the classroom using the latest technologies.

“I believe we are the first school in Bermuda to bring iPads into the classroom, and we’re proud of that,” says Shelly Sayers, Director of the Lower Primary Department, who, with Saltus’s Director of IT, Trudy Bucher, has spent the past 15 months researching and preparing for the pilot programme’s launch.

“We strive to be a technology-rich school, and laptops, computer labs, SMART Boards, netbooks and wireless access are the norm at Saltus,” she says. “Adding iPads to this equation keeps us on the cutting edge and provides hands-on technology for our youngest students.

“The iPad is a tool that greatly enhances educational technology and allows for easy collaboration among teachers and students. It really seemed like something that could integrate seamlessly into the learning experience for the children.”

Saltus teachers are excited about the potential of a device that’s small, flexible, portable, visual and hands-on, especially when working with younger students. “We felt the iPad was a tool, which, because of its visual and hands-on design, would really be a natural fit for our youngest learners,” says Mrs. Sayers.

“We spent quite a bit of time preparing for this, but we had to get it right,” says Mrs. Bucher. “From installing wireless access points into all classrooms, to finding a local vendor that would provide on-Island support, to researching logistics of how to manage synching and charging, to finding the proper cases.

“From a technological standpoint, the introduction of iPads was a nobrainer, with no boot-up time, long battery life, no malware, free apps, and relatively low maintenance.”

Saltus purchased the iPads from A.F. Smith, an Apple Authorized Reseller in Bermuda. The company’s Apple specialist, Kenneth Pemberton, was on site to provide teachers with professional development during the rollout process. The school will conduct a pilot programme this term to allow teachers to become familiar with iPads. More research will be conducted on curriculum-enhancing apps prior to the next academic year.

“We must applaud Saltus for being pioneers for considering the value of moving to an iPadbased platform,” says Tim Smith, CEO at A.F. Smith. “During the pilot phase, we are confident the feedback will be positive. We have certainly enjoyed working with the Saltus team thus far and look forward to helping them meet their learning objectives.”

Since it was first launched in 2010, the Apple tablet has been incorporated into classrooms across North America and Europe.

Online trading is fast becoming the norm for many investors and LOM’s proprietary system, OPUS, will now allow clients to trade the equity markets anytime, anywhere. The initial roll out will be for equities in North America; however LOM plans to have the availability of worldwide equity trading soon.

Scott Lines, CEO of the LOM Group commented “We are delighted to introduce our online trading platform and look forward to working with our clients to further develop our online presence. Our aim is to provide a bespoke and user friendly platform for everyone, whatever the level of experience.”

Justin Cornell, VP & IT Operations Manager at LOM, stated,” This was a real labor of love and it’s great to finally see it out there for our clients to use. The big difference in this platform is that it is completely client driven. It is our clients that will drive the future development.”

LOM is a publicly-held, international financial services company, providing a complete range of investment services and products through its regulated subsidiaries in Bermuda and Bahamas. In business for 20 years, LOM today has nearly $1 billion in client assets under administration and provides brokerage, custody, asset management, and corporate finance services to its primarily high net-worth individual and institutional customers in over 75 countries around the world. LOM is publicly listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange.

The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation [BEDC], formerly the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation with the support of the Department of Ecommerce is offering a free e-business workshop beginning May 1 in the BEDC Training Room, Sophia House, Church Street, Hamilton.

The classes, facilitated by Anthony Ricketts, will lead you through the process of understanding e-business and cover the basics of domain name selection and registration, e-marketing, e-payments, and finally an e-business and website development plan.

Seasoned web development specialists from Aardvark Communications, and Bermuda Internet Marketing will be making guest presentations. Representatives from, The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Ltd. will also be present to talk about e-payments.

The classes are geared to small business owners, community organizations and non-profits, entrepreneurs, and any individuals interested in establishing their web presence.

The workshop will be held over a four week period from May 1 -22 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.  The course material will be broken down into 10 sessions covering a range of topics including e-business from business and technical perspectives in order to illustrate how it works and how business processes are transformed.

At the end of the workshop, the goal is to have each participant create their very own website.

There is a $20 registration fee, which will be refunded at the door. No-shows or persons more than 15 minutes late will not be refunded. Class size is limited, so sign-up todayhere or call 292-5570.  If you have any questions, e-mail them here.

The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation [BEDC] was established in 1980 as the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation.

This joint venture between Bermuda’s banks and the Government was formed to actively assist the development of a strong, well-managed and prosperous local business sector in Bermuda.   The key objective of the BEDC remains providing a broad range of business advice and financial assistance to local businesses in Bermuda.

Anthony Ricketts is a trained graphic designer and web developer who owns a boutique marketing agency in Jamaica.

Mr. Ricketts developed the Bricks to Clicks web training programme. He is currently employed as a Police Officer for the Bermuda Police Service and has agreed to donate Bricks to Clicks) products under limited license for the purposes of conducting a free e-business development seminar in Bermuda.

The new interconnection points give Logic two major entry points into Europe as well as access to the communications hub for offshore domiciles such as Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, providing a new low latency route and more diverse access to the European market from Bermuda.

The route is regarded as one of the most reliable routes available, whilst the new PoP is ideally positioned within one of Europe’s most important financial centres. Once the London PoP and new route go live in April 2012, they will be used to enhance support for Logic’s customers throughout the region.

Logic’s Head of Sales & Business Development, Ben Barlaba said, “The new route addresses an ever growing market for resilient, low latency services between the regions, which is being driven by the increasing global demand for high speed service capabilities to support operations such as low latency financial trading.”

Richard Munday, VP of International Business Development at KeyTech has this to add “The addition of Logic’s first European POP has allowed Logic direct access to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle Of Man. By forging relationships with carriers in the Channel Islands Region the aforementioned islands are a Virtual Local Area Network (V-LAN) away from Bermuda and Cayman. This substantially increases Logic’s foot print in the offshore market.”

Logic’s growing network provides a full suite of bandwidth services, Including Private Line, MPLS and IP Services that enable customers to connect into the major international financial exchanges as well as with business partners and branch offices worldwide.

The transaction closed on Friday, March 30, 2012.

The two companies will continue to be run separately.

The Voila business is attractive to Digicel for a number of reasons including its loyal customer base, its success in the Haitian market to date and its talented workforce.

Voila has been offering uninterrupted services in Haiti since September 1999 and currently serves nearly a million customers. Voila is widely recognised for bringing innovation to the telecom sector in Haiti and has redefined corporate social responsibility for foreign investors.

In December 2009, Voila and Trilogy received the “Award for Corporate Excellence” from Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in recognition of their commitment to social investment and their significant contributions to the economic development of Haiti.

Digicel meanwhile launched in Haiti in 2005 and, with its commitment to best value, network and service, today serves over 3.5 million customers there. Digicel has invested over $600 million in its operations in Haiti to date and the Digicel Haiti Foundation has completed 70 schools providing education to 30,000 Haitian children.

Commenting on the acquisition, Colm Delves, Digicel Group CEO, said; “We are pleased to welcome Voila customers and staff to the Digicel family. As proud Haitian companies, Digicel and Voila share one very important thing in common; we are both deeply committed to ensuring our respective customers benefit from the best mobile experience. Digicel’s acquisition of Voila will see mobile users across Haiti benefiting from increased investment in even better mobile services and new technology in the future.”

After almost eleven years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has over 11 million customers across its 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.

Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.

In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.

Its impact — the equivalent of a 500,000-megaton bomb blast — will splash out some 1,000 cubic miles of sea water and form a crater 15 miles across in the ocean floor.

Bermuda will be largely obliterated by the immediate impact blast — some 22,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August, 1945. Any remaining fragments of the island will be deluged by tidal waves 100 feet high which will sweep across coastal cities on both sides of the ocean, and earthquakes 100 times worse than any ever recorded will be felt all over the world.

Clearly, Icarus must be stopped. No expense will be spared.

This was the apocalyptic scenario of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Project Icarus in the mid-1960s, with students charting the hypothetical course of a rogue asteroid on a near-collision course with Bermuda — and conjuring with ways to prevent the catastrophe.

Astronomer Walter Baade used the 48-inch reflecting telescope at Palomar Observatory in southern California to capture mankind’s first image of asteroid 1566 Icarus on June 26, 1949.

Icarus, it was soon found, is unusual because its elliptical orbit takes it from the inner edge of the Main Asteroid Belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter to well within Mercury’s orbit.

Icarus needs 1.12 years to circle the Sun once. Every 19 years, always during the month of June, Icarus and Earth pass near each other at a relative velocity of about 18 miles per second. Baade detected Icarus during one of these close encounters.

MIT Professor Paul Sandorff taught the Interdepartmental Student Project in Systems Engineering in the Spring 1967 Term at MIT in Boston. He noted that Icarus and Earth would pass each other at a distance of four million miles — about 16 times the Earth-moon distance– on June 19, 1968.

Discovery Channel simulation of large asteroid collision with Earth

He then asked his students to suppose that, instead of missing earth on that date, Icarus would strike in the Atlantic Ocean east of Bermuda with the explosive force of 500,000 megatons of TNT.

Professor Sandorff gave his class until May 27, 1967 to develop a plan for averting the catastrophe.

In 1967, the physical characteristics of Icarus were little known. For purposes of their study, Dr. Sandorff’s students assumed that it measures 4200 feet in diameter and has a density of 3.5 grams per centimeter, yielding a mass of 4.4 billion tons.

For comparison, earth has an average density of 5.5 grams per cubic centimeter.

They acknowledged, however, that, given its orbit, which resembles that of a short-period comet, Icarus might be a defunct comet nucleus. In that case, its density and mass would likely be considerably less. They also assumed that it is a solid body; that is, that it is not made up of small pieces held together loosely by weak mutual gravitational attraction.

In March 1967, the MIT students visited Cape Kennedy, Florida, to size up US space capabilities. At the time, the first manned flight of the Apollo Command and Service Module [CSM] had been postponed indefinitely following the Apollo 1 fire which killed Gus Grissom and two other atronauts on January 27, 1967 and the Saturn V moon rocket had yet to fly [Apollo 4, the successful first Saturn V test flight, would not occur until November 9, 1967].

Nevertheless, the students wrote that “the awesome reality” of the Vertical Assembly Building [VAB], in which the Saturn V and Apollo spacecraft would be prepared, and the twin Launch Complex 39 pads [Pads A and B], from which they would be launched, had “completely erased” any doubts that they might have had about using Apollo/Saturn technology in their project.

Professor Sandorff’s students proposed to hijack Project Apollo, delaying NASA’s first manned lunar landing by about three years. They would take over the first nine Saturn V rockets earmarked for the moon program, commence construction in April 1967 of a third Launch Complex 39 Saturn V launch pad [Pad C], and add a high bay to the VAB. Three Saturn Vs would be used for flight tests, and the remainder would each launch toward Icarus, each carrying heavily modified unmanned Apollo CSMs bearing enormous 44,000-pound nuclear warheads with a destructive yield of 100 megatons.

Though the MIT students did not mention it, a 100-megaton warhead was not a standard part of the US nuclear arsenal. Given the secrecy surrounding nuclear weapons during the Cold War, they might not have known that no warhead of such destructive yield had ever been built.

The most powerful nuclear bomb ever, the Soviet Union’s 60,000-pound “Tsar Bomba,” had exploded on October 30, 1961, with the force of 50 million tons of TNT. Only a single “Tsar Bomba” was built, and the US had not deigned to match the Soviet feat.

Detonation of the Soviet “Tsar Bomba” — so-called “King of the Bombs”

Hence, a 100-megaton nuclear device would have required development and testing. The MIT students did not include a nuclear weapon development and testing program in their Project Icarus plan.

The Icarus CSM — which the MIT students dubbed the Interceptor — would comprise three modules: a drum-shaped propulsion module corresponding to the Apollo Service Module [SM], with attitude-control thrusters and a Service Propulsion System [SPS] main engine; a drum-shaped payload module based on the SM’s structural design but containing the 100-megaton nuclear device; and a stripped-down Command Module [CM] containing Icarus detection sensors and an MIT-designed Apollo Guidance Computer modified for automatic operation. Unlike the two-module Apollo CSM, the three modules of the Interceptor would remain bolted together throughout its flight.

The first Project Icarus Saturn V [Saturn-Icarus 1] would lift off from Cape Kennedy on April 7, 1968, 73 days before the asteroid was due to collide with Earth. Its payload, Interceptor 1, would reach Icarus 60 days later, when the asteroid was 13 days and 20 million miles out from Earth. At about the time Interceptor 1 was due to reach its target, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Haystack radar would detect Icarus for the first time.

Saturn-Icarus 2 would launch on April 22, 1968, 58 days before Icarus was due to strike. Interceptor 2 would reach its target 15.5 million miles and 10 days out from Earth. Saturn-Icarus 3 would lift off on May 6, 1968, 44 days before Icarus was due to arrive, and its Interceptor would reach Icarus one week and 11 million miles out from Earth. Saturn-Icarus 4 would lift off on May 17, 1968, 33 days before Icarus arrival, and Interceptor 4 would reach the asteroid 28 days later, when Earth and Icarus were 7.7 million miles apart.

Saturn-Icarus 5 would leave Earth near dawn on the U.S. east coast on June 14, 1968, and Interceptor 5 would reach Icarus 1.4 million miles out from Earth, 22 hours before expected impact. By then, the asteroid would appear as a modest star in the pre-dawn sky near the constellation Orion. Saturn-Icarus 6 would lift off a few hours after Saturn-Icarus 5. Icarus would be about 20 hours and 1.25 million miles from impact when Interceptor 6 reached it.

As each Interceptor closed to within a quarter-million miles of Icarus, an optical sensor in its nose would spot the asteroid. The SPS and thrusters would then adjust the Interceptor’s course to ensure a successful interception.

As the Interceptor closed to a distance of 550 feet of Icarus, a radar would detect the asteroid and trigger the nuclear device, which would explode at a distance of from 50 to 100 feet.

If the students’ assumptions about Icarus’s mass and density were correct, then each 100-megaton near-surface nuclear blast would excavate a bowl-shaped crater up to 1000 feet wide.

Bermuda as seen from space — the target of asteroid Icarus

The effect the explosions would have on Icarus’s course was, of course, not known with precision; the students calculated that each blast would alter its velocity by between eight and 290 meters per second.

The MIT students acknowledged that Icarus might shatter; in that event, subsequent Interceptors would target the largest fragments. Data from each Interceptor as it approached Icarus and from Earth-based optical telescopes and radars would be used to target subsequent Interceptors as needed. Conversely, if fewer than six explosions were sufficient to deflect or pulverize the asteroid, then the remaining Saturn V rockets and Interceptors would stand down.

All but one of the Interceptors would be joined at Icarus by a separately launched 540-pound Intercept Monitoring Satellite [IMS] based on the Mariner II design. Mariner II, the first successful interplanetary probe, had flown past Venus on December 14, 1962. In addition to data immediately useful for Project Icarus, the IMS would provide pure science data.

The first IMS would leave Earth atop an Atlas-Agena rocket on February 27, 1968. It would pass between 70 and 135 miles of Icarus at the time of the first explosion. This would place it outside of the zone of large high-velocity debris from the explosion, but within the zone of plasma, dust, and small debris. The IMS would analyze the small fragments and hot gases to gather data on Icarus’s composition. A 50-pound foam-honeycomb bumper would shield the IMS during passage through the debris cloud.

No IMS would monitor the fifth interception — if it occurred — unless the sixth interception were called off. The IMS for monitoring the sixth  [or fifth]interception would lift off on June 6, 1968, between the Saturn-Icarus 4 and 5 launches.

Professor Sandorff’s class estimated that Project Icarus would cost $7.5 billion. It would, they calculated, stand a 1.5% chance of only fragmenting the asteroid. If this happened, then Icarus might cause even more damage to Earth than if it were permitted to impact intact. The probability that Project Icarus would reduce the damage Icarus would cause was, however, 86%, and the probability that it would succeed in preventing any part of the asteroid from reaching Earth was 71%.

During the June 1968 close approach, Icarus became the first asteroid detected using Earth-based radar.

Massive Saturn V rockets armed with 100 megaton warheads were to be fired at Icarus in the MIT scenario

During its next close approach, in June 1987, Icarus came no nearer Earth than about 15 million miles. During the June 1996 close approach Icarus and Earth were about 10 million miles apart.

Through data gathered during this close approaches, scientists found that Icarus is roughly spherical, rotates rapidly (about once every 2.25 hours), probably is a light-colored S-type asteroid made mostly of stony materials, and measures about 4600 feet across. Its density is probably about 2.5 grams per cubic centimeter. Its closest approach since June 1968 will occur on June 16, 2015, when Icarus will pass about five million miles from Earth.

Brookfield Renewable and its institutional partners increased their 50% interest in the project to 100% in January 2012, and now own 274 MW of operating wind generating capacity in the Tehachapi region, which benefits from an attractive wind resource and its proximity to the demand center of Los Angeles.

“This project was in its early stages of development when we first became involved,” said Richard Legault, Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Renewable. “We were able to quickly bring our expertise to bear, and in the span of approximately one year, secured a long-term power purchase agreement, an interconnection agreement and project financing, as well as the completion of all other engineering and commercial requirements which enabled construction to begin. This project demonstrates our ability to deploy both capital and operating expertise and to work together with our stakeholders to build significant value.”

“We are pleased to add to our operating footprint in California and grateful to all those who played a part in the development of this project and bringing it to completion on time, scope and on budget,” added Mr. Legault.

All power produced from the project will be sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement with a large, local utility. The wind farm is expected to produce enough clean, renewable power annually to power more than 26,000 US homes on average.

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners operates one of the largest publicly-traded, pure-play renewable power platforms globally.

Its portfolio is primarily hydroelectric and totals approximately 5,000 megawatts of installed capacity.

Diversified across 67 river systems and 10 power markets in Canada, the United States and Brazil, the portfolio generates enough electricity from renewable resources to power two million homes on average each year.

Anonymous’s threatened Saturday attack is not planning to kill the internet permanently, though. The group only wants to shut it down temporarily by carrying out a massive attack on 13 root DNS servers.

“It may only last one hour, maybe more, maybe even a few days,” Anonymous said in a statement posted to Pastebin. “No matter what, it will be global. It will be known.”

By cutting off the 13 DNS servers, Anonymous will effectively make the Internet unusable.

Users will not be able to perform a domain name look-up, and will instead be greeted with an error page upon entering a familiar site’s URL. Entering the direct IP address into the address bar will be the only way to reach the desired website.

Anonymous members claim they will be using a Reflective DNS Amplification DDoS tool to trigger a rush of DNS queries that will eventually bring all those DNS servers down over some time, if the attack is not stopped.

“The Anonymous hackers can certainly cause local pockets of disruption, but these disruptions are going to be localized to networks where their attack machines are located, or where their ‘reflectors’ are located,” said Robert Graham of Errata Security, cited by bgr.com.

However, if enough people join the attack on the DNS servers – the IP addresses of which Anonymous has deliberately posted to Pastebin – the local pockets of disruption may spread across the whole Internet.

Anonymous, a loose collection of on-line hackers, has routinely announced its targets before mounting attacks. Such was the case with PayPal — which Anonymous targeted in retaliation for the firm’s blocking of donations to WikiLeaks — and with Sony’s PlayStation Network which was hacked after the firm filed lawsuits against PlayStation hackers.

Earlier this year when US authorities shut down Megaupload — a popular file-sharing site charged with copyright infringement — Anonymous took down the Web sites of the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the White House, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, the United States Copyright Office, CBS.com, Warner Music and Universal Music in retaliatio

The group, which has grown increasingly active in recent years, once described itself in these terms: “We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget.”

In order to get the product on its shelves quickly, Computer City purchased the models overseas at retail cost and imported them to Bermuda themselves. The Company said once they are able to import the iPads directly from the distributor the price is likely to be reduced.

At present the new iPads are priced as follows: 16GB wi-fi is $882, 16GB+4G is $1105; 32GB wi-fi $1056; 32GB+4G $1280; 64GB wi-fi $1228; 64GB+4G is $1447.

An advertisement placed in “The Economist” magazine today [Mar. 28] says Bermuda is seeking “an outstanding candidate … to lead the creation of the new Authority and implement sustainable improvement in the telecommunication sector.”

Specific responsibilities include policy development and implementation of regulations as outlined in the new legislation.

This also includes management of: public consultations, licensing, consumer issues, spectrum, price controls, economic assessments, interconnection, universal service, quality-of-service, finance and staff training, said the advertisement.

The ad continued: “This CEO will have over 10 years experience in the telecommunications industry with substantial experience in economic regulation, with a post graduate or equivalent qualification in accounting, economics, law or telecommunications engineering.

“The CEO will be able to demonstrate a successful track record of applying intellectual, communication and team leadership managerial skills to deliver results -working in a competitive market. Experience will ideally have been gained in one or more organisations or jurisdictions. This will demonstrate an ability to adapt, contribute and command integrity in different environments.”

The pay and benefits package for the new position is described as competitive.

Speaking to the Trinity College Scientific Society on March 16, Dr. Martin — a one-time consultant to the US Defence Department — argued the human race cannot continue to coexist with nuclear weapons and disarmament should be a priority in the 21st century.

You can listen to a podcast of his talk here.

 The fireball produced by a test detonation of a thermonuclear weapon

One of the most influential computer scientists of the 20th century, Dr. Martin — who lives on Agar’s Island – has written more textbooks than any other living person, and is the largest individual benefactor to the University of Oxford in its 900-year history.

A longtime Bermuda resident, in 2005, Dr. Martin founded the Oxford Martin School “to foster and facilitate innovative, interdisciplinary research on the problems, dangers and opportunities of the near future.”

He is also the founder of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, which is the largest nongovernmental organization in the world devoted exclusively to research & training to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

The “Think Big” campaign is a brand campaign launched by Digicel Bermuda in June 2011. This campaign was conceptualised and executed by OGM Communications Trinidad. All scenes were shot in Bermuda with local talent, with the assistance of the Digicel Bermuda marketing team of of Shane Mora, Stephanie Lovell, Jakai Franks, and Aziza Ahad Furbert.

The TV ad below ran as part of the campaign:

The shoot took place in June 2011 at the Spanish Point Park, the Arboretum, Bermudiana Road, and the Digicel Church Street store.

Local talent involved included Preston Ephraim, Capri Wilson, Jahkeya Goater, Sophie Adams, C. Tamara Bradshaw, Stephanie Lacey, Jaiden Herbert, Yvonne Bean, Chris Down, Desiree Riley, Sandra Woolridge, Kondwani Williams, Jessica Meredith, Yanni Outerbridge, Anastasia Slater, Dakai Robinson, Nadanja Bailey, Cleopatra Rose-Soares, Ashley Martins, and Kristen Scott. The Digicel marketing team consists of Shane Mora, Stephanie Lovell, Jakai Franks, and Aziza Ahad Furbert.

ADDY Chairperson Terri Brown praised the high quality of work submitted this cycle saying she expected many of the regional winners to go forward to win district and national awards. The top CAF ADDY awards will be forwarded to the 4th District AAF Competition carded for April 14 2012.

ADDY’s were awarded in numerous categories of various media types as the CAF panel fielded over 420 entries from 30 different companies representing The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St Lucia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.

Winners of that competition go forward to compete with the best advertisements from the US and Caribbean in the National ADDY Competition.

The event was arranged to launch a new service offering from Nova that allows companies access to database administrators on either a regular basis or to offer cover for out of hours support, vacation, maternity/paternity leave or to manage peak times.

This is a service provided on island, supplemented with off-island support to ensure round the clock cover is available when required and giving access to the broadest range of skills and number of people. The service is offered in conjunction with Nova’s partner dbaDIRECT who has been working extensively within the US and in now branching out into Bermuda through their exclusive partnership with Nova.

The event was well received by attendees with a number requesting that similar sessions are run in the future, cementing Nova’s commitment to supporting the community; “I hope to see and attend more events like this. The exposure is exciting. My knowledge and understanding has increased,” said an attendee working in healthcare.

dbaDIRECT Regional Manager, Scott Smith gave his take on the partnership; “dbaDIRECT is excited about its partnership on Bermuda with Nova and grateful for the opportunity to present at this event.

“There were several companies who shared immediate interest in our remote database management services as they work to conduct business on a 24×365 basis in the global marketplace. We appreciate the professionalism and enthusiasm that was shown to us during our stay this week and look forward to returning to follow up on these business opportunities.”

Nova regularly hosts technical updates within the community so it was a natural step to extend this launch with further sessions from Microsoft. Attendees heard how to make best use of Microsoft’s database and business intelligence offerings, with updates on all the new features they should be making use of.

Microsoft sessions were hosted by Neeala Maharaj-Racha, Microsoft’s Developer and Platform Lead for the West Indies region. Her role includes facilitating programs which drive IT Professionals towards competing at a global level with the use of technology so attendees were privileged to have such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter.

Bermuda was fortunate enough to have George Gobin, Microsoft’s Territory Manager for Bermuda, Cayman, Bahamas, Belize and Turks & Caicos in attendance for the event. He’s a regular visitor to Bermuda to help develop businesses on the island and was impressed with the outcome of the event,

“We’ve been partners with Nova for a number of years and I’m delighted to have hosted this event jointly. Nova is an extremely knowledgeable partner on Microsoft’s software development methodologies and an excellent advocate for our technology. I’m looking forward to developing this relationship further and following up on the outcomes from this event.”

The extra information from Microsoft rounded off the event with an attendee from a local legal company stating, “Looking at all the different options for web and software development was a breath of fresh air.”

Over the weekend, students from visiting sailing and training boats could be seen sitting on the Church’s steps, using their laptops, iPads and smartphones to surf the net, staying in contact with family and friends back home.

Rev. David Raths said, “It was wonderful to have them there, and they were obviously quite comfortable being on the church steps. I don’t know how long I could have sat there – I wouldn’t have thought those ancient bricks are that comfortable, but the young people didn’t seem to have a problem.”

“They were there throughout the Sunday morning service – the sidespeople and I were wondering if we could add them to our attendance statistics – and after the service several of them helped move into the church from the hall the extra chairs we have had to rent for our Intituling Service next Sunday afternoon.”

St. Peters Church is believed to be the oldest continuously used Anglican church in the Western hemisphere. The church is built on the same location as a 1612 structure made of wooden posts and palmetto leaves that was destroyed in a storm.

On August 1, 1620, the first Parliament in the New World was convened in St. Peter’s. The church was rebuilt in 1713-14, after a 1712 hurricane caused widespread devastation thoughout the island and additions were completed in 1814 and 1832.

The font of the church — approximately 500 years old — predates the 1609 wreck of the “Sea Venture” and the altar is the oldest piece of woodwork in Bermuda.

According to a report in “Space News”, the agreement could catapult Bermuda’s ABS — a company that just five years ago had no more than a few million dollars in annual revenue — into a position as a global satellite operator with strongholds in South America in addition to Asia.

It could also help solidify Satmex, a company that exited US Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in mid-2011 with a $325 million loan, in its home region.

Aside from the union of two regional satellite operators, apparently backed by the financial muscle of private-equity investor Permira Advisers LLC, the deal is remarkable for the technology it plans to employ.

“Industry officials said ABS and Satmex have agreed to purchase together four satellites from Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems that use electric propulsion not only to maintain the satellites’ stably in orbit once at their designated orbital slots, but also for propelling the satellites into geostationary position from their transfer orbit,” said “Space News.”

Industry officials have said for years that all-electric satellites could mean reducing a satellite’s weight by 2,000 kilograms or more.

This would allow owners to select a much smaller, and less expensive, rocket, or alternatively to equip the satellite with more revenue-generating transponders.

ASA is headquartered at Mintflower Place on Par-La-Ville Road in Hamilton.

President of the BCB, Lloyd Fray stated, “I am very pleased that the Bermuda public will have an opportunity to watch our senior team in action during the tournament. The live streaming will add an exciting element to the competition.”

Games will be screened at 3:00am and 7:00am Bermuda time, however there will be video on demand replay available up to 24 hours after completion of each game at the BCB website.

Tim Anderson, the ICC’s Global Development Manager said, “This is an exciting opportunity for Associate and Affiliate cricket to be seen by a global audience. We are delighted that fans will be able to watch a live online stream of the biggest tournament in the history of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme.”

The schedule is below:

Tuesday 13 March AM: Ireland v Namibia; PM: Kenya v Scotland
Wednesday 14 March AM: Canada v PNG; PM: Uganda v Oman
Thursday 15 March AM: Namibia v USA; PM: Scotland v Uganda
Friday 16 March AM: Netherlands v Denmark; PM: Ireland v USA
Sunday 18 March AM: Hong Kong v Denmark; PM: Afghanistan v Canada
Monday 19 March AM: Netherlands v Nepal; PM: PNG v Bermuda
Tuesday 20 March AM: Afghanistan v Bermuda; PM: Namibia v Italy

In this role Mr. Eaton will be responsible for driving growth across the complete range of Business Solutions services.

Michael W. Branco, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Ignition Group says “Christopher’s extensive understanding of the unique challenges faced by clients in the offshore market together with his expertise in technology solutions made him the ideal person to lead our Business Solutions practice.

“Ignition has a strong portfolio of existing business solutions implementations in SharePoint, BizTalk and ViewPoint, which Christopher will build upon.”

With more than 20 years of experience in the IT sector, Christopher has significant strategic expertise in technology solutions which spans business process transformation, software solutions and enterprise technology architecture.

Mr. Eaton has worked within several offshore financial services centres including the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. He has held senior positions with leading technology companies including Mission Testing plc and Business Objects.

Prior to joining Ignition, Mr. Eaton helped to build an award winning business solutions practice in the Cayman Islands. He graduated with an honours degree from Brunel University in 1989 and holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool.

As the new Director of Business Solutions, Christopher will be responsible for developing and growing the practice across the three solution areas: software solutions based on Microsoft technologies; Practice Management solutions based on the market-leading ViewPoint application; and Records Management services including consulting, scanning and ECM solutions.

“Ignition has an unparalleled record in providing the highest level of solution offerings and customer service. The team and I will continue to develop our highly successful range of solutions, ensuring that the needs of our clients are met. And for those clients looking for tailored solutions, our flexible iTeam approach means we can offer software development services and undertake complex software integration projects using a wide variety of engagement models” says Christopher.

Graham Pearson, CEO of the Ignition Group says “I’m delighted to welcome Christopher on board. Our Business Solutions practice provides our clients with leading edge products and services and Christopher is key to the growth of the practice across our regions. This is an exciting time for Ignition as we invest in its continued growth and bring solutions to our client base with an increasing demand and focus around Governance, Risk and Compliance.”

The Ignition Business Solutions practice delivers projects to clients throughout the Caribbean, North America, Europe and Canada, combining specific technologies and vertical market knowledge with appropriate management frameworks to help ensure success.

Ignition has provided IT solutions to clients for over a decade. Ignition’s Business Solutions practice provides comprehensive solutions to fit the needs of organisations such as banks, financial institutions, multinational companies, legal and accountancy practices, fund managers, and trust professionals.

The company is also one of the leading IT service providers offering managed services, cloud computing, business continuity and disaster recovery, data backup and storage, virtualisation and 24×7 service desk support.

Ignition has offices located in Bermuda, Halifax and Cayman Islands with representative offices in Curacao, Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinida

The device will cost $499 to $829 in the United States, and include an A5X chip that enables better graphics, Apple said today at an event in San Francisco. It will also boast a 9.7-inch screen that has more pixels than traditional high-definition televisions, and a 5MP camera capable of recording video in 1080p.

“You all have an HDTV at home, 1080p — an iPad has more pixels. That’s incredible,” said Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at today’s unveiling

The new product also sports a substantially more powerful processor called the A5X chip — the X short for quad core graphics power built into the processor, Mr Schiller said.

The new iPad will be available overseas on March 16.

From now through September 15, 2012, all visitors who play a round of golf at one of Bermuda’s participating courses will be included in an ongoing “virtual tournament” – complete with an updated leader board found on www.GoToBermuda.com/virtual.

They will also automatically qualify to have their name entered into a drawing to win a round of golf with one of 2012’s Major PGA Champions during the PGA Grand Slam of Golf Pro-Am Tournament to be played on the Island on October 22, 2012.

The winner of the Pro-Am prize drawing can bring along his/her favourite foursome and will receive four roundtrip airfare tickets, four nights at the Fairmont Southampton, golf at the Port Royal Golf Course on media day and daily VIP passes to the 2012 PGA Grand Slam of Golf on October 22-24, 2012.

Minister of Business Development and Tourism Wayne Furbert said, “We see this as a fun, competitive and innovative way to engage the golf enthusiast in one of our biggest events on our calendar. So far, we’ve had some good feedback about the PGA Grand Slam tie-in and we think it’s a great way to raise the profile of this prestigious event even higher.”

The PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the season-ending showcase event that boasts the most difficult qualification requirement in the game – a major championship – features the winners of The Masters, U.S. Open Championship, Open Championship and PGA Championship.

Rookie Keegan Bradley captured the 2011 title.

Courses participating in the inaugural Bermuda Virtual Golf Classic include: Belmont Hills, the Fairmont Southampton Golf Club, Ocean View Golf Course, Port Royal Golf Course, Riddell’s Bay Golf and Country Club and Rosewood Tucker’s Point Golf Club.

Players must have a verified handicap, complete a registration form upon their visit, and submit a signed scorecard to the professional at the course after their round.

All scores will be tallied on the virtual leaderboard and the player with the lowest overall score will win The Bermuda Virtual Golf Classic Trophy. The random prize trip drawing to play with the PGA pro will be made on September 16.

For more information on the Bermuda Virtual Golf Classic, visit www.gotobermuda.com/virtual.

The service, the result of a joint initiative with TeleBermuda International Limited [TBI], will allow all cruise ship passengers, crew and Bermuda residents to email and surf the internet throughout Dockyard.

Any WiFi enabled device such as a smart phone, tablet, personal computer or digital audio player, can connect to the network via seamless access points installed throughout Dockyard.

WEDCo will also utilize the network to support surveillance throughout the area, enhancing security for visitors and businesses .

Walter Lister, Chairman of WEDCo said: “At WEDCo, we are continually looking for new ways to enhance our tourism product and make Dockyard a first class destination for locals and tourists. “The addition of WiFi, at globally competitive prices, positions us to be able to provide cutting edge technologies for all visitors within Dockyard.”

Gregory Swan, President and Chief Operating Officer of TBi said: “Dockyard is the perfect place to shop, have a good meal, relax, and surf the web. WiFi Network Access is becoming increasingly popular as people are demanding alternatives to traditional Internet connectivity”. “TBi is very pleased to have had the opportunity to partner with WedCo on this initiative

This internationally recognized examination developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants was conducted by professional services firm KPMG, who tested the suitability of design, implementation and operating effectiveness of controls relating to both Data Centers in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

“Having been subject to the testing in accordance with this new framework, we are extremely pleased to have an unqualified report, further validating the high quality of the infrastructure controls and processes of our leading edge Data Centre. This provides existing and future TeleBermuda clients with additional confidence in the robust Data Centre environment delivering services that will support and grow their businesses.” said President and COO, Gregory Swan.

The 2011 SOC 1 Report [formerly SAS 70 Type 2 Report] was prepared in accordance with SSAE No 16 and covers the period January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

While working with customers and prospects, it became apparent to Nova that while there were experienced database administrators working within Bermuda-based companies, and also third parties offering these services, there was a gap in the market.

Sandra De Silva, Managing Director and Chief Architect at Nova explains, “A company’s database is incredibly important to them; whether it be the continuous access required for employees to do their job or the intelligence the management team require from it. It’s critical that it’s always available.

“As employees are working longer hours and high availability is increasingly important, it has put a significant stretch on internal resources to meet this demand. In many cases this routine maintenance has taken time away from more strategic database projects.”

Nova decided to fill this gap in the market and after extensive research decided to partner with Gartner awarding winning company dbaDIRECT, to deliver a wide range of superior, cost effective, infrastructure service solutions.

Ms De Silva sees the Nova approach as different to others already in the market; “Many companies already have internal resource so don’t need a full service and support contract. We’re happy to offer as little as 5 hours a month to remove the routine jobs and free up this valuable resource.

“Better still, we can offer these hours 24×7 to ensure systems are always running. Equally, we have an extensive team of experienced database administrators so we can support or run large projects when internal resource is stretched or lacking the necessary experience.”

Database Management fits well into Nova’s broader offerings, including with Microsoft Business Intelligence projects. As the Microsoft 2011 Partner of the Year, Nova are the go to company for Microsoft solutions.

For this reason they’ve chosen to hold a launch event in conjunction with Microsoft which will review the ever growing volume and complexity of business data and the growing need to control and do more with it. The event is being held in Hamilton on Tuesday 6th March and repeated again on Wednesday 7th March in order to meet demand. Individuals are welcome to register with Michelle Crawford, mcrawford@nova.bm or 293-6682 x7002.

The brochure is below, or here in PDF form:

“CCTV has played such an important role is securing convictions for offences committed in our communities that this initiative must be supported,” said Minister Perinchief.

Minister Perinchief continued on to say, “Computer systems form the backbone of sound case management and integrity in data maintenance. With a total allocation of $1.9m, this budget will support the creation of a data centre allowing for redundancy as well as complete the upgrade of the records management system.

“These robust additions to the network infrastructure enhance the tools of the modern age and allow the Police to work with cutting edge systems in support of their key deliverables.”

“While the focus of the public may be drawn to the budget for the Bermuda Police Service, the other areas under the Ministry are no less important,” said the Minister. “The restructuring of the Bermuda Fire & Rescue Service is supported by the allocation for 2012/13.

“The Bermuda Regiment will be able to fulfill its core training objectives and the Department of Border Control will have the resources to interdict contraband and dangerous articles before they reach our streets.”

The Minister’s full statement follows below:

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Mr. Beigian will be based in New York and will report to John Murray, Chief Operations Officer at AXIS Capital.

Formerly with ACE Group — where he served as Global Chief Technology Officer, with responsibility for all aspects of ACE Group’s IT infrastructure on a global basis — prior to joining that firm Mr. Beigian served as Global CIO at Combined Insurance Company of America where he had responsibility for all aspects of IT service delivery across its supplemental insurance products group.

Commenting on Mr. Beigian’s appointment, John Murray said, “Koorosh has deep experience leading IT functions at major financial services companies and is well respected in the industry for the breadth and scope of his knowledge. We expect to leverage his expertise to maintain and augment our IT capabilities.”

Mr. Beigian holds a B.B.A. in Information Systems and a M.B.A. from Middle Tennessee State University.

AXIS Capital is a Bermuda-based global provider of specialty lines insurance and treaty reinsurance with shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2011 of $5.4 billion and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore, Canada and Australia.

Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a rating of “A+” ["Strong"] by Standard & Poor’s and “A” ["Excellent"] by A.M. Best. AXIS Capital and AXIS Specialty Finance LLC have been assigned senior unsecured debt ratings of A- [stable] by Standard & Poor’s and Baa1 [stable] by Moody’s Investors Service.

Yesterday [Feb.16], Cable Co. released a statement saying it has launched a new International Long Distance service for CellOne’s mobile customers.

Digicel responded saying, “Digicel is very surprised at this move by CellOne, given the deafening howls of protest voiced publicly by CellOne to the very same type of service as launched by Digicel/Transact in September of last year.

“Indeed, CellOne played a leading role in the concerted and highly visible campaign of opposition to the Digicel/Transact service that was conducted among various telecommunications providers in Bermuda such as CellOne, TeleBermuda and North Rock. CellOne has today performed a legal back flip worthy of an Olympic athlete.

“However, CellOne’s former comrades in opposition to Digicel will undoubtedly be less than pleased at having been so ruthlessly abandoned. There will now be one less familiar face decrying Digicel’s actions.

“In addition to playing a central role in this vitriolic PR/Media campaign, CellOne have at all times refused to allow interconnection between CellOne and Digicel/Transact. This refusal was stated to be on the basis that the provision of direct dial ILD to mobile subscribers in this manner was unlawful and contrary to Government policy in Bermuda,” said the statement from Digicel.

In their statement today CellOne said that, ”Digicel continues to conveniently disregard the facts with regard to the ongoing ILD issue when making statements to the press and the general public.

“CellOne’s position has remained unchanged since this matter began in October of last year: that since 2004 mobile carriers have been prohibited by the Department of Telecommunications (“DOT”) to interconnect with Class C ISP’s for the provision of long distance services and furthermore the DOT has required that mobile carriers can only offer ILD through a Class A carrier such as TBI, Link Bermuda or Cable Co. Ltd.

“For the customer this may make little sense, but these have been the rules of the game. When asked by Transact, a Class C ISP, to provide interconnection CellOne simply replied that it could not do so until it obtained clarification from the DOT.

“Fulfilling the interconnection request would have meant CellOne operating outside of the terms of its own license and exposing itself to regulatory action from the DOT. It was Digicel, not CellOne, who then placed both parties into the courtroom in an attempt to force interconnection.

“The courts and the government have yet to confirm that Transact’s license permits them to offer ILD to mobile subscribers, hence the issue is currently before the Telecommunications Commission and CellOne patiently awaits a decision from the Minister responsible for Telecommunications.

“With regard to Cable Co. Ltd. and CellOne’s latest joint offering, Digicel once again seeks to confuse the public as both companies’ ILD products are indeed very different. The service being offered through CellOne is provided by Cable Co. Ltd. which is a Class A licensed carrier (as is TBI and Link Bermuda) and as such is permitted to offer ILD to mobile customers.

“On the other hand Digicel’s service is provided through Transact a Class C ISP carrier which until Digicel purchased the company last year had never provided ILD services to mobile customers. This is consistent with the operating practices of the island’s other ISP’s such as Northrock and Logic who to this day do not and cannot provide ILD to mobile subscribers because of license restrictions.

“CellOne regrets that this matter has created so much confusion for its customers and the public at large. Unfortunately Bermuda’s licensing regime has created a nonsensical marketplace where consumers are forced to purchase their telecommunication services from multiple carriers. CellOne continues to vigorously support regulatory reform which is long overdue and the benefits it will bring customers who after all should be our top priority,” concluded CellOne.

The new service provides fixed income investors with everything they need to make investment decisions in both the new issue and secondary catastrophe bond markets.

“The Miu Pricing service aims to make catastrophe bonds and their associated data easier to digest by delivering the information to investors in a manner they’re familiar with — price and yield metrics adjusted for risk. Given how much risk changes due to seasonality and aging of the bonds, we believe Miu Pricing will highlight attractive risk-return opportunities in the secondary market for catastrophe bonds,” said Peter Nakada, managing director of RMS RiskMarkets.

For new issue bonds, the Miu Pricing service provides commentary on the structure of the bonds, as well as RMS’ view of the bond risk.

These are made available before the bond prices, to help investors with their investment decision.

For secondary market trading, Miu Pricing calculates risk-adjusted prices and yields – just like an option pricing simulation model for interest rates or equities.

The result is detailed risk-adjusted price/yield data for every catastrophe bond in the market. In addition, Miu Pricing provides revised price and risk metrics for investors immediately following a catastrophe event.

“We believe the Miu Pricing service will improve our existing Miu clients’ risk-return decisions, and will also help to open up the market to more mainstream fixed income investors who are just entering the asset class,” said Robert Stone, senior director of RMS RiskMarkets.

More than 400 leading insurers, reinsurers, trading companies, and other financial institutions rely on RMS models to quantify, manage, and transfer risk.

Founded at Stanford University in 1988, RMS serves clients today from offices in Bermuda, the US, the UK, France, Switzerland, India, China, and Japan.

This pairs Class A carrier Cable Co.; noted for investing $26 million in the creation of the undersea cable link “Challenger” from Bermuda to the USA; and CellOne.

Sheila Lines, Director of Cable Co. said, “This marks Cable Co.’s first retail service product as we look to continuously build upon the services afforded to us under our license. We are delighted to be working with CellOne on this launch.”

Frank Amaral, COO of CellOne said, “We welcome the opportunity to work with Cable Co. CellOne subscribers will benefit from having the most choice and the best value in ILD services, with the convenience of having one bill and a single point of contact. It’s a win for CellOne customers.”

Plans include a pay per use with rates starting from 9 cents per minute and unlimited calling starting from $19.95 per month. There are no contracts and customers signup directly with CellOne.

Update: Digicel released a statement saying, “Digicel notes that CellOne has today launched a new international long distance (ILD) service which will allow their customers use direct dial International Long Distance services through their affiliate, Cable Co.

“Digicel is very surprised at this move by CellOne, given the deafening howls of protest voiced publicly by CellOne to the very same type of service as launched by Digicel/Transact in September of last year.

“Indeed, CellOne played a leading role in the concerted and highly visible campaign of opposition to the Digicel/Transact service that was conducted among various telecommunications providers in Bermuda such as CellOne, TeleBermuda and North Rock. CellOne has today performed a legal back flip worthy of an Olympic athlete.

“However, CellOne’s former comrades in opposition to Digicel will undoubtedly be less than pleased at having been so ruthlessly abandoned. There will now be one less familiar face decrying Digicel’s actions.

“In addition to playing a central role in this vitriolic PR/Media campaign, CellOne have at all times refused to allow interconnection between CellOne and Digicel/Transact. This refusal was stated to be on the basis that the provision of direct dial ILD to mobile subscribers in this manner was unlawful and contrary to Government policy in Bermuda.

“CellOne have consistently and forcibly opposed the Transact ILD service on this basis both before the Supreme Court and before the Telecommunications Commission. Today, it would seem that CellOne has recognized the fallacy and hopelessness of the positions adopted by them in the legal proceedings to date which are obviously baseless, cynically motivated and ill-conceived.

“CellOne have now seen the light. However, abandoning their legal position in such dramatic circumstances is likely to have serious costs consequences for CellOne in those legal proceedings. No party ought to be allowed abuse the legal process in such a cynical and duplicitous manner. Digicel shall address this particular matter as appropriate and before the correct forum.

“Digicel/Transact assume that CellOne will immediately take what are minor technical steps to allow their Cell phone mobile subscribers the freedom of choice to avail of the Transact Long Distance Service. To date, CellOne has refused to do so. Digicel has always welcomed competition; in Bermuda and elsewhere.

“However, Digicel and Transact are most concerned with the manner in which they were improperly impeded and frustrated by CellOne through the Courts and before the Telecommunications Commission for four months. Digicel welcomes CellOne’s belated tacit admission that Digicel and Transact acted lawfully and properly at all times in relation to the launch of the Digicel/Transact ILD service in September of last year. ‘If you can’t beat ‘em; join ‘em’ is today’s catch cry from CellOne. As history has proven in Bermuda, where Digicel leads, CellOne shall surely follow- eventually.

“Nonetheless, Digicel warmly welcomes CellOne’s entry into the ILD market and looks forward to competing fairly but strongly with them in that market. Digicel has never feared competition but rather thrives on it. This is a good day for consumers in Bermuda. Choice and competition are always to be welcomed.

Digicel CEO Wayne Caines commented, “Digicel welcomes CellOne’s entry into the ILD market and we look forward to vigourously competing in the marketplace with them. We would ask though why it is that CellOne fought us tooth and nail, at enormous expense, through the legal process based on legal positions and principles that it has now abandoned.

“This will obviously need to be addressed in due course, but for now, Digicel is happy to meet CellOne head on in the marketplace. Digicel was confident that the launch of the Digicel/Transact ILD service would invigorate the marketplace for the benefit of consumers. Today’s development is further proof that Digicel was right in this regard”.

British Airways will be the first to use the technology in Bermuda. Each paperless boarding pass is displayed as a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information. Passengers without checked baggage will be able to bypass the check-in queues and proceed directly to the lounge.

Minister Burgess said, “It used to be that when travelling abroad we had to go to a travel agent and would receive tickets and other documents well in advance of travelling.

“We then moved to online booking and e-tickets. It is now possible to check in online and print your own boarding pass at home. Well, today I am happy to announce that we have moved even further into the digital age with the advent of the paperless boarding pass, also known as the mobile boarding pass.

“The Mobile boarding pass enables passengers to download their boarding pass on their cell phones. While this technology was incorporated into our systems during an upgrade several years ago, and is also available at other airports around the world, none of the airlines serving Bermuda have decided to use the function here – at least until now.

“British Airways will be the first to use the technology in Bermuda. And I’m very pleased to be joined by BA’s Bermuda manager Marianne Wilcox today to launch this initiative. This innovative approach streamlines the customer experience while heightening the ability to detect fraudulent boarding passes.

“Each paperless boarding pass is displayed as an encrypted, two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information.

“The Bermuda security officers use scanners to validate the authenticity of the boarding pass at the checkpoint.  Presently only British Airways will use this system here in Bermuda. It enables their passengers, who have no checked baggage, to bypass the check-in queues and proceed directly to the lounge.

“This is yet another way of improving the airport experience for our travelers. It also helps our sustainable development efforts just a little more by eliminating yet more paper from our lives. So on behalf of the Government and travelling public, thank to British Airways for making travel a little less stressful,” said Minister Burgess.