increasing.

Competition has come to Bermuda cyber-space with a second Internet service provider that began yesterday, with hundreds of subscribers officially coming on line.

Technology Minister Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards, was present at North Rock Communications Ltd. (www.northrock.bm) Washington Lane office to connect the company's final T1 communication line, linking North Rock to the World Wide Web, after months of testing.

Director Erich Hetzel confirmed: "It will mean faster access and better performance overall for Internet users. Part of our plan is to maintain a modem-to-bandwidth ratio and bandwidth-to-user ratio at a very high level.

"We're testing the 56K access right now and that will very shortly be ready.

It's a software issue which we believe we can soon resolve.'' North Rock joins pioneer, Internet Bermuda Ltd., but brings in a rate structure that North Rock said is ten to 25 percent below what has been previously offered here for those coming in at the higher modem speeds.

Mr. Hetzel believes the local price for access to the Internet will eventually come down, although the charges are heavily influenced by the cost of the bandwidth, as established by international telecommunications carriers, Cable & Wireless and TeleBermuda International.

He said: "It will become faster and cheaper, but people will begin to start writing applications that gobble up all the bandwidth. The Internet is going to become much more useful. You're going to be able to get movies and CDs over the Internet, and a lot of other things.

"We have enough capacity for the next six months to a year, but we will monitor it so that as we need it, we will add capacity. The total market is probably around 5,000 users right now and it could probably double by next year. The Internet is growing so fast.

"The value of the service is going to be measured in what savings can be had by being on line, as opposed to not being on line. For many people especially in business, obviously right now, the value of having it greatly outstrips its cost.

"More and more services will come online, services that we can't even imagine right now, because we are not ten year olds. There is a ten-year-old out there right now who is asking, `Why doesn't it do this?' "That kid, when he probably gets to 12, will write that application and we will all say: `Wow, that is a great tool.' '' Mr. Hetzel was aware that there are at least two other would-be providers of Internet access. He noted the Internet has the potential to become very pervasive and there was room, as a result, for further competition to the two providers that exist today.

He said: "We have hundreds and hundreds of users connected today. Competition is good and we expect to be very competitive in this market. We've had hundreds of people pre-registered, who have been helping us test the system, both residential and corporate users, over the last three months.

"The feedback has been tremendous during this period when we really have been fully operational.'' North Rock director John Robbins promised, "a comprehensive product offering at competitive prices, while our user to bandwidth ratio will provide superior performance''.

He said: "One item users will immediately see on our web page a roaming option offered in conjunction with iPass, a leading provider of Internet-based global remote access solutions to the Internet.

"This allows users to travel the globe, but remain connected to North Rock for mail and other services through 1,460 access locations (POPS) in 151 countries.'' Customers can be in virtually any major city in the world and, without having to pay for a long distance call to connect back to their Internet Service Provider, still access their personal or business mail accounts, news and the Internet.

The iPass network is the largest global settlement network for worldwide Internet roaming, enabling North Rock clients to access the Internet through the networks of other iPass partner Internet service providers around the world.

North Rock general manager Tom Coelho explained: "The process is in many ways similar to the cellular `phone model, where customers of cellular service are able to use other cellular providers when they leave their service area.'' The company is also introducing North Rock NetTV to Bermuda, an Internet device ($595) that accesses the Internet using a conventional television, and without the need for a traditional computer.

Mr. Coelho, said: "Now you can surf the Internet with nothing more than a TV, remote, a North Rock NetTV set-top box and an Internet account from North Rock.

"You don't need to know anything about computers, and the systems are pre-installed for connection to North Rock Communications.'' North Rock Communications Ltd. is a subsidiary of North Rock Ventures Ltd., the Bermuda company that owns local systems integrator Applied Computer Technologies Ltd., computer product and supplies retailer The Complete Office Ltd., and computer/telephone cabling company Switchworx Ltd.