telephone line because of staff shortages.

And they said they were spending $14 million in capital improvements this year -- including $500,000 on new technology to make it easier to install more than one line per house.

Two callers rang The Royal Gazette to complain of a six-week backlog in installing new phone lines.

They claimed Bermuda Telephone Company operators told them the delays were because not enough staff were available.

But a company spokeswoman said the firm had a full complement of staff.

She admitted there were delays of up to six weeks for people who want a new line put in.

But she added: "This has always been the case. We are telling people right now that we may not be able to install lines until April but that has been the case for a long time.

"There's basically a six-week waiting time but that's not new and it has nothing to do with a shortage of staff.

"We really have no idea where this has come from and the delays have always been the case.'' One customer wrote to the newspaper last Tuesday, claiming a BTC employee said: "We have too much work but not enough workers.'' The letter added: "I recently had the idea to install a separate telephone line in my bedroom to help ease my parents' monthly bill and over-call fee.

"But when I paid a visit to the BTC offices, I was told that the earliest this could be done was April 9.

"I then asked the employee, who I know has no direct control over the situation, why such a routine task would take so long.

"She simply replied: `We have too much work and not enough workers'. It is a shame that BTC can get away with such customer (dis)service.

"I will be the first to admit that BTC has gone to great lengths to expand their list of custom calling features but what good is that if it takes them at least two months to install a phone?'' He called on the BTC to ring the changes by bringing in youngsters as trainee technicians.

But the firm, which made an $11.7 million profit to the year ending last March, said there was no staffing crisis.

They said customers would be given a dial tone within 24 hours of ordering a line -- if a service had already been provided at their property.

Assistant Vice President Karla Lacey-Minors added: "In all other cases, they are currently given a six-week installation date, which allows for the worst case scenario and doesn't give the customer false expectations.'' She said BTC was now investing almost $500,000 on "pair gain technology to allow us to provide second and third lines over a single cable pair''.

"We are currently designing and building our outside plant to new criteria that will meet the growing demand to support additional lines for modems, faxes and second lines,'' she said.

"This year alone, the company is investing over $14 million in capital improvements.

"While our outside plant is in the process of being brought up to date, BTC has a modern, fully digital switching network that is capable of providing the latest services requested by our customers.

"We continue to work with our suppliers to bring the newest technologies available to Bermuda.''