CellularOne will mark a decade in business on its 10th anniversary on Thursday, having played a significant role in the development of Bermuda's telecommincations industry.

The telecommunications provider, which was formed in 1999, has changed the face of the cellular phone market in Bermuda and set the standard for the Island to enjoy the same technology as the US, Europe and the rest of the world.

CellularOne's chief executive officer Kurt Eve, said: "Market changes are inevitable. But in this age of well-informed consumers, the most successful companies are those who not only understand trends in customers' needs, but who can anticipate them and bring to market products and services that meet those demands in a timely fashion."

The vision for the company was first conceived in 1994 when company principals, Mr. Eve and Michael Leverock, applied for a public telecommunications licence.

The pair recognised a need for competition in the marketplace and, in the end, the combination of their passion for technology and their tenacity won: Bermuda Digital Communications, the holding company for CellularOne, was offered a licence to enter the cellular communications market.

By 1999, they had built their first network and ventured into competition with Bermuda Telephone Company; with the business they built today widely respected as the one of the top cellular telecommunications technology and service providers in Bermuda.

However, the company was established not without some challenges and the pair had to overcome a number of hurdles even before it was launched.

Mr. Eve said: "Aside from obtaining financing and designing a communications network that would surpass consumer expectations, the greatest challenge we had to overcome was the public perception of the company's ability to succeed and people's acceptance of CellularOne as a serious contender. With 10 good years behind us, we have long squashed that perception."

The pair, working alongside Frank Amaral, who was recently appointed chief operating officer, found their success in the company's 'first-to-market' position, borne out of demand for better quality service and technology, by recognising a market niche that could be filled with the delivery of innovation, competition and feature-rich products to the Island.

This year, CellularOne has reflected on some of the key milestones and 'firsts' on the Island that they have achieved along the way, including becoming the first competitor to the incumbent wireless company in Bermuda, and introducing integrated voice-mail and seamless roaming in 1999, and developing ATM bill payment in conjunction with Butterfield Bank a year later.

In 2002, the company introduced online billing, text messaging and e-mail between handsets and the next year established wireless Internet access for laptops via a data card with speeds of up to 153 kbps, and unlimited wireless home phone service.

Two years on, it offered broadband Internet access for home computers, laptops, cell phones and PDAs at network speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps, and was the first 3G network in Bermuda, followed up by the launch of a Push-To-Talk phone and the introduction of a broadband wireless modem with built-in wi-fi in 2007, before implementing video calling on its cell phone this year.

CellularOne recently underwent a update in its brand and the tagline "Something Extraordinary!.." was developed in conjunction with employees to express the quality of service that it strives to offer its customers.

Mr. Eve said: "For us, the true hallmark of success was becoming profitable in the first 18 months that we were in business, when our initial forecast for this milestone was three years. This early profitability enabled us to invest more fully in the technology needs of the island and has helped us to realise our vision of becoming the gold standard of telecommunications in Bermuda and build a successful organisation that now provides jobs for 50 Bermudians."

To celebrate its 10th year of business, CellularOne has organised a number of in-store games, prizes and giveaways this week, with thousands of dollars in prizes to be up for grabs.