last night after a Government Minister demanded more time to settle the dispute.

Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards was given until the end of the working day yesterday to respond to a technical appeal by the Bermuda Telephone Company.

BTC appealed against an order from the Telecommunications Commission, demanding they link Quantum Communications to their own hi-tech network by July 15.

But Sen. Richards, the Telecommunications Minister, issued an ultimatum of his own -- ordering a complete dossier of evidence from BTC by the end of today.

Executives at BTC believe Quantum, who have signed a deal to link Police control monitors to the 30 surveillance cameras, have the wrong operating licence according to the Telecommunications Act.

And they are worried that if they sign up with Quantum, they may be held legally responsible for any mishaps if Quantum's licence is found to be incorrect.

Sen. Richards faxed his response to BTC's appeal late in the afternoon.

He told The Royal Gazette : "I have given BTC an extra day to make their submissions and then I will allow Quantum to file their own response.'' The cameras are due to be installed and operational by October.

Corporation of Hamilton Secretary Roger Sherratt insisted the legal dispute would not delay the project. But Quantum's deal with Government and the Corporation -- to provide the communications data for the $1.25 million scheme -- would be called into question if their licence was found to be illegal.

The row with BTC is also delaying Quantum's ability to provide voice-data services.

The controversy began when it emerged that BELCO, which holds a 47 percent stake in Quantum, owned the fibre-optic cable running beneath Hamilton.

Quantum lease the cable to provide their hi-tech services.

But their licence is thought to have been issued on the understanding that they operate as a "facilities-based carrier''.

That could mean they have to own the cable before running services off it, otherwise they may be considered a "reseller''.

And Government have already stated they do not want "resellers'' to provide services in the opened-up telecommunications market.

BTC executives will today sit down with their lawyers at Diel and Myers.

Quantum, represented by Marshall and Company, are also preparing a brief for Sen. Richards in a bid to stop the dispute heading for court.

But BTC have insisted Quantum would not need to be linked to their network to provide the CCTV pictures.

Quantum could only be stopped from co-ordinating the camera project if their licence was found to be flawed.

Shadow Telecommunications Minister Terry Lister said: "If the licences are wrong then the whole CCTV project will be slowed up or even brought to a standstill which, obviously, no-one wants.'' Quantum CEO Jim Sullivan said: "As for whether or not this could have an effect on the CCTV link-up, we will just have to wait and see. But it certainly could.'' BTC President Lorraine Lyle denied the firm had pulled a "delaying tactic''.

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