Six months since the Bermuda Telephone Company began its digital cellular phone service -- MAX -- and customers are still waiting for the promised roaming service which will allow them to call freely while overseas.

BTC Mobility product manager Firoz Kessam soon after the August launch of MAX last year had promised new customers that the roaming service would be up and running in just a few weeks.

But now six months later, he is unable to exactly say when the service will begin.

"It should be in less than three months,'' he said.

Holding up the matter, according to Mr. Kessam, are not only the "delicate negotiations'' BTC is having with overseas service providers, but the large volume of servers as well.

"We will have to have agreements with over 80 service providers in the US alone,'' Mr. Kessam said.

Reluctant to say how many providers have actually signed contracts with BTC, Mr. Kessam revealed testing of the system is currently underway with telecommunications giants, AT&T, Bell South, Bell Southwest and Cantel.

Mr. Kessam would not divulge the likely rates, rate structure or even exactly where the service will be covered.

"Testing is going on,'' he said, "but this is an internal issue who we sign with, we don't want our competitors to know, it would be damaging for us.

"We will begin with service in North America and expand in that region as we sign with more and more service providers.'' Asked about coverage in the UK and Europe, Mr. Kessam noted: "That is not possible at the moment as they are on a completely different system.'' CellularOne, BTC Mobility's only competitor in the Bermuda market introduced roaming service last August.

Chief executive officer Michael Leverock said the biggest contracts were signed in October and November last year.

"We are signed with AT&T and all the major providers in the US and Canada,'' he said, "our customers have service in all the major cities in the US and through out Canada.

"Right now we are working on contracts with the Caribbean, the greater part of South America as well as the UK and Europe.''