A leading telecommunications company will appear in the Supreme Court on Monday to do battle with the Government for the right to have a cut-price long-distance telephone service through the Internet.

Logic Communications is fighting with the Telecommunications Ministry for the right to have its LogicPhone service on-line.

Logic chief executive officer and chairman Peter Durhager said: "We expect to get a definitive answer from the court.'' The battle for the airwaves has been going on since Logic launched the long-distance slashed rate service on July 23, 1999.

It was suspended on August 2 after threat of criminal prosecution by the Government.

During its short-lived life, the service was a great success -- more than 600 customers signed up to the service in the first 60 hours.

Mr. Durhager at the time said Government was resisting advancement by barring LogicPhone.

Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb maintains that Logic is only allowed to provide data, but not voice services.

But Logic's licence also allows the company's equipment to provide a service for the purpose of sending and receiving electronic messages and data.

LogicPhone says it uses exactly the same technology for the voice messages as it would for sending e-mail or downloading a picture, and the company claims the technology has out-paced the legislation.

Mr. Durhager has maintained that there is no real difference between LogicPhone and computer-based telephone software sold by local retailers which allows consumers to make calls through the Internet.

LogicPhone rates started at 44 cents per minute for calls to the UK, the US and Canada.

The lowest rate at the time was offered by TBI as a late-night rate of 63 cents a minute.

Now Logic has taken the dispute to the Supreme Court in the hope that they legally can win the argument.

Logic will be represented by Diel and Myers and telecoms law hotshot Andy Lipman, a Washington DC-based lawyer who was instrumental in drafting US telecoms legislation.

The court will decide on whether Logic's current licence permits it to offer cheaper, Internet-based data service to the country's residents and business community.

SEEKING A RESOLUTION Peter Durhager BUSINESS BUC