Bermuda may be poised to succeed, where others have failed - with delivery of viable wireless Internet access. And at least one local Internet service provider (ISP) - North Rock communications, is seizing the opportunity.

Similar US and UK ventures - including WinStar - have failed to deliver wireless access, at a profit, because of inconsistent supply and demand models in areas comprising both urban and rural areas.

Erich Hetzel, director of North Rock communications - which is currently testing wireless access with a number of its residential clients - said Bermuda's geography, as a densely populated island, with a demand for this service, may be a winning combination.

"We think there is the supply and demand for this - and this is based on our surveys, " Mr. Hetzel said, adding: "Our clients want a choice, and they want quality and support," he said.

Mr. Hetzel added that he is confident that North Rock will have the infrastructure to provide wireless Internet access to the bulk of Bermuda's population.

The company is still negotiating use of tower sites around the Island, in advance of its Island-wide wireless roll-out.

Speaking of wireless Internet access, Mr. Hetzel said it is an attractive alternative: "With dial-up access, if a street is cut up, or if cables are cut; service is down . . . with wireless that is not a problem," he said.

North Rock has been delivering wireless access to a number of its corporate clients since December, 1999. Mr. Hetzel said about 50 Hamilton buildings are "wired", or set up with antennas and transmitters, for wireless Internet access.

North Rock sees wireless as the way of the future, and as an affordable technology to deploy - as the cost of laying underground wires is prohibitive. But, Mr. Hetzel said wireless technology does not replace copper wire systems; it represents an alternative.

Mr. Hetzel said wireless does have some exposure to interruption - for instance, a storm could damage one of its towers - but in that case, there would only be a single point, rather than long distances of cable, to repair.

Vicki Coehlo, North Rock's marketing manager told The Royal Gazette that there was no lost service for wireless test customers, during last week's tropical storm.

The wireless technology, which has been put in place by North Rock, is dubbed "in-line-of-sight" technology. An antenna (either indoor or outdoor) is hooked up to a radio transmitter, which is then connected to the computer.

The broadband service allows for always-on Internet access over radio links, and bypasses the need for a telephone connection.

Although the technology is "shared spectrum," which is to say using a radio band also used by other sources, Mr. Hetzel said he is "not worried about interference."

Mr. Hetzel says the North Rock system is robust: "It is made to accept interference . . . unlike a cellular or voice call, with sending data you can't lose any data - the system must be robust to work," he said.

When asked about the security of the system, Mr. Hetzel said it has built-in safeguards, and security risks are: "the same as exist with other technologies."

NorthRock said pricing, and speed of access - up to 1 Mb per second - will be competitive with proposed DSL rates, from the Bermuda Telephone Company.

In the UK, radio spectrum licenses are required for wireless access services, but in Bermuda, North Rock is deploying wireless access over an unlicensed band set aside for industrial, scientific and medical purposes.

Greg Swan, director of Telecommunications ministry: said there was nothing - from a licensing perspective - to keep North Rock from offering wireless service.

"They already have a class B license for transmission and a class C license for Internet, but they are still doing technical testing, to get out the bugs," he said.

When asked if this wireless technology is susceptible to interruptions, Mr. Swan said: "Although, I could not say there was zero potential for interference, I don't foresee any problems . . . I have every reason to believe this will be a successful roll-out," he said.

Mr. Swan added that, at this time, there are no other applications to provide wireless service on the Island.

North Rock's technical test, of its wireless technology, has been running since August, and Mr. Hetzel said the feedback from customers is: "please don't take it away."

Mr. Hetzel said the testing sites are: "geographically dispersed; in Hamilton, Somerset, Warwick, Paget and Pembroke."

North Rock said it does not yet have a date for its public launch of Island-wide wireless service. North Rock would also not say how many subscribers are participating in its testing phase, but that it was a: "significant number of subscribers."