Quantum Communications is open again and is offering a new data communications service to business users. The company is back four years after it ceased operating subsequent to lengthy legal disputes brought by competitors and the loss of a major shareholder.

The high-speed bandwidth service is called CityNet and will run using the fibre optic network Quantum installed around Hamilton after the company first established operations in 1999. According to Garth Barnes, chief operating officer, Quantum?s core network infrastructure remains ?the most robust, flexible and reliable network in the market that is supported 24 hours a day, seven days a week.?

However, the company made extensive hardware and software upgrades to meet current technological standards and client demands in the market, and now operates with systems provided by leading industry supplier Cisco.

The company also receives extended 24-hour network monitoring and technical support remotely from Canadian telecommunications service provider Fibrewired Ltd. based in Hamilton, Ontario.

?Quantum?s 100 percent fibre optic network links most of the major office buildings in Hamilton,? added Mr. Barnes.

?It is fully backed-up and self-healing, so there can be no single point of failure. It?s virtually uninterruptible.?

Mr. Barnes joined the company from competitor BTC when Quantum resumed operations last April.

The company currently has around 30 customers, several of whom are already using CityNet.

In addition to the new service, Quantum also offers clients high-speed bandwidth services to support access to Internet Service Providers, remote IT system hosting facilities and business continuity networks.

Mr. Barnes said that Quantum is using its technological platform to reduce connection times for clients, enabling the company to provide services quickly. ?This, along with our ability to dynamically change the configuration of our customers? bandwidth requirements to suit their unique requirements clearly differentiates us from our competitors,? he said.

?We?re taking a more consultative approach to the market,? added Mr. Barnes.

?Everything from our initial assessment of what the client needs to our pricing structure is geared to tailoring specific solutions to meet their requirements. We?re not overselling, customers get what they pay for.?

Mr. Barnes is one of just four employees at Quantum right now, part of what he says is the company?s strategy to grow at a ?manageable level, one step at a time.?

Whilst the company is focused on providing data services for now, there are plans to expand into voice service.

?That?s definitely a priority for us,? said Mr. Barnes. ?We are not going to over-reach, and we?re going to do things in a manageable way, but we want to be the dominant telecommunications service provider in Bermuda.?

Quantum was originally formed by BELCO and Cable and Wireless in 1997. The company ceased operating two years later, and BELCO sold its stake in the operation.

Quantum is now owned by Cable and Wireless (Bermuda) Holdings Ltd., ATG (a joint venture between Ignition and Telecom) and the Phoenix Trust.