Telecommunications entrepreneurs Michael Leverock and Kurt Eve yesterday announced that their company CellularOne had bought out Hardell Cable TV Ltd.

Mr. Leverock, CellularOne’s chief operating officer, said the main attraction of the acquisition was Hardell’s cable television licence, which would enable CellularOne to maximise its communications network potential in the future.

And he added that the company had been advised by its lawyers that the licence — which was the subject of a protracted legal battle — was valid.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Kurt and I want to position ourselves to take advantage of every opportunity, in telecommunications and wireless technology,” Mr. Leverock said yesterday.

“Right now we offer not only phone services, but also broadband internet, and even mobile television on some models of our phones, so there is already a lot of convergence happening.”

As technology advances, devices are becoming more multi-faceted and appliances in the home are becoming more connected with each other. Mr. Leverock sees great opportunities in the future.

“As time progresses, regulatory structures will change, technology will advance and networks will become more diverse and multi-functional,” Mr. Leverock said. “We expect to see the development of more ‘smart’ devices that do more than one thing. People in technology are now using terms like triple play and quadruple play.

“So CellularOne will not be looking to provide any one service, but rather a suite of services.”

Hardell first applied for a wireless cable television licence back in 1995, but it was not until March 2005 that Hardell owner Harold Darrell finally won a Supreme Court order which required the Ministry of Telecommunications to grant the company the licence.

At the same time, the Government awarded a similar licence to World on Wireless! (WoW), despite Hardell’s failed legal bid to get it stopped.

Mr. Leverock and chief executive officer Mr. Eve founded CellularOne and obtained its telecommunications licence in 1998.

The company illustrated its desire to bring cutting-edge technology to the Island when it upgraded its entire wireless network to the CDMA2000 Revision A standard late last year.

The new technology will enable faster downloads and uploads, instant messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications.

It allows video conferencing, richly rendered 3D multiplayer gaming, fully interactive multimedia services and the ability to send e-mails with large attachments.

“In order to ensure our ability to take advantage of business opportunities for the future and to remain competitively involved in the wireless market, it is our intention to formulate an updated plan for the build-out of a broadband wireless network which will put Bermuda on the cutting edge of technology and infrastructure,” Mr. Leverock said.

“We will achieve this goal by utilising next-generation wireless broadband network equipment to enable the company to offer a suite of multimedia and entertainment services in a converging information, communications, and technology industry era.”