sophistication and reliability of the Island's communications infrastructure.

General manager of Cable & Wireless in Bermuda, Mr. David Escott, told Hamilton Rotarians on Tuesday that the advanced systems which ensure efficient communications transmission are vital to Bermuda's economic future.

But Mr. Escott said it is the loyal, highly-trained 98 percent Bermudian staff at Cable & Wireless which really makes the system tick.

The company's Bermudianisation policy and intensive overseas training have resulted in a 98 percent Bermudian staff -- including seven out of the nine senior managers.

Mr. Escott said the Cable & Wireless Group "would not have become one of the world's largest international telecommunications organisations without a firm commitment to training people in the many countries in which it operates''.

Some $200,000 is spent on each Bermudian technical trainee he said. Over a four-year period, each trainee undergoes intensive courses in basic, intermediate and advanced electronic engineering at the Cable & Wireless College and the Anglia Polytechnic in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Escott added that staff are frequently sent overseas for training to ensure the company "remains abreast of the very latest developments in telecommunications''.

One of the systems which binds the Island to the rest of the world is the Private Transatlantic Telephone cable system (PTAT).

Jointly owned by Cable & Wireless and US Sprint, it links Bermuda with the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Escott explained that the cable can accommodate more than 17,000 telephone calls simultaneously -- using only six glass fibre strands, each the thickness of a human hair.

The PTAT forms a part of what Mr. Escott called the "Global Digital Highway'' - fibre optics linking the world's major financial centres of London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

A second fibre optic system called CARAC, which links Bermuda with Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, was installed in 1990.

In addition to international telephone services, this technology facilitates international data access, facsimile, telex, international leased circuits, videoconferencing and live international broadcasts.

Satellite are also vital for today's communications needs.

Cable & Wireless' landmark Standard `A' Earth Station in Devonshire -- otherwise known as "the big white dish''-- complements the cable systems.

The dish lives up to it's nickname, weighing in at 400 tons, with a 97 foot diameter, and stands 120 feet high.

By splitting communication traffic between cable and satellite systems, Bermuda will not be cut off from any particular destination in a problem were to occur.

Powered by solar cells, the satellite has the ability to transmit and receive 12,000 telephone calls and two TV channels.

CABLE & WIRELESS general manager Mr. David Escott.