The rapid expansion of information "superhighways'' across the oceans could mean a jobs boost for Bermudians.

Cable laying across the world is continuing at a rapid pace in a bid to keep up with the demand from the communications explosion -- bringing a profitable spin-off for the Island.

Currently Cable and Wireless is using Island labour as it uses Bermuda as a loading stage for one of its fibre optic laying vessels.

Around 64 men are working around the clock as 1,500 km of hi-tech cable is loaded from the Al Catel supply ship, the Baltimar Okeanos , to the Agile , at Dockyard.

Peter Bennett, C & W team leader, said the loading work -- which involves coiling the huge length of cable in the ship's hold -- would be finished by the end of the month.

But he and Lloyd Porter, transfer project manager for Al Catel, indicated that the Island could be utilised on future occasions for similar operations.

"This is the first time we have done this operation but we could come back, depending on the cost,'' said Mr. Bennett.

Once the project is complete, Agile will be heading off into the North Atlantic to lay the cable from a point 10 km off Rhode Island, where a section has already been put down, to meet with cable being laid at the same time from the UK.

The rendevous will be a point along the North Atlantic ridge, around the middle of July, when Agile's crew will join the two cables, making the Gemini North system complete.

Gemini North -- which has the capability to carry 150,000 Internet calls simultaneously -- will join eight other trans-Atlantic lines, carrying information and telephone calls between the US and Britain.

And there is no end in sight to the cable boom. Each line does the same work as two or three satellites, costs much less, and requires replacing after around 25 years.