Satellite television companies have experienced a boom in sales after Hurricane Fabian as customers who have lost CableVision have looked elsewhere.

Both Bermuda's leading installer, Island Satellite, and Vision Satellite Technologies, have reported a rush of business as residents have been desperate to get back their television service.

The companies said they had been rushed off their feet both with existing customers needed to repair or replace satellites damaged in the hurricane and with new householders enquiring about services.

Meanwhile, CableVision said last night that it was doing street by street checks in Paget, Pembroke, St. George's and the north of Hamilton Parish to ensure customers have service restored.

Crews have been in Devonshire and Smith's this week and will move to Warwick, Southampton and Sandys by early next week. But no date has been given for a full restoration of service.

Marius Dier, the owner of Island Satellite, said yesterday he estimated he had gained an extra 100 customers due to CableVision being down. The company has around 3,000 customers.

He told The Royal Gazette: "Definitely, we've had lots of people putting up dishes because they don't have anything else at the moment.

"We had people putting them in before (Fabian) - a good steady trickle of business - but now I have more dishes to put up than I can do.

"It has just been hectic with our own customers losing big dishes.There have been a lot of total losses of ten- to 12-foot dishes and we've been repairing them.

"We can't get panels for lots of them as a lot of the companies we dealt with are now no longer in business."

Vision Satellite Technologies owner Michael O'Brien said he had received about 20 enquiries a day from customers since Fabian disrupted CableVision services.

"Demand has been up quite a bit with new business and I can only assume they are CableVision customers because they don't have much knowledge of the system," said Mr. O'Brien.

"We've had a lot of business just because our regular customers are getting restoration from minor alignments to complete restoration.

"We've had about 20 new customers calling a day making enquiries about satellite systems and the different programmes available."

Mr. O'Brien said the satellite equipment cost about $1,300 and installation costs were between $200 and $400. A service of 180 channels costs $600 a year.

Lawyer and former Senator Larry Scott has been named chairman of a trades disputes tribunal to look into the labour dispute at Bermuda CableVision which led to a national work stoppage last month.

Labour Minister Randolph Horton had referred the dispute to the Tribunal soon after it escalated into a national strike in solidarity with fired CableVision worker David Green.

The other members of the Tribunal are Pauulu Kamarakafego (Roosevelt Brown), environmentalist and former Member of Parliament, and Bruce Lines, President and Chief Executive Officer, Stevedoring Services Limited.

Dr. Kamarakafego and Mr. Lines were appointed following consultation with the Bermuda Industrial Union and CableVision.

The Tribunal will meet on Monday and Tuesday next week at the Department of Labour and Training.