By INDERIA SAUNDERS, Guardian Business Desk, Inderia@nasguard.com

BTC is moving to the small screen, or at least in terms of someday competing with Cable Bahamas in the provision of TV programming, Guardian Business has learned.

In fact, the company has already started to put in place $55 million of wireless infrastructure that will facilitate the bundling of wireless TV, Internet and telephone services by no later than 2010. By that time, Cable Bahamas' exclusivity agreement, making it the sole provider of that service here in The Bahamas, will have expired. It leaves BTC with both the means and the know-how to compete in that newly liberalized segment of the market, even as the government prepares to open the segment of telecommunications it now controls.

"We're taking out our entire core network and replacing it [because] it allows us to do much more," said BTC VP of marketing and wireless Marlon Johnson. "We're looking at television down the road, we're looking at enhanced digital wireline services [and] enhanced data services so the customers can maximize the value they get on their residential service."

This is just one of the ways, says Johnson, the company intends to exploit the liberalization of its marketplace, benefiting instead of losing out, as most analysts are now suggesting.

Last May, BTC signed a contract with Sonus Networks to buy its fully integrated, IP-based platform in order to replace its network of telephone wires and poles.

The wireless system will save over a million dollars a year in energy costs alone, and about another million dollars a year in maintenance and upgrades designed to bring BTC up to date with North American counterparts. Many of those companies are also expanding outside of their traditional markets.

Just Monday, AT&T officially announced launch of its U-verse programming package, which offers the triple whammy of phone, high-speed Internet and television services. The jump followed the inking of a U.S. bill that makes it possible for AT&T and other telephone companies to jump into markets and offer their own version of bundled services over fiber-enhanced versions of their existing infrastructures.

Johnson's comments come as Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham reiterates the need for full liberalization of the Bahamian telecommunications market space.

The first phase of that project should be completed by the end of this year, he said, with the new services coming on stream shortly after.

"Right now, the next generation network is allowing telephone companies to now start delivering television" Johnson said. "Much of our infrastructure is copper and the rest of the world has moved to fiber and fiber allows you to do things in the future like take television to the homes."

It's competition the phone company does not mind throwing at Cable Bahamas considering, the company may likely be able to offer phone services by that time.

"It's not a bad thing. It's just what the rest of the world is doing," sad Johnson. "I think Bahamians will see a wider menu of options, things they can choose form, better services, better prices [because] that's what the policy makers in the market are speaking to and we as operators have to respond."