Chorus, the cable and telecommunications operator formerly known as Irish Multichannel, has introduced a digital television service as part of a bundled telephony and Internet package.
The company, which has a licence franchise area covering around 600,000 homes outside Dublin, claims its telephony package offers savings of up to 46 per cent compared to similar offerings from Eircom.
The package will bring price competition to the regions and put further pressure on Eircom's residential call rates following NTL's entry to the telephone market last month.
Chorus's standard service costs £18.49 and includes 21 TV channels, a telephony service and connection to the Internet on the TV via a set-top box which will give access to the company's Internet Service provider, Unison.
About 150,000 households are currently within Chorus's upgraded network area and could access digital TV. This will be extended to the entire Chorus franchise area following a £300 million network upgrade over the next two years. However, the introduction of Chorus's telephony package will be somewhat slower. By the end of 2000 some 65,000 homes will have access to its direct telephone service while the company plans to have 80 per cent coverage of its franchise area by 2002.
In areas not yet upgraded to the digital standard, customers will be offered a telephone package using carrier pre-select technology. This enables consumers to select an alternative service provider to carry their calls while maintaining Eircom as the provider of a telephone line.
Chorus's Internet service will not be available until late November.
Chorus, which was rebranded yesterday, from its former name Irish Multichannel, is jointly owned by US company Liberty Media and Independent News & Media.
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