CABLE OPERATOR UPC Ireland now claims to be the second-largest broadband provider in the Republic, with 80,500 subscribers at the end of last year.
At the release of its parent Liberty Global's annual results, UPC said it had added 25,000 customers across its range of television, internet and phone services last year.
Robert Dunn, chief executive of UPC Ireland, said the company was able to offer "triple play" services to 230,000 of the 751,000 homes its cable network can serve.
"We are starting to see the first fruits of the investment that Liberty Global are putting into the business in Ireland," said Mr Dunn.
UPC now has 317,600 subscribers to its digital television services in the Republic, up from 287,100 at the end of December 2006.
Mr Dunn said the market for digital television was not reaching saturation yet. He said high-definition services, which UPC plans to have in place by the beginning of the next football season, and interactive services, such as video on demand, would drive growth.
