ntl Ireland & Chorus Ireland stand to gain from a proposed multi-million euro network upgrade currently being undertaken by its new owners UPC, part of the Liberty Global group. According to SiliconRepublic.com, the investment will pave the way for the introduction of triple-play services combining high-definition TV, in Ireland. UPC launched its so-called ‘new wave’ service in the Republic in July and triple-play rollout is continuing in other parts of the country as part of its USD50 million planned investment in 2006.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Chorus was formed in 1990 via the consolidation of a number of privately owned Irish cable operators, including Irish Multichannel, Suir Nore Relays and Cable Management Ireland. It adopted the Chorus name in October 2000. It is the largest cable and MMDS service provider outside Dublin, and its franchises cover the entire Republic bar the capital, Galway, Waterford, and Mayo. Formerly a part of the ntl Group, ntl Ireland is the Republic’s biggest cable supplier with a network covering Dublin, Galway and Waterford. It offers analogue and digital cable services, including triple-play video, voice and data, to residential and business users. The company began trialling advanced triple-play technologies, including VoIP and Wi-Fi services, in May 2005 and have since launched commercially.