Cablelink has announced plans to deliver a high speed Internet service on its Dublin network by the end of the year. The new service will require an investment of £5 million over three years, and is currently being supported by its two shareholders Telecom Eireann and RTE. It is expected the initiative will create an extra 50 jobs in the Dublin area.

The new cable modem Internet service is expected to make the company more attractive to perspective buyers following the Government's ruling that both companies must sell off Cablelink by Christmas. In April, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said the sale must entail a commitment by the purchaser to upgrade the Cablelink network to deliver a "state-of-the-art multimedia platform". A number of international telecommunications companies are said to be interested in Cablelink's network which is valued at 120 million. Cablelink says its Internet service will provide a home service between two and three times faster than a residential ISDN line would offer. The broadband high-speed capability of cable creates opportunities for a range of Internet services such as film and video streaming, video conferencing.