UK cable operator Telewest Communications Plc, feeling a little left out in the cold after the merger of rivals NTL Inc and Cable & Wireless Communications Plc last week, is expected to announced today the launch of its cable modem internet service. NTL is already rolling out such a service, and Telewest must be under pressure to keep up.
Telewest has previously said it would begin a cable modem service in the first quarter 2000, but it is not known if the firm will bring the service forward to get a head start on British Telecommunications Plc’s roll-out of ADSL net access. It is believed the service will run with content from Microsoft Corp’s MSN portal – Microsoft owns 29.9% of Telewest – and will have some hardware provided by Hewlett-Packard Co according to London’s Financial Times newspaper. Pace Micro Technology Plc makes set-top boxes for Telewest’s cable TV service, and recently acquired cable modem technology with the purchase of Acorn Group Plc.
