NTL to close phone service

Cable TV company, NTL, is closing down its domestic phone service in Ireland amid fears the units used to connect phones to the cable could be dangerous.

NTL, which launched the cable-based phone service on Dublin’s southwest side in 2000 but closed it to new customers in 2002, denied any commercial motive for its decision to pull the plug on about 2,000 customers.

Over the weekend, NTL crews began arriving at customers’ homes to take away their Tellabs-made cablespan units that allowed phone calls to be made down a cable line.

The company declined to specify the nature of the threat. "The company has taken this decision after identifying a safety issue associated with its domestic direct telephone equipment," said an NTL statement.

"All 2000 customers are being advised of this decision and we are recommending each customer contact an alternative telecoms provider with immediate effect.

“Obviously we deeply regret suspending the service to our customers, but our No 1 priority is customer safety,” said NTL spokeswoman Anna-Maria Barry, who pledged NTL would help its customers make “a seamless transition” to eircom.

NTL did not publicly identify the maker of the suspect equipment. But Tellabs, based in Naperville, Illinois, confirmed it was the manufacturer – and blamed NTL installers for the problems.

Tellabs said that, after NTL reported two “isolated incidents” involving apparently overheating units, Tellabs hired an engineering consultant who concluded that the probable cause was improper installation. It noted that 600,000 cablespan units have been sold worldwide.

“Tellabs is confident that our cablespan units are safe when properly installed,” the company said in a statement.

Fine Gael's Senator Brian Hayes, accused NTL of treating its customers with contempt. He said some customers suspected “this is just an excuse for NTL to get out of the business”.

“For any service provider to leave people high and dry like this, and not give them information about the inherent security risk that applied, is just unconscionable,” Sen. Hayes said.

Later in the Dáil, the leader of the Labour Party, Pat Rabbitte, denounced NTL’s behaviour. He said his office was deluged with complaints over the weekend, but his efforts to get an explanation from NTL got nowhere.

Rabbitte said NTL “did the minimum and seemed more interested in protecting itself against any legal action than in reassuring worried householders”.

He also accused NTL of “taking advantage of this controversy to provide themselves with an exit strategy from what has proved to be an unprofitable business. NTL originally offered free Internet services to those who signed up with them, but have since been attempting to pull back from this offer”.

NTL insisted it was suspending the service for purely safety reasons. However the company has no plans to restore the service using new equipment.

In letters, the spokeswoman said, all 2,000 customers were being instructed to unplug the boxes immediately.

The Government-appointed Commission for Communications Regulation ordered NTL to ensure that its departing customers would not pay connection fees to other carriers.