Cable banquet

The hallowed triple-play of cable-delivered entertainment/connectivity - internet, TV and phone - is basically an urban myth in Ireland, with NTL's service available to only a few thousand homes around Dublin. Now a similar product from Magnet Networks is rolling out (very slowly) around the metro area.

And although it's a lip-licking banquet of 4Mbps net connection, digital TV and free phone calls, you can count on one hand the number of suburbs where it's live. In fact, it's not even complete suburbs but rather just specific housing developments.

Oh yeah, and did I mention the top-line service costs €72 a month? Eeeek. Yet it's good value, perhaps, when you consider the cost of phone rental, broadband and digital TV put together. But good luck in being in the catchment area.