uSwitch home phone news August 2006

Tiscali UK, the Italian owned internet provider has announced a merger with Video Networks International, which offers TV, broadband and phone services under the Homechoice brand.

Tiscali will now use Video Networks' technology to launch triple play packages in the UK later this year, which will then be rolled out to Tiscali's other markets in Europe. Video Networks has been operating its Homechoice TV service in London since September 2000 and more recently in parts of Stevenage using Local Loop Unbundling.

Tiscali are hoping they will now be able to challenge other triple players in the markets such as ntl/ Telewest, Sky and BT (once it launches BT Vision). Tiscali currently has 1.2 million subscribers in the UK, and Homechoice has 45,000.