When I read something saying I've not done anything as good as Catch-22 I'm tempted to reply, "Who has?"
As quoted in The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Quotations (1997) edited by Peter Kemp, p. 303
It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.
Opening Lines
The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likeable. In three days no one could stand him.
"Open your eyes, Clevinger. It doesn't make a damned bit of difference who wins the war to someone who's dead."
Clevinger was dead. That was the basic flaw in his philosophy.
"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on."
He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive.
UPC Ireland is
Liberty Global EuropeLiberty Global, Inc. is an international media company and one of the largest broadband providers outside the United States of America. It was formed by the merger of the international arm of Liberty Media and UGC .-Europe:...
's telecommunications operation in
IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital (VoIP) telephony to over 531,000 customers. UPC Ireland previously traded under the branding
Chorus NTLNTL Communications Limited was a cable television and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service company in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2005 it was owned by Liberty Global Europe , having been divested by NTL...
until May 4, 2010. It is primarily in competition with Sky Ireland and
Magnet NetworksMagnet Networks is an Irish company providing telephone, television and internet services via subscription over optical fibre.Magnet Networks was launched in Dublin on 1 December 2004, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based international investment company Columbia Ventures Corporation...
in the Irish Pay television market
Structure
- UPC Ireland is owned by Liberty Global Europe
Liberty Global, Inc. is an international media company and one of the largest broadband providers outside the United States of America. It was formed by the merger of the international arm of Liberty Media and UGC .-Europe:...
and operated through its subsidiary UPC BroadbandUPC Broadband is a Pan-European Communications company owned by Liberty Global and is active in several European countries providing bundled cable television, internet and telephone services....
. UPC Broadband operates in nine other European countries including BelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
UPC Ireland Services
- UPC Ireland focuses on three key areas digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
, broadbandThe term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
and phoneWithin phonetics, a phone is:* a speech sound or gesture considered a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language* a speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties...
. In addition, UPC Ireland offers to business customers a complete range of telecommunications solutions from standard voice and internet services to more advanced services such as Ethernet LAN extensions, corporate voice services, and high-speed internet. These services are offered to large corporations, public organizations, and small to medium size businesses in Ireland, primarily in CorkCork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Dublin, GalwayGalway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, LimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, and WaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
.
- The main product offered by UPC's is cable
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and MMDS ("wireless cable") television services, in analogue, and SD576i is a standard-definition video mode used in PAL and SECAM countries. In digital applications it is usually referred to as "576i", in analogue contexts it is often quoted as "625 lines"...
and HDHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital formats, using DVB-CDVB-C stands for Digital Video Broadcasting - Cable and it is the DVB European consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital television over cable...
encrypted using NagravisionNagravision is a company of the Kudelski Group that develops conditional access systems for cable and satellite television. The name is also used for their main products, the Nagravision encryption systems.-Digital systems:...
. While regions formerly part of NTLNTL Communications Limited was a cable television and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service company in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2005 it was owned by Liberty Global Europe , having been divested by NTL...
has switched off its analogue MMDS, ones of Chorus have yet to do so on its far more extensive network. Digital is now available in the vast majority of areas, with the Cork cable network becoming the first in the Republic of Ireland to become digital-only. In addition, the company offers broadband internet services using the EuroDOCSISData Over Cable Service Interface Specification is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-speed data transfer to an existing cable TV system...
standard as well as a VoIP-based telephone service using PacketCablePacketCable is an industry consortium founded by CableLabs with the goal of defining standards for the cable television modem access industry....
.
On August 14, 2007, UPC launched a personal video recorder, the UPC Mediabox, in ex-NTL areas, subsequently rolled out to other areas.
In May 2010, UPC Ireland announced plans for a 100Mb/s broadband service which would be offered to home users across its broadband-capable network in the coming months. In
December 2010December 2010 was the twelfth month of that year. It began on a Wednesday and ended after 31 days on a Friday.-Portal:Current events:This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from December 2010....
UPC launched its 100Mb Fibre Power Broadband package, making it the fastest ISP for residential customers in Ireland at the time.
Forthcoming services
UPC is planning to launch a "video on demand" service for its Irish customers sometime in 2012. Already available on UPC services in the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
,
HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The video on demand service will allow customers in the Republic of Ireland to watch classic movies and the latest cinematic releases.
UPC HD Service
On August 5, 2009 UPC launched HDTV in the Republic of Ireland. Channels available include international broadcasters
BBC HDBBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
,
Discovery HDDiscovery HD is the international name of the high-definition television channels from Discovery Communications.The international Discovery HD first launched in Korea on February 2005 as a programming block...
,
Eurosport HDOn 25 May 2008, a HD simulcast version of the main channel launched - the first event covered in HD being the 2008 French Open at Roland Garros.-Launch:...
, ESPN HD,
MGM HDMGM HD is an all high-definition television channel. It features commercial-free movies from MGM's library of approximately 1,200 movies mastered in a high-definition-compatible format as well as feature films from their library of 4,100 theatrical titles...
,
BBC One HDBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, Disney Cinemagic HD among others. From 2012 the roll-out of UPC's video-on-demand and catch up tv services already available on other UPC services across Europe will be introduced in the Republic of Ireland.
History
- Liberty Global and its predecessors UGC Europe and Tele-Communications Inc
-Medicine:*Transient Cerebral Ischaemic attack, see Transient ischemic attack*Tricyclic antidepressant medication*Target Controlled Infusion, a method for controlling intravenous infusions.-Psychology:*Theme-Centered Interaction, a method of psychotherapy by Dr...
have had shareholdings in Chorus CommunicationsChorus Communications was a communications provider in Ireland, it offered internet, television and telephone services. It was owned by Liberty Global Europe, and ultimately controlled by John C. Malone's Liberty Media. It was based in Limerick, and owns the cable television and MMDS TV licences...
and its predecessor, Princes Holdings (Irish Multichannel), since the company's formation in the early 1990s. Originally a joint venture with Independent News and Media, IN&M sold its shares to Liberty in 2004.
- In May 2005
May 2005 was the fifth month of that year. It began on a Sunday and ended after 31 days, on a Tuesday.May 2005: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December –...
, NTLVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
agreed to sell its Irish operations NTL IrelandNTL Communications Limited was a cable television and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service company in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2005 it was owned by Liberty Global Europe , having been divested by NTL...
(previously Cablelink) to Liberty Global. Morgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
held the shareholding until Competition Authority approval was obtained. This occurred in December 2005 and UPC Ireland came into being on 12 December 2005.
Integration of NTL and Chorus
- In 2006, UPC Ireland began to integrate the brands Chorus and NTL to form Chorus NTL.
- Branding wise, on 5 September 2006 NTL's website was changed to the same design as Chorus i.e., itself based on UPC Netherlands' website design at the time. 25 January 2007, NTL Ireland
NTL Communications Limited was a cable television and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service company in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2005 it was owned by Liberty Global Europe , having been divested by NTL...
updated the electronic programme guide software to remove the NTL logo and all mention of the NTL name. However the UPC name has not replaced it, the areas which contained the NTL logo simply having been left blank. The colour scheme is still NTL's.
- On January 31 2007, NTL and Chorus began advertising jointly, although the adverts were simply the ongoing campaign from NTL with the Chorus logo added to them. On 4 June 2007 @ntlworld.ie e-mail addresses switched to @upcmail.ie. The new UPC Mediabox set top boxes (STBs) which contain a hardrive based digital video recording system are fully UPC branded (albeit with the original UPC logo rather than the current lowercase design) and come with a much enhanced EPG. These are being rolled out on both the ex NTL and Chorus cable networks. From 2008, the old Pace STBs supplied by NTL Ireland (and originally designed for NTL UK) are being replaced with new Pace STBs designed for UPC, also branded "UPC Mediabox" but without the hard drive/recording capabilities.
- In a Sunday Business Post article on February 11, 2007, UPC Ireland's marketing manager revealed that the rebrand was due to take place no later than May 2007. This did not occur, although the continuing ownership by Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
of the NTL brand means that it is likely to occur in the near future. On 16 May 2007 UPC NetherlandsUPC Netherlands is the second largest cable operator in the Netherlands, providing cable television , broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers.-History:...
introduced a new UPC logo, which is due to be rolled out across UPC's European subsidiaries. It is likely that this will replace the Chorus and NTL logos. From July 2007, all UPC advertising began bearing a composite logo reading "Chorus NTL - a UPC company".
- On June 10, 2007 UPC announced its takeover of one of the remaining small Irish operators, Clane Cable Systems. This will give it an extra 2000 customers. The network will be run as part of NTL Ireland
NTL Communications Limited was a cable television and Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service company in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2005 it was owned by Liberty Global Europe , having been divested by NTL...
.
- During late September and early October 2007, Chorus and NTL included a leaflet with their bills explaining that a rebrand would occur on 21 October. That did not happen, however, on 30 October 2007, the NTL Ireland and Chorus websites were merged into a single website, although the composite Chorus NTL logo is used on it rather than the UPC logo. In November 2007, NTL Business was rebranded UPC Business, making it the first part of the company to officially adopt the UPC name.
- On April 29, 2008 UPC's former Cork Communications cable network, latterly part of Chorus, became the first cable network in the Republic of Ireland to switch to digital, with the analogue signal (except for the Irish terrestrial channels) switched off.
- On May 4, 2010 UPC began a €3 million spend on rebranding, completing the change from Chorus:NTL to the UPC brand. A high-profile media campaign – fronted by broadcaster Craig Doyle - was planned to run for 3 months. It also lighted up a number of buildings in Dublin (including Busáras and Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill is located on the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin, Ireland at the corner of Pearse Street and Barrow St. The majority of the complex consists of silos built in the 1940s. The mill stopped production in 2001 and the site is now derelict...
), Galway and Cork.
- UPC had received the final approvals to acquire assets from broadband rival Broadworks, which was in liquidation. This will give it access to about 6,600 homes in west Dublin and Meath. The Competition Authority cleared the deal on April 21, 2010.
External links