Irish telephone directory enquiry service Conduit plc, is to create 1400 jobs in Wales after it announced plans to open a major new call centre in Cardiff.

The new centre will be operational from January 2001 and it's hoped it will be full staffed by mid 2002.

Conduit's announcement coincided with yet more consultative work by the telecoms watchdog, Oftel.

Yesterday, the winged watchdog said it was looking at options to open up competition in the directory enquiry arena, currently dominated by BT.

Conduit reckons the directory enquiry marketplace is £300 million a year in Britain. ®