Video Networks is to unbundle hundreds more exchanges as it makes its broadband TV service available to some ten million viewers in the UK.

The national expansion of its local loop unbundling (LLU) network is to be funded by Video Networks' existing shareholders and by a new round of fund-raising led by investment bank CSFB.

Except while the cablecos have an established business with millions of punters, so far Video Networks has only managed to sign up 34,000 customers. Still, the company is optimistic and has high hopes that its broadband / TV / telephony service will prove popular with viewers.

"We are growing our customer base rapidly and we are growing the proportion of our customers who buy all three services from us," said Roger Lynch, chairman and CEO of Video Networks.

"This gives us great confidence in our decision to launch our national roll-out and bring the attractions of Homechoice to a much wider UK audience," he said.

Separately, the company described as "rumour and speculation" reports that Homechoice could be a take-over target for satellite group Sky, which is already buying LLU operator Easynet for £211m to enter the UK's broadband market. ®

Related stories

• Tiscali eyes Homechoice for IPTV (11 August 2006)
• Homechoice yet to hit play on network roll-out plans (12 May 2006)
• Be expands broadband network (13 February 2006)
• Survey maps UK's broadband 'notspots' (2 February 2006)
• Be secures investment for high speed roll-out (23 January 2006)
• Sky unveils VoD service (11 January 2006)
• 2005 in review UK poised for broadband choice (27 December 2005)
• UK 'on target' for 1m unbundled lines in 2006 (9 December 2005)
• Update Virgin Mobile 'unanimously rejects' NTL offer (8 December 2005)
• NTL and Virgin Mobile confirm bid talks (5 December 2005)
• AOL tunes in to video on demand (14 November 2005)
• Plusnet turns to Tiscali for LLU (11 November 2005)
• Easynet ISP cranks broadband to 22 meg (9 November 2005)
• BT ex- CTO 'for sale' on eBay (8 November 2005)
• Wanadoo LLU live in Leeds (8 November 2005)
• C&W continues LLU investment despite ISP woes (8 November 2005)
• AOL preps LLU broadband launch (8 November 2005)
• Local loop unbundling 'showing signs of improvement' (4 November 2005)
• Carphone confirms local loop plans (3 November 2005)
• Carphone eyes Local Loop Unbundling (31 October 2005)
• Murdoch gets Easynet (21 October 2005)
• Analysis BT waking up to unbundling threat (19 October 2005)
• Analysis Of mass market telco TV (17 October 2005)
• Wanadoo toasts unbundled broadband with 8 meg service (17 October 2005)
• LLU falters in UK (14 October 2005)
• Sky plans broadband assault (13 October 2005)
• Telewest trials webcast TV (21 June 2005)
• Analysis MS's IPTV strategy in tatters (1 June 2005)
• UK LLU improving says Telecoms Adjudicator (8 March 2005)
• HomeChoice extends VoD reach (27 January 2005)
• HomeChoice doubles broadband speeds (25 January 2005)
• UK leads Europe in VoD (10 January 2005)
• Homechoice wakes up and smells the coffee (28 September 2004)
• London to get unbundled video-on-demand (5 May 2004)