UPC added 36,200 subscribers in the first quarter of this year, bringing its total number to 922,600 – an increase of 13 per cent on last year.

Its results published yesterday show the firm experienced a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in broadband subscriptions, with the total number rising to 272,700.

UPC, which is owned by Liberty Global, said it had 187,200 home phone users at the end of quarter one, representing a net addition of 78,300, or 71 per cent.

UPC Ireland offers digital TV, broadband and fixed-line telephone services to customers. The company has invested €500 million over the past six years in its next generation broadband network, according to chief executive Dana Strong. “People are increasingly choosing high bandwidth broadband services and we are well positioned to meet that demand,” she said. The company has an entry broadband tier of 25Mb.

UPC has 384,900 digital TV customers.

The company said its business customer base continued to grow in the quarter, driven mostly by gains in the medium to large-sized business sector as well as public sector clients.