Bermuda CableVision has signed up more than 1,000 customers to its digital cable services.

CableVision General Manager Jeremy Elmas met with the 1,000th digital cable customer, Mrs. Pamela Burch, yesterday to award her with six months of free cable service.

She said the picture quality had improved and it had taken less than 20 minutes to install throughout her house.

A one-way digital service is already available in Pembroke, and a two-way service in St. David's and St. George's. Two-way, interactive services will be available Islandwide by late 2004. Teams moving parish by parish are working flat-out to bring the more than 150 entertainment channels ? including 45 commercial free, CD quality music channels ? to Bermuda.

The digital team will be moving into the north half of Hamilton parish by the end of the month.

Mr. Elmas said: "CableVision is delighted by the response from customers. We already know from recent World Economic Forum study results that our Bermudian community place high value on television-based entertainment."

Digital cable service is enabled via CableVision's new broadband network, which incorporates fibre optics as well as all-new plant and electronics.

The new broadband network enables not only the provision of digital cable service, with an ability to accommodate hundreds of new channels, but also an array of new interactive services.

CableVision's budding rival, World on Wireless (WOW) hope to have their digital satellite TV service ready for testing by the end of April.