Hundreds of residents braved 80 plus degree heat and lined up outside the Church Street office of World on Wireless (WOW) throughout the day to sign up for the new television service.

Many of those who waited in the snaking line yesterday told their frustrations with CableVision have driven them to investigate the new service.

But late yesterday CableVision Operations Manager Alan Smith said: ?Competition has had minimal impact on our business. We are currently focussed on meeting the high demand for our new digital service, and are please dwith the positive feedback feceived from our customers.?

On Church Street, one woman said she attempted to get a refund from CableVision after her cable blacked out last year and has been without cable ever since.

?My cable has been disconnected since September. So I?m going to give WOW a chance,? she said, adding she does not want a big dish in her yard.

John Blanchard said he had signed up for CableVision?s new digital package but was unhappy with the service so he decided to switch to WOW.

?They (CableVision) said their digital was the best way to go now but the channels have been cutting out all the time,? he said. ?I?ve had more problems now.?

He said he thought that the competition would be the best thing for both the new company and the competition. ?There?s nothing better than competition.?

Another woman said: ?I had a lot of problems with CableVision when they block out channels. I?m going to try WOW out because I was getting tired of that.?

But other would-be WOW subscribers said they were simply trying something new. Roslyn Francis said she?s never had cable before and wanted to ?give WOW a chance?. While Bill Carr said he was interested in the channels offered.

?The channel selection looks reasonable,? he said. ?It would be nice to pick and choose but this is a good offer.?

A WOW manager working at the store yesterday said people seem pleased with the service. ?There has been a long line all day so we must be getting a good response,? she said. The digital service company is offering subscribers 85 channels for $68 per month as a ?summer sampler? to see how they enjoy the service. After the special, subscribers can choose from four tiers of service ranging in price from $19 to $70 a month plus $10 per month for any of a dozen movie channels.