Stentor, the Irish-owned telecommunications company listed in London, has received a licence to operate its telephone network between the United States and Ireland. The US Federal Communications Commission has approved Stentor for a "214" licence and the company intends to offer US users, both residential and business, calls to Ireland at domestic US rates.

Users will be able to access Stentor's network via access codes similar to those of other US carriers. The company's network now operates between the United States, the Republic and Britain.

The company describes receiving the licence as the "biggest development in the company so far" and says it substantially increases its value. The main source of traffic between the United States and Ireland will come from the cities with large Irish populations, like Boston and New York.

Stentor intends to launch a marketing campaign in these cities, including the sale of an Irish calling card, before the end of the year.

Before the awarding of the "214" licence, Stentor customers needed to buy leased lines to gain entry to its network.

In a separate development, Stentor is expected to apply for the new DCS mobile phone licence in the Republic, according to a company spokesman.

It intends to apply for the licence as part of a consortium, made up of an international telecommunications company and a mobile phone group. Mr O'Brien said the company would rather apply for a "metropolitan licence" than a national phone licence.

"We are very interested, but we would rather operate in the large cities," he said. The company plans to list on the Developing Companies Market (DCM) in Dublin at the beginning of December.

"We want to list not specifically for raising money, but to give Irish investors a chance to get involved," Mr O'Brien added.