Up to 350 people could be made redundant at cable operators NTL Ireland and Chorus as part of a restructuring plan announced today.
UPC Ireland, which owns the recently merged companies, said it may also create as many 140 jobs as the company looks to consolidate ahead of being rebranded.
Robert Dunn, ceo of UPC Ireland said: "The objective is to create a strong national operator for television, Internet and telephony services."
In a statement issued this evening the company said the re-organisation would result in a redistribution of staff around various locations and "a reduction of the total number of functions".
"Consultations with the workforce and employee representatives regarding this transition are ongoing. The aim is as much as possible to find appropriate alternatives within the new structure for those employees affected but a certain number of redundancies cannot be excluded.
"We estimate that there may be up to 350 redundancies commencing from September 2006 and concluding in March 2007. On the other hand, we may also be able to create up to 140 new positions."
NTL has a call centre in Limerick while Chorus has one in Waterford. RTE is reporting union officials saying the Waterford centre which employs around 110 people is set to close.
It has been reported that UPC are hoping to shave €40 million off operating costs over a three-year period.