New phone firm jobs total 450

The phone firm is offering an open day for potential new recruits

An Irish telecoms company is bringing 100 jobs to south Wales by expanding its call centre workforce.

Dublin-based Conduit owns the telephone directory service 118 888, one of the new generation of phone inquiry lines replacing British Telecom's 192 service.

The firm already employs around 900 people at dedicated centres in Cardiff and Swansea in its UK operation - 118UK Ltd.

The new jobs will be at the firm's Swansea call centre. In March this year it announced it was taking on 300 staff in Cardiff.

Most of Conduit's new jobs attract salaries of between £10,400 and £17,000 a year.

The company claims to have won around 11% of the national market following a decision to allow firms, other than British Telecom, to offer directory enquiry services.

Conduit claims to have 11% of the directory inquiries market

Another 80 jobs will be created outside of Wales.

Conduit is holding an open day for people interested in applying for the new jobs at its head office in Hodge House, Guildhall Place, on Monday

The open day will be held from 1000 BST and 1900 BST.

Conduit was founded in 1996, and now employs 1,400 people in five locations, with offices in Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and the UK.

It delivers directory inquiry services in several European markets.

The 192 telephone directories service, which receives an estimated 600 million calls each year, will be phased out.

Firms offering rival services include BT, British Gas, One Tel and Orange.