Hawaiian Telcom said it began the staged launch of its TV service on Oahu today, but the company would not say how many customers can order the service or in what neighborhoods it is available.

The state approved Hawaiian Telcom’s license to provide TV service last week. With the approval, Hawaiian Telcom, the state’s largest phone company, can compete with Oceanic Time Warner, which has 94 percent of the cable TV market.

"Oahu residents who live within areas identified for initial delivery of the new TV service will be contacted by Hawaiian Telcom and invited to sign up," Hawaiian Telcom said in a news release.

Ann Nishida Fry, the company’s spokeswoman, declined to say which neighborhoods would be first to get the service or how many homes will be served in the first stage of the launch.

"We are rolling out Hawaiian Telcom TV gradually to selected areas to ensure the delivery of superior service and an ongoing excellent customer experience," said Brad Fisher, senior vice president for strategy and marketing, in the news release. "We will expand the availability and capabilities of Hawaiian Telcom TV service over time and look forward to sharing more as our roll-out progresses."   

The company said, "Programming content and pricing are competitive with what is currently provided by cable and direct broadcast satellite operators. Content includes local and premium channels as well as public education and government channels in service of the community."

The service will include more than 250 channels, the company said, including the NFL Network in HD.