Europe_s second-largest cable operator UPC plans to roll out high-speed broadband Internet services in the Polish cities of Warsaw and Krakow by the end of the year, the company said on Wednesday.

"By then we want to be offering high-speed Internet access to some 80 percent of our PTK (Polska Telewizja Kablowa) subscribers in those two cities," Bruce M. Massey, UPC_s managing director for Poland told Reuters after a news conference. Earlier during the conference Dutch-based United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) said it would invest up to $10 million this year to upgrade its current cable structure in Poland. Last year UPC bought Poland_s largest cable network PTK which currently services more than 700,000 households for some $1.2 billion. Under the deal UPC also bought one of Poland_s two digital television services Wizja TV. The D-DTH (digital-direct-to-home) television platform currently has more than 300,000 subscribers, UPC said. Before UPC starts offering its Internet services, it needs to be cleared for data transmission by Poland_s telecommunications ministry. Massey said he hoped the appropriate licence will be granted "within days or weeks."