LEBANON — The kickoff of city-run telephone service has been delayed until June, but details are falling into place.

        Telecommunications Director Jim Baldwin says more than 700 people are on a waiting list for phone service, and technicians will begin installing phone boxes on their houses in coming weeks. The Warren County city of more than 7,000 homes could have as many as 3,000 customers — equal the number of city cable customers — by year's end, he said.

        Service was supposed to start about now, but logistical difficulties with the city's partner, Cincinnati Bell, pushed things back.

        Lebanon will be one of just a handful of communities nationwide with its own phone service. The city's 3-year-old telecommunications system offers cable and high-speed Internet service for less than what people in other communities pay, and the phone service will operate on the same fiber-optic network.

        The $13 million system is covering its operating costs but not its debt, however, and city officials hope phone service will change that.

        “We think that this is just going to spike our cable and Internet services, too,” Mr. Baldwin said. “Phone will be the straw that stirs the drink.”

        The phone system's chief advantages are expected to be its extended local calling area and multimedia packages and the city's track record as a service provider.

        “The thing that upsets me with Sprint, like any big company, is it's not local anymore,” said Brad Knapp, a Lebanon resident and a vice president with developer Henkle-Schueler.

        Sprint, which provides local phone service here, recently expanded the toll-free calling area to include Dayton, Ohio, and Cincinnati. But the city service will cover that area — and most of Butler and Clermont counties and Northern Kentucky besides.

        Sprint's basic residential service, including tax, is about $27.50 a month, and the city is looking at charging about $30.75.

        Lebanon, however, can offer packages that bundle phone with digital cable and high-speed Internet, probably for as little as $95 a month, Mr. Baldwin said.

        City-issued phone numbers will have a 228 exchange, but those who already have Sprint's 932, 933 and 934 numbers can keep them, he said.

        Residents interested in city phone service may call 933-7201.

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