systems review

Viewdata systems for Australian travel agents

The reservation of airline seats and the booking of other travel facilities in Australia is to be made easier by the installation of two Modcomp ViewTracs viewdata systems, to be supplied by Modcomp's Australian distributor, Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia).

One system will be connected to existing mainframe computer- based reservation systems, through the network operated by the Travel Industries Automated Systems (TIAS), owned jointly by the three airlines ANSETT, TAA and Qantas. The normal airline-reservation communications protocol (1006) will be used for this connection, which will be supplied by the UK

When reservation details are keyed into a travel agent's standard viewdata terminal, the Modcomp ViewTracs system will convert the information into a format that the airline reservation system will accept. This enables the format for entering the information to be very simple. In addition, because of the real-time capability of the Mod- comp computer, the transactions will be carried out interactively, generating an immediate response and ensuring accuracy of input.

One of the benefits of Mod- comp's ViewTracs system is that no

alterations are required to the existing reservation system to accommodate the new facility. Over 2 500 travel agents will be able to connect directly to the CAS Mod- comp system via the national X.25 data network.

TIAS and CAS have each ordered a Modcomp Classic 11/75 with 2 Mbyte of RAM, which is expandable to 4 Mbyte. The TIAS system will have a 300 Mbyte disc drive and a magnetic tape subsystem; the CAS system will have two 300 Mbyte disc drives and a magnetic tape subsystem. Both systems will be based on Modcomp's ViewMax/ViewTracs viewdata software. (Modcomp, Eskdale Road, Winnersh Triangle, Wokingham, Berkshire, RGl l 5TR, UK. Tel: (0734) 698888) []

software house, Systems Tech- nology.

The system will in turn be connected to the second Modcomp Classic machine, which has been ordered by the Australian based, multinational company, Mayne Nickless, to supply airline reservations and other booking facilities through its Computer Accounting Services (CAS) division. Also directly accessible by travel agents, the CAS viewdata system will support a variety of other services and facilities required by the traveller, such as hotel reservations, car hire, rail bookings and florist arrangements.

The TIAS and CAS computer systems will be linked through an X.25 transaction gateway protocol, which has been developed by Modcomp for this application. The transaction gateway will provide a high speed connection between the two systems for interactive exchange and processing of data, which will allow a travel agent to make just one connection to either the TIAS or the CAS computer to access the databases of both systems and make the complete travel arrangements for a customer. Other computer-held databases may be connected in the same way to expand the scope of the system.

Information system for Bank of England

A system that allows the user to view electronic information from a variety of external wire services on a single screen is to be installed at the Bank of England.

The recent growth in the availability of financial wire services, such as Topic, Telerate, Reuters, has resulted in financial organizations being forced either to overcrowd their offices with large numbers of incompatible terminals, or to risk Dosing their com- petitive edge by not subscribing to some key services. The Aregon sys-

tem will give users access to the services they need on a single screen, with the ability to look at a number of services at the same time. I ncom- ing information may be analysed and presented in the way required by the user.

The system, based on Aregon's IVS-3 videotex software, will run on a Digital VAX 750 minicomputer, using Microcolour Graphics 80 character terminals. (Aregon, 17 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3EG, UK. Tel: 0/-831 7536, Telex: 298977) []

Hospital information and logic system

A sophisticated medical information and logic system is to be installed at Rex Hospital, Raleigh, North Carolina, by Control Data.

HELP is a hospital information system that collects information from all departments of a hospital, analyses patient data, suggests diagnoses and patient care pro- cedures and alerts the hospital staff

to potentially life-threatening situa- tions.

The contract covers the installation of 229 terminals, 112 printers, 43 word-processing stations, and 24 word-processing printers throughout the hospital. (Control Data Ltd., 179/199 Shaftesbury Ave., London WC2H 8AR, UK. Tel: 01-240 3400)

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274 computer communications

Remote data service trials

Remote reading of domestic ut i l i ty meters and access to publ ic databases like Prestel wil l soon be possible under a new telephone service to be trialled next spring using RacaI-Milgo communications equipment.

RacaI-Milgo is to supply British Telecom with the specialized remote and exchange equipment for the trials, which wil l pave the way for a national service. The system is to be tested in three exchange areas - - yet to be released - - and will expand throughout the UK as the market demands.

Called BitStream, the service uses standard telephone lines, passing information when the links are not in use for telephone calls. It is seen by British Telecom as play- ing a major role in uti l izing the country's telephone network more fully and helping keep customer charges stable.

Engineers at RacaI-Milgo's Read-

ing laboratory have developed a range of systems working at speeds from 50 bit/s to 19.2 kbit/s based around the Planet local area network, the CMS communications management controller, and a number of specially developed standalone devices.

The Outstation Communica- tions C o n t r o l l e r - a microprocessor based device - - will provide the domestic component of the new systems, giving utilities, such as gas, water and electricity services, an interface to new electronic direct- reading meters. Other uses include home banking, home computer networks, security systems and information services.

At the exchange, RacaI-Milgo equipment will act as an automatic switch and concentrator, providing direct output to accounting and bil l ing centres and to gateways for other services.

A further use, by electricity boards, is remote energy manage-

U K viewdata system for Australian public service

Prestel, British Telecom's viewdata system based on GEC computers, has won the prestigious Australian public service contract.

The system has been chosen by Telecom Australia for its new Viatel service, which will start early in 1985.

Telecom Australia's choice of system was based on a number of factors:

• the Prestel standard is proven operationally and is already in use in Australia,

• GEC-Prestel systems are operating on a national basis in many countries including the UK,

• Prestel-compatible terminals are readily available,

• the system can be upgraded to provide new features,

• Australia wil l be able to draw on

the UK's experience.

More than 1 000 Prestel-type terminals are already operating on private Australian networks, and local firms will be able to supply terminals, TV-set adaptors and per- sonal computers to work with Viatel.

The Australian decision means that ten countries have now purchased national videotex systems from GEC-Prestel.

Three GEC 4190 minicomputers will be installed at the Melbourne headquarters of Australia's Viatel service, which will start publ ic operations in February 1985. Each computer is capable of handling 2 000 simultaneous calls. (Prestel, Telephone House, Temple Avenue, London EC4Y OHL, UK. Tel: 01-583 9811, Telex: 261040) []

merit, under which the supply to some domestic applicances such as home freezers could be regulated to smooth out peaks in electricity demand. (RacaI-Milgo Ltd., Landata House, Station Road, Hook, Hants RG27 9JF, UK) []

Digital airline

British Airways is modernising its communications system at Heath- row Airport, and the contract, worth up to £5M over two years, has been won by British Telecom. It involves replacing six electro- mechanical exchanges, some of which have been in use for more than 30 years, with ful ly digital equipment. A completely new exchange is also being provided to serve Heathrow's new Terminal Four. The contract is expected to be completed by the end of 1985.

British Telecom is installing new BTeX exchanges, which occupy only one fifth of the space of their Strowger predecessors and provide a communications package for both voice and data. The first exchange is already installed and working at Hatton Cross.

The system also includes what is claimed to be the world's largest Auto-Call Distributor, which auto- matically distributes incoming calls to British Airways' new reservations set-up. It will handle 500 lines, serving 380 operator positions.

A total of 7 000 extensions will eventually be connected, with potential for up to 10 000.

The system uses digital links to the airline's main centres in Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manches- ter over British Telecom's Mega- Stream network; it provides high capacity digital private circuits carrying a mix of voice and data channels, enabling data transfer between its computers, as well as videoconferencing. Standard facilities include short code dialling, ring back when free, call forwarding, and conferencing. (British Telecom, 2-•2 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7AG, UK. Tel: 01-357 3000, Telex: 8811510) []

vol 7 no 5 october 1984 275

Voice and data network for Singapore government

The Singapore government has placed an order for 48 SL-1 digital business communications systems (PABXs) with Northern Telecom (Asia) Ltd, a subsidiary of Northern Telecom International Ltd (NTIL).

Most of the PABXs, serving more than 5 000 extensions, will be integrated into a voice and data network that will cover most of Singapore's government and government agency offices. The order involves several members of

Satellite communications

Satellite communications equipment is to be installed at British Telecom International's Goonhilly Down satellite earth station by DCC, the digital communications specialists.

The contract is for the corn pany's TDMA/DSI (Time Division Multiple Access/Digital Speech Interpola- tion) equipment, and it is the first TDMA system to be installed at Goonhilly. The units supplied will comprise DCC Model 1020 central TDMAand Model 6018 DSI equipment.

Scheduled to become operational in rnid1985, the system will be initially brought into service within the Intelsat satellite network, but its design will allow for reconfigura- tion at a future data for Intelsat/ Eutelsat operation. DCC's European headquarters at Milton Keynes will be responsible for the manufac- ture, assembly and final com- missioning of the TDMA/DSI equipment, incorporating nine DCC Model 6018 Terrestrial Interface Modules (TIMs). The 6018 TIM will connect the TDMA equipment for the No 6 aerial to the BTI terrestrial network. (DCC Ltd., Sunrise Park- way, Linford Wood, Milton Keynes, MK14 6LG, UK. Tel: (0908) 661966)

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the SL-I family, with applications ranging from 16 lines to 1500.

Advantages of the new system to the users include directory assis- tance from a computer database. By keying in just a few letters of a name, the operator can access such data as the person's extension, location and the correct spelling of the name. (Northern Telecom plc, Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London WlX 5LE, UK. Tel: 01-491 4599) []

Jam-resistant satellite terminal

Harris Corporation of Melbourne, Florida, USA, has shipped the first of 32 jam-resistant secure communications satellite terminals (JRSC Satellite Terminal AN/GSC- 49(v)I) to the US Department of Defense, to provide superhigh- frequency, jam-resistant, secure communications for selected sub- scribers of the Defense Satellite Communications Systems network.

Under the contract to the US Satellite Communications agency, Harris is producing and installing the terminals, as well as training key military and civilian personnel. Deliveries are planned to be complete by August 1985.

The terminal's design allows flex- ibility for a ruggedized, shelter- housed configuration for easy transport and rapid deployment, and for the installation of the same equipment at fixed locations. Both the transportable and fixed con- figurations will establish and maintain a superhigh-frequency satellite link and baseband communications under severe jamming or in nuclear and chemical warfare. (Harris Sys- tems Ltd., 153 Farnham Road, Slough, Berks SL1 4XD, UK. Tel: (0753) 34666) [ ]

Travel videotex network

Videogate branch controllers are to be supplied by Micro Scope for a new videotex branch communications network being developed by Thomas Cook, the travel agents.

In addition to serving a further 100 Thomas Cook branches, the network will provide direct access to computer systems operated by a variety of other organizations in the tour and travel business. These include Cook's own Travel Informa- tion Bank system, the Thomson Holidays and Travicom services, and any other videotex network employing the same standards.

The branches and computers are connected via X.25 to a switched network operated by Thomas Cook's parent company, the Midland Bank. There is also access over the public telephone network to external computers operating on Prestel via autodial modem equipment.

Videogate branch controllers are to be installed at another 100 Thomas Cook retail outlets, extending the pilot system that has been operating in 19 outlets since autumn 1983. By 1986 it is antici- pated that controllers will be installed in over 300 outlets. Each branch controller will regulate between five and 25 different terminal devices, and achieve a significant degree of local networking. For example, any Videogate managed videotex terminal can perform a 'screen dump' on to a suitable printer.

In what is potentially a very large multihost network, the branch controller connects a given terminal across the network to any destination. It enables Thomas Cook's own computer to establish calls to printers and terminals in each agency in order to send unsolicited messages to any point in the network. (Micro Scope Ltd., Mill Lane, Taplow, Maindenhead, Berks SL6 OAA, UK. Tel: (0628) 72047) [ ]


Transatlantic calls capacity doubled

An agreement to construct a US $335M optical fibre submarine cable system, which will span the Atlantic in 1988, has been signed in London, New York and Paris.

The cable, code-named TAT-8, will connect the UK and France with the USA and will be capable of carrying more than 7 500 simultaneous phone calls - - almost double the capacity of the previous transatlantic cable (TAT-7) brought into service in September 1983.

The project wil l be funded by 29 coowners - - all signatories to the agreement - - to construct and maintain the 6 657 km system. Their investments wil l be in proport ion to their intended use of the cable.

The largest share of the total cost (US $123 M) wil l come from AT&T Communications. British Telecom will contr ibute the second largest share - - approximately US $52 M - - and the French telecommunications administration will provide US $33 M.

The co-owners are to place con- tracts for the construction of the cable with three companies: Standard Telephones and Cables (STC), AT&T and a French consortium of CIT-Alcatel and Cables de Lyon.

The cable is unique in including an ocean floor junct ion box, located just off the European continental shelf, which will al low it to branch into two sections.

STC will make the 520 km segment from the junct ion box to the UK landing point in Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. The French will make the 310 km segment f romthe branching unit to Penmarch, on the Brittany coast, while the 5 800 km section, from Tuckerton, New Jersey to the junct ion box, will be supplied by AT&T. In addit ion, AT&T wil l coordinate the activities of the three suppliers for the inter- working of the three segments.

TAT-8 wil l cater for the cont inu- ing growth in calls between the two continents, and in particular

between the USA and UK, the world's busiest transoceanic telephone route.

The number of te lephone calls between the two countries grew at nearly 30% a year throughout the 1970s and is expected to double every five years or so in the 1980s. At present about 60M phone calls are made each year between the U K and the USA, half of which go by cable and half by satellite.

Cables now provide about 11 200 circuits between Europe

AN D North America. This total was reached last year when TAT-7 came into service.

The new optical cable wil l have two pairs of fibres, each pair operating digitally at 280 Mbit /s, the two pairs together equivalent to 7 560 simultaneous phone calls. This basic capacity would then be increased to 37 800 calls by means of digital c ircuit-mult iplying equipment.

Initially, only a small proport ion of this capacity would be used, the remainder phased into service as needed. (BT, 2-•2 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7AG, UK. Tel: 01-357 3000, Telex: 8811510, Fax (Group 2) 01-726 6923) [ ]

Distributed banking system

Nixdorf is to install its 8864 dis- tr ibuted banking system in another 724 of Midland Bank's High Street branches throughout the UK. This is the third major order that Midland Bank has placed with Nixdorf, and the combined orders mean that 1 624 of the Bank's branches wil l be equipped with the 8864 branch controllers. In addit ion to the controllers, the new order includes a further 3 000 terminals and it is believed that the Midland wil l then have the largest minicomputer- based network in the UK.

The 8864 branch terminal control units, with 512 kbyte of main memory and 20 Mbyte of Winches- ter disc and f loppy disc, wil l control over 6 000 local and remote back office workstations, consisting of

visual display screen and keyboard, as well as printers. All the workstations will be connected via the branch controllers and dedicated bank lines to the Midland's mainframe processors situated in Liver- pool and London.

The branches wil l use the 8864 systems for support to the normal back-office functions, including the recording of customer transactions, account status queries and the production of management reports. In addit ion, a number of branches will be equipped with counter terminals and facilities to handle plas- tic card transactions. (Nixdorf Computer Ltd., 125-135 Staines Road, Hounslow, Middx TW3 3]B, UK. Tel: 01-570 1888, Telex: 934030)

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Motorway control and communication system

The first microprocessor-based traffic control and communicat ions system for part of the M25 and M11 motorways in the UK is to be supplied by Plessey Controls Ltd.

The system provides telephones, signals and traffic-flow monitoring, in and around the area of the Holmesdale and Bell Common

Tunnels. These facilities will replace current temporary arrangements and wil l operate in conjunc- tion with the television coverage already provided by fibre optic cable technology. The contract is due to be completed in two years. (Plessey, Abbey Works, Titchfield, Fareham, Hants PO14 4QA, UK) []


High speed telecom links for PAYE networks

In the proposed modernization of the UK Inland Revenue's Pay-as- You-Earn operation, British Tele- corn's national advanced digital communications network is to play a significant part.

Computerizat ion of PAYE (COP) will rely on the BT national network of high-speed digital transmission services, which is being continual ly expanded.

This is one of the biggest single projects of its kind that British Telecom has undertaken for an individual customer and one of the first commercial applications of KiloStream Plus, the installation of the KiloStream mult iplexer in the customer's premises rather than in the KiloStream exchange.

The project was planned by British Telecom Wales and the Marches Major Projects Group, which will be coordinating the national l ink-up.

By the end of 1986, nearly 800 circuits dedicated to PAYE operations will provide direct computer- to-computer and computer-to- district-office links between 600 district tax offices, 11 regional processing centres, a National Develop- ment Centre at Telford and other Inland Revenue mainframe computers around the country.

The provision of operational links is already under way on a pilot scheme. Between now and the end of 1986, an average of one Inland Revenue district office will be connected to the national digital network each day.

The next regional processing centre, at Peterborough, will join the network in January 1985, with others fol lowing at nine-weekly intervals.

BT's digital services provide:

• top-level security of data transmission,

• speed, with transmission rates of up to 48 000 bit/s between processing centres,

• f lexibil i ty, since the network

can be adapted rapidly to provide addit ional communications links and alter existing ones,

• economy, because the service can carry speech and data at the same time.

High-speed transmission is achieved through signals in the form of rapid on-off pulses. It is cheaper, faster and more efficient than conven- tional analogue transmission, which uses sound wave patterns and requires expensive modem conver- ters.

Costing £14M over 13 years, the COP package highlights the financial saving that is available from digital transmission; an equivalent analogue network including mod- ems would have cost more than £21M over the same period.

The KiloStream Plus network will connect Inland Revenue offices across the country, giving direct communications between mainframe computers and between computers and district offices as well as giving other possible applications such as voice traffic, facsimile, slow-scan tv and videoconferencing. (British Telecom, 2-12 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7AG, UK. Tel: 01-357 3000, Telex: 8811510) [ ]

Telex terminals for BT

STC Telecommunications is to supply British Telecom with £20M worth of display-based telex terminals which wil l be sold under the 'Cheetah' trade name. The terminals are ful ly electronic and microprocessor controlled, with advanced facilities to bring the speed and versatil ity of word processors to telecommunications.

British Telecom are ordering two versions of the Cheetah: an integrated display-based terminal with either 1 6 or 32 kbyte message store, and a modular terminal with

Belgian videotex network Micro Scope Ltd are to supply a national videotex network for the Belgian Post Office, which wil l be the country's equivalent of the UK Prestel service.

The network, to be installed in two phases, will be based on a variant of Micro Scope's Videogate, called the Videotex Access Point (VAP). VAPs will be installed in existing local exchanges in 11 cities throughout Belgium.

All elements of the network wil l communicate across the Belgian public X.25 network. Wherever a cluster of users is identif ied, a VAP will be installed and connected into the network. The VAP will accept incoming calls from videotex terminals or teletypes on the X.25 network and establish a link across the network, using Prestel Gateway, Teletel or standard PAD protocols to handle the traffic. This means that Micro Scope VAPs can be installed in many locations throughout the country, providing inexpensive local call access, irres- pective of the user's own location. The modular design of the network allows it to be easily extended by the provision of addit ional YAPs. (Micro Scope Ltd., Mill Lane, Taplow, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 OAA, UK. Tel: (0628) 72047) [ ]

32 kbyte message store. Both are expandable up to 64 kbyte. Floppy disc attachments suitable for either machine are also included in the order.

The Cheetah teleprinter uses a 51/4 '' disc with 78 kbyte of usable memory. This allows the unit to record incoming and outgoing traffic and to provide easy edit ing and record-keeping facilities. (STC Tele- communications Ltd., Oakleigh Road South, New Southgate, Lon- don N l l 1HB, UK. Teh01-368 1234, Telex: 21917) [ ]


Royal Mint telex system

The Royal Mint is to be the first user of the ICL computer-controlled telex facility, the Telex 25 System. This will provide the Mint with direct access to the worldwide telex network and allow the automatic generation of telex messages from information in the computer store. Consisting of the Telex 25 software pack and an interface unit between the System 25 and the telex network, it is available on System 25 networking minicomputers under the DMFIII operating system. Both hardware units are independently powered and in their own cabinets. They are microprocessor based and contain the Telex 25 firmware. The hardware connects to a'T coupler', via a standard IOC cable.

The system has several aids which make efficient use of the telex network; for example, integra- tion with existing datafiles as well as broadcast and directory facilities, which allow the same message to be sent to multiple locations and individuals, and will, in the future, be upgraded to accommodate multiple telex lines. Telex messages can be received independently of the processor and printed on the optional 80 column printer, which

connects directly to the Telex Con- trol Unit.

The Royal Mint, based in Llantri- sant, South Wales, produces over 100 000 million coins annually for some 60 countries worldwide, and

the Telex 25 will help managers coordinate purchasing, finance, marketing and selling.

Future developments may include automatic stock ordering for production, and order-taking for sales, all of which are available on the System 25. (ICL, Bridge House, Putney Bridge, Fulham, London SW63JX, UK. Te1:01-788 7272) []

London Transport control system

The London Transport Executive has placed an order with Ferranti Computers for Stage III of the stored program automatic remote control system (SPARCS), which is to replace all control systems on LTE's underground railway electricity supply network.

Computer systems for Stages I and II, also supplied by Ferranti, provide supervision and control of electrical supplies on LTE's Northern and Central Line systems. Stage III comprises two further complete control systems.

Each of the new systems incor- porates dual computer control centre equipment, which is based on theArgus 700 series multiprocessor equipment from the Wythenshawe Division of Ferranti. Each system communicates with 23 Ferranti

Mark 2A outstations, which are located in LTE's supply substations. The Mark 2A range of microprocessor-based telecontrol equipment is already widely used throughout industry, particularly in electricity supply, and is manu- factured by the Data Systems Group of Ferranti, in Edinburgh.

Features of the new control systems include the use of outstation intelligence for local processing, data reduction and the precise time-tagging of events and alarms. Flexible colour diagrammatic dis- plays also aid plant monitoring and control from the operator console. (Ferranti Computer Systems Ltd., Wythenshawe Division, Simonsway, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 5LA, UK. Tel: 061-499 3355, Telex: 668084) []

dP DATA PROCESSING is specifically tailored to meet the business and professional interests of managers of computer installations and company executives who procure computing equipment. It contains news and features on industry developments, DP management issues, advances in technology, applications and new products and services.

Data Processing is the international journal for computer managers

c o v e r a g e r e a d e r s h i p • industry developments • data processing managers • hardware • communications managers • systems software • management services • applications software • systems analysts and programmers • industry applications • computer and systems design engineers • data communleatlons • hardware vendors • conferences and exhibitions • new products and services

• information technology vendors • systems houses • service suppliers • computer supplies vendors • software houses • computer academics

Further details and sample copy can be obtained from: Christine Mulllns Butterworth Scientific Limited - - Journals Division PO Box 63 Westbury House Bury Street Guildford Surrey GU2 5BH UK Telephone 0483 31261 Telex: 859556 SCITEC G


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