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The Teleputing Hotline
The Worldwide Network Letter
Volume 3 Number 97 -- December 11, 1990
215 Winter Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30317
FAX: 404-378-0794 Phone: 404-373-7634
MCI:409-8960 GEnie: nb.atl CompuServe: 76200,3025
FAX STANDARD DISPUTE THREATENS GROWTH
The fax business has grown exponentially in part because nearly
every fax machine follows the same standard, called the Group III
standard of the CCITT. But those days may be ending with a
dispute before the CCITT over a new standard called Group IIIbis.
Group IIIbis would let standard fax machines use compression
techniques and digital lines to run at up to 64,000 bits/second.
They would, in effect, gain the speed and resolution offered
under Group IV, a new fax standard tested for such things as the
transmission of medical pictures, but incompatible with Group
III.
France and Japan, both fax machine exporters, are fighting the
Group IIIbis proposal. But if U.S. chip makers like Rockwell
International design chips for Group IIIbis, the Japanese could
be threatened with loss of the market unless they move toward it.
The tale will be told next spring, when the acceptance of
compression for Group III, along the lines of Group IV, is
scheduled. If that goes through, fax could become far more
capable, far more quickly, than previously imagined.
MOSCOW: SPRINTNET PRICING, KGB SERVICES
SprintNet USSR said its prices will be 20% lower than those of
its competitors. Connections from Moscow to SprintNet computers
in Europe will cost $24 per hour, $40 to the U.S. and Canada, $45
elsewhere. Connections with non-Sprint computers will add time
and traffic charges -- $10 per hour plus $10 per 64 kilobytes to
Europe, $20/hour plus $20/kilosegment to the U.S., $24/hour and
$24/kilosegment elsewhere. Installation of the local node is due
by year-end, writes Kirill Tchashchin for Newsbytes.
Alos, the Soviet KGB has secrets for sale to Soviet agencies
working in the Western market. A Moscow KGB Division Press
Officer said on Soviet TV state enterprises and Soviet-foreign
ventures are already using the KGB to learn about their partners'
credibility and keep other secrets. The KGB is now ready to offer
the same service to others. If you're interested, call phone +7
095 921-0762 in Moscow.
NTT's SMALLEST PORTABLE PHONE: 230 grams
NTT has developed the smallest portable telephone in the world,
weighing only 230 grams. With a rechargeable battery, it can
run for about 16 hours, or for 45 minutes of calling. The phone
was developed with Matsushita, Mitsubishi and Fujitsu, all of
which will market the phone with their own features under license
from NTT.
Usage fees for portable phones are still expensive in Japan.
There's a basic charge of 19,000 yen ($150) per month. Despite
this, the number of users has almost doubled in just six months.
Competition among common carriers is expected to become intense
next April when the NTT phone is sold.
FIRST JAPAN-USSR JOINT VENTURE ON TELECOM EQUIPMENT
Japan's Eiwa Trading (Tokyo) signed an agreement with Central
Telegraph, a unit of Telecom Ministry in the USSR. The new
company, Infatel will sell Japanese telecom equipment such as fax
machines and telex machines in the USSR. Capital of the new firm
will be 110,000,000 yen ($85,000), 60% owned by Central
Telegraph, 40% by Eiwa Trading. Headquarters will be in Moscow,
with a president chosen from Central Telegraph.
MCI MAIL NOW DOES INVOICES
MCI Mail announced MCI EDI 400, an electronic invoicing
service under the X.400 message-handling standard. MCI EDI 400
lets firms exchange invoices with just about anyone. Supply Tech,
an EDI software supplier, will also enhance its STX12 PC-based
software product for integration with MCI Mail. The deal is just
another advance in global electronic invoicing. Infonet, 25%
owned by MCI, is creating a global EDI network to compete with GE
and other large players in the field. Business users of online
services like EDI represent 80% of the total online market.
IBM MOVES COMMUNICATIONS BASE TO LONDON
IBM has decided to move the headquarters of its communications
business to Europe. It's the first IBM product group to be based
outside the U.S. The decision comes days after Big Blue was
admitted to the prestigious JESSI program of the European
Community, the first U.S. computer company allowed in. Another
reason IBM chose Europe is to demonstrate its commitment to the
OSI interoperability standard.
VIP-FAXX SERVICE TURNS YOUR VOICE MESSAGE INTO A FAX
A California start-up is offering faxes directly from telephones.
Leave a voice message with a VIP-FAXX operator, and they'll type
it and fax it to any number you request. The service is aimed at
businessmen who need to break through voice mail systems.
Broadcast services to multiple destinations are also available,
as are confirmations and a database of phone numbers from U.S.
legislatures, special interest groups and large businesses. The
company will also store lists of fax numbers which can be called
up with a list name. Each fax sent with the service costs $5.95,
$9.95 for international faxes.
PACIFIC BELL PROVIDING FULL ISDN SERVICE
Pacific Bell became the first regional Bell company to offer full
ISDN service, rolling it out in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
It's called the Integrated Services Digital Network Primary Rate
Interface, or ISDN-PRI, and divides a 1.544 million bit/second
line into 23 channels of 64,000 bit/second service and a separate
signaling channel at the same speed. Businesses can use the
capacity as they want, sharing it among phones, faxes, and data
lines. The service will cost $1,500 for installation and $545
monthly.
ONLINE FACTOIDS
AT&T delivered a new chip which will replace five chips and a set
of relays in business PBX systems, making them smaller, less
expensive and more reliable.
BOSCH of Germany cancelled plans to buy half of Novatel, the
Canadian cellular phone maker, from the government. Bosch was to
pay C$100 million ($80 million).
C.ITOH is importing a telemarketing system from Digital Systems
of the U.S. Digital Systems modified its Voicelink system to
handle local switches and the Japanese language.
ERICSSON of Sweden consolidated its mobile and cordless phone
operations in the Netherlands.
MTC ELECTRONICS of Canada formed a joint venture to build a
cellular phone system in China. MTC already has an exclusive
license to export fax machines there.
NASA claimed $12 million in phone service was stolen from it by
computer hackers over two years, using a credit card and the
Federal Telephone System. The same thing happened earlier at the
Houston DEA office.
CONTACT:
AT&T, Richard Larris, +201-771-2826
Digital Systems, Laura McCluer, +206-881-7544
MCI Mail, Jane Levene, +914-934-6480
MTC, Miko Leung, +604-278-8788
Newsbytes, Wendy Woods, +415-550-7334
Pacific Bell, Scott E. Smith, +415-542-0597
SprintNet U.S.S.R., Vladimir Blokh, +7 095 292-4119
Telus, Betty MacLennan, +403-530-3992
VIP-FAXX, Joe Gagliano, +408-985-6631