Having signed up DEC to meet its need for powerful departmental processing systems in its product line, L M Ericsson has turned to IBM as its partner in pursuit of convergence of telecommunications and large-scale computing. The two announced in Stockholm yesterday that they will jointly explore ways in which IBM expertise in database and data networks management can be combined with Ericsson’s AXE public telephone switching technology to provide telephone customers with a wide array of new or improved services. Ericsson says that while some telephone companies offer, or plan to offer, such services using the technology of today’s digital networks, if they were to be provided through dedicated central facilities, they would offer users greater flexibility and likely cost less. It cites as examples of its concept of feature nodes on intelligent networks the provision of virtual leased lines over the public network; toll-free services; and credit card calling. Under the non-exclusive agreement, IBM and Ericsson will study development of technical solutions for intelligent network features or services based on standard IBM and Ericsson systems with specially-written software. The study will cover architecture definition between IBM systems and Ericsson switches, connectivity tests between IBM equipment and the AXE exchange using standard interfaces, new interfaces that may be needed, and a review of possible products.
