In the telecommunications field, DEC has hitherto concentrated entirely on offering customers high functionality data communications options with its DECnet network architecture, and has ignored the moves made by the likes of IBM and Wang to acquire PABX manufacturers to add a speech dimension to its networking products. DEC does however have a large user base of PDP-11s as well as VAXes with US telephone companies – the dominant directory inquiry system that for a decade was the sole source of revenue for Computer Consoles Inc is based on PDP-11s – and last week DEC promised its telephone company customers that it would over time introduce Integrated Services Digital Networking, ISDN hardware and soft ware. However it says it has not yet made any moves into ISDN because it reckons the standards are not yet solid – but it is represented on some of the ISDN standards committees. Some of its customers have moved faster along the ISDN route with DEC kit – Mountain Bell is using VAXmate and MicroVAX hard- ware, and DECnet, in ISDN trials.
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