In an announcement that could cut both ways for the future of GEC Plessey Telecommunications Ltd as a separate entity, GPT Communications Systems – the joint GEC Plessey-Siemens UK marketing venture – has upgraded GPT’s private branch exchange, the iSDX. Since GPT Communications Systems was set up last April, rumours that Siemens is about to persuade GEC Plc to sell its stake in GEC Plessey and acquire its way to 70% of the UK private branch exchange market have refused to go away – and iSDX users have been worrying about the future life of the product. Seeking to reassure iSDX users, in an accompanying statement to the product upgrade, managing director of the new company Peter Zaboji said, Siemens recognises both the investment made by UK customers to iSDX and the ongoing commitment to its development by GPT. We plan to enhance that programme further by harnessing the research and development strengths of both organisations. The upgrade includes several new features for the iSDX, including integrated automatic call distribution and multi-line telephone facilities. GPT Communications Systems says that Siemens’ PABX – the Hicom will continue to be developed, and also marketed alongside the iSDX in the UK, taking, says the company, a leading role in the GPT Communications Systems portfolio. Hicom is to be targeted at multinationals which need to communicate across several countries, while a DPNSS interface is being developed to ensure that iSDX will operate with the Hicom 300 Cornet signalling protocol. On the future of the two systems the company said, The opportunites for our customer presented by Hicom system are significant, and together with the iSDX, provide a total solution.
