Grid Systems Corp is to provide data communications between central computers and its portable machines in the field. Grid has signed an agreement with Hutchison Mobile Data Ltd which allows it to use Hutchison’s radio network on the 450MHz band, transmitting data between a host computer and Grid portables at a rate of 4,800bps. Hutchison says this is set to rise to 9,600bps. Hutchison was one of four companies to win a licence from the Department of Trade & Industry to establish a UK mobile data network. However unlike others such as Cognito Ltd, which is to launch a two-way paging service, it is not offering a complete service to end-users but selling airtime to different terminal suppliers. Hutchsion has already signed up Telfon Ltd, which operates in the retail and stock control market. And under this agreement, Grid will add Hutchison’s communications facilities to its portable products. As with cellular phone network operators, which also sell airtime to service providers, Hutchison has established a network of base stations, to which computers will automatically lock-on to as they move around. At the moment this covers only the M25 area around London, but Hutchison says that eventually the service will go UK-wide. Communications are not entirely radio-based: as well as local base stations, Hutchison has installed regional area communications controllers which connect to the public telephone network to carry the message on the final leg of its journey. Prices have not been released, but Hutchison says they will be tailored to suit each user, depending on the application and levels of network usage. The network is due to go live in April.
