IBM Deutschland GmbH and the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom are stepping up their efforts in the Bildschirmtext viewdata market – while the service seems to be thriving in the business sector, the two companies are disappointed with the level of interest shown by private users. It is estimated that around 250,000 access points have been installed and, according to IBM, 70% of these use personal computers as terminals. IBM and Telekom reckon that private users don’t appreciate the benefits of connecting to the viewdata system so, as a marketing incentive, they have announced a special offer – 10,000 Bildschirmtext packages will be distributed over the next few weeks to selected customers, to introduce them to the information transfer potential of the viewdata system, using a personal computer as the viewdata terminal. This marketing programme, which began last week, will run until April 30, giving customers five months’ free test of the service – access will be automatically blocked when the period is up. IBM Deutschland and the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom are hopeful of a good return on their initiative – they expect 30% to 50% of participants to subscribe to the viewdata service after the test period. And Telekom intends to put a lot of effort into improving the functionality of its Bildschirmtext service over the next couple of years. By the end of 1992, the system is to be based on a new Token Ring net-work configuration. Eventually, ISDN links are planned for the former Federal Republic. In addition, pilot projects are underway in the eastern half of Berlin, in Leipzig, Magdeburg and Schwerin to provide East German access to the viewdata service. According to Computerwoche, the whole of the former GDR is expected to be connected to the Bildschirmtext network by the end of 1992.
