A report by London-based consultancy Ovum Ltd reckons that IBM and DEC are set to dominate the telecommunications markets through the intelligent networks, leaving switch vendors selling commodity goods. The report, titled Intelligent Networks: Market Strategies was published last week and it details how Intelligent Networks, currently being implemented by telecommunications operators, will prove the catalyst for change in the inadequate product offerings that have been made to telecommunications operators from the computer companies thus far. Ovum singled out IBM’s Rolm PABXs, its Satellite Business Systems and its United venture, an early entry into intelligent networks, for particularly scathing remarks, while praising Tandem Computers Inc’s fault tolerant products. According to David Rogerson, author of the report, Intelligent Networks will provide entry for the computer vendors because the method of networking will dominate the telecommunications market in the first half of the 21st Century, and, excluding switching, more than half of the market will be supplied by computer vendors. The bad news, according to Rogerson, is for switch vendors, unless they get into bed with the data processing vendors, (they) will be reduced to selling commodity products by 2000. The only switch vendor to take this route so far is DSC Communications Inc, which has teamed up with DEC to supply Intelligent Network products.
