IBM UK is considering a satellite-based European communications network using the very small aperture terminal system; if established, the network would be used for IBM’s internal European communiciation needs and it would also be offered to IBM customers, although in what capacity has not been revealed; a Guildford, Surrey-based consultancy, Hyperion Systems Ltd is carrying out a feasibility study for IBM and says that the network would probably be used for data and video transmissions rather than voice because of the regulatory problems surrounding satellite telecommunications; Hyperion says that two way satellite data transmission, in its infancy in Europe, would be an important requirement of a data network, but is not yet available throughout Europe; according to Simon Bull of St Albans consultancy Communications Systems the advantages of a satellite network vary according to the state of each country’s telecommunications network, but they can include improved reliability, greater flexibility and cheaper connections: IBM would not put up its own bird, but use existing satellites already there.
