Kingston Communications Plc, the Hull-based public telephone operator, has moved into the national sales and maintenance arena with the acquisition of ICL PABX business (CI No 1,894). Kingston will take on ICL’s 38 staff and assume full control of its 1,000-strong customer base. National service, via offices in Hull and Kent, will cover both companies’ customers. Kingston hopes to offer a new range of value-added products and services as a result of the deal, including voice mail and network management services. According to managing director Ray Matthews, the acquisition is part of a policy designed to make Kingston a national force. To be a player of any substance, you need a national maintenance base he commented, adding that now the company will be able to target large customers wanting to equip geographically dispersed offices with the same equipment. According to Matthews, ICL’s PABX business is a throwback to the days when the company was owned by STC Plc, which saw the telephony and computer markets converging. Current thinking however, as demonstrated by ICL’s current parent Fujitsu Ltd, takes the opposite view. While keen to shed the non-core activity, ICL was anxious that existing customers should continue to receive a decent level of support because of the large number of customers that took both its PABXes and computers. It was a stipulation of the deal that no financial details should be released.
