Mercury DataComs, the systems integration division of Mercury Communications Plc, has signed a strategic agreement with Newport, Gwent-based Newbridge Networks Ltd to distribute its range of networking products in the UK over the next three years. The announcement follows an initial one-year agreement, which saw Mercury doing around #4m of business – significantly more than the initial estimate of #1.5m – and accounting for around 20% of Newbridge’s UK business. Overall, Mercury is now claiming a 3% to 4% share of the networking customer premises equipment market, and it is aiming to capture a 12% share representing #30m – by 1994, built primarily on the Newbridge agreement, according to a spokesman. The new agreement covers wide area networking bandwidth managers, bridges, routers and other local area interconnection devices, ISDN access devices and network management systems. Customers setting up international networks will be supported by Mercury, parent Cable & Wireless or Newbridge depending on each company’s presence in that country.
