The multimedia alliance between British Telecommunications Plc and Motorola Inc, which also includes Avesco Plc’s VideoLogic subsidiary on some projects (CI No 2,222), has taken a new step forward with Motorola agreeing to manufacture personal computer multimedia boards for British Telecom. Motorola will build boards that enable personal computers the ability to process real-time video, still images and data concurrently, using the UK phone company’s video coding technology. The boards will be made at Motorola’s Automotive and Industrial Electronics Group in Stotfold, Bedfordshire where the company is geared up for reflow and wave soldering of gold-plated circuit boards and fine-pitch microprocessors. The new production line will build British Telecom’s VC8000 multimedia communications board and assemble the entire kit, which includes camera, connection unit and handset. The work has led to the creation of 40 new manufacturing and engineering jobs at Stotfeld.
