RAM Mobile Data Ltd, Transpac Network Services Ltd and Simware Ltd have combined technologies to provide itinerant personal computer users in the UK with access to IBM mainframes through connected mobile radio and X25 land-based networks. The system enables subscribers to send electronic mail and receive and retrieve database information held on the host, regardless of their location. The three companies reckon it will be a hit with the likes of travelling salesmen, service engineers, home workers and the safety services. Heathrow, London-based packet-switched radio operator RAM Mobile Data and London, WC2-based X25 network operator Transpac have offered a combined service in the UK since June. By joining forces with Bracknell-based Simware, they can now offer mobile IBM computer users a one-stop shop service. Simware’s SimPC software routes information between the host and client, and presents the user with a consistent Windows-style interface. Subscriptions to the system can be arranged through any of the three companies. The Simware software costs UKP325 per copy, per user; and the pricing structure for the networks is negotiable – users can pay as they go or agree a fixed monthly subscription. A special 60-day trial package, which offers software for five users, the radio modems, and leased lines, for UKP4,500 is also available.
