After years quietly working away in the shadows, Scientific-Atlanta Inc has sprung into the spotlight of late on the back of the multimedia revolution, and this week brings three new agreements for the Atlanta, Georgia company. In Europe, it has agreements with British Telecommunications Plc and Volkswagen AG on Very Small Aperture Terminal satellite networks, and in the US, a pact with US West Inc on interactive digital terminals. Under the agreement with British Telecom, the two will build and service Very Small Aperture Terminal networks in Europe for interactive data communications with details to be pact should be set by year end. Scientific-Atlanta will supply satellite hub stations and remote VSAT equipment to BT, and BT will become the principal distributor of Scientific-Atlanta VSAT equipment in Europe. Construction of British Telecom’s London satellite hub has begun, and it will be completed in 1994; the company will also have a hub in Paris. For Volkswagen, Scientific-Atlanta is providing a $4.4m private satellite network to link the company’s Wolfsburg, Germany, headquarters with its dealerships and offices throughout Europe. The first 300 of the Very Small Aperture Terminal systems will go mainly to eastern Germany, where communications facilities are still limited. As well as handling routine traffic between dealers and the company, the network will be capable of providing broadcast video for training, on-line credit card and cheque approval. And for US West, Scientific-Atlanta will design, integrate and build interactive digital television set-top terminals using 3DO Co’s graphics control and display technology. They are for use in the Englewood, Colorado phone company’s planned broadband communications trial planned for next year in Omaha, Nebraska. The terminals, compatable with the Moving Pictures Expert Group video compression standard, will translate interactive services, games and other audio, video and data services.
