Spain’s first ISDN exchange, the Cartuja 1 digital telephone exchange, has gone into operation. Telefonica says that the exchange, an Alcatel NV System 12, will handle all the communications for the Seville Universal Exposition, Expo 92, offering conventional analogue telephony services as well as digital. It will provide 6,144 analogue lines, 1,100 digital lines, a 2,400 circuit Ibermic station with direct connection to international networks, and an Iberpac public packet-switched network centre for datacommunications. There is to be a second emergency exchange, Cartuja II, which should go into operation in December this year, and it will keep 50% of the lines up and running should Cartuja 1 experience a breakdown. Also, Cartuja II is to function as an urban exchange with the capacity for 40,000 lines. These two exchanges in Seville together with another three in Madrid and two in Barcelona – all supplied by Alcatel Standard – will form the basis of Spain’s digital facilities.
