View all newsletters
Receive our newsletter - data, insights and analysis delivered to you
  1. Technology
April 7, 1987

AT&T: SEEKING TO CO-EXIST IN ALIEN COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS AND PURSUING WORLD MARKETS

By CBR Staff Writer

In addition to last month’s new 3B2/600 supermicro and price cuts on the older 3Bs (CI No 648), AT&T Co announced the acquisition of protocol-translation modules from Soft-Switch Inc which will link AT&T 3B applications to IBM’s Professional Office System, Profs, and Distributed Office Support System, DisOSS; DEC’s DECnet, Ethernet and Wang’s VS systems. The links are intended to promote AT&T sales in non-Unix accounts. We need to offer systems that can work with whatever profile the customer implements, explained Vittorio Cassoni, drafted in from Olivetti to be senior vice-president of AT&T’s Data Systems Division. Jack Scanlon, group vice-president of product development, hinted at a host machine for the AT&T line, set for later this year, which is expected to be based on multiple microprocessors and expandable through the addition of printed circuit boards. AT&T also announced a $3,595 AT&T 495 laser printer from Genicom Corp. The new version of Unix System V.3, Release 3.1, been optimised for international communications protocols; enhancements include improved remote file-sharing performance and decreased response time for remote file access, the company says. The release should be available next month for $300 as an upgrade from Release 3. Also included in the announcement was a $5,000 version of the Information Systems Network software, Release 4.0, that supports extensive DEC connectivity through a high-level interface; a $7,500 remote concentrator for the data-switching system; and a $12,000 network management system called Starkeeper that runs on the AT&T 3B1 from Convergent Techologies. Up to 128 voice or data channels can be combined on a Dataphone II 740 Acculink Multiplexer. The system multiplexes data and voice and supports Accunet T-1 1.544Mbit per scond digital services. It should be available in June at prices ranging from $15,000 to $52,000. Starlan Servers, Models 310 and 400, were also included priced at $16,600 and $29,500, respectively. The 3B2-based servers use 10-MHz WE32100 chips and offer IBM Personal Computer access to Unix applications as well as shared printing and file services. New software, a 3B2 Remote Management Package, is said to allow a single 3B2 to manage a network of remote 3B2s, priced at $900.

80386 workstation

By December, AT&T’s product line is scheduled to include an Intel 80386-based workstation that will run both MS-DOS and Unix System V, as well as a modular minicomputer that will run a modified version of Unix. AT&T currently has a market share of just 14% of all installed Unix machines its growth will have to come from markets beyond the US, AT&T Chairman James Olson said in a speech that outlined the company’s strategy for expanding its influence in nations where AT&T is not well-known. The US market is still important to us, but the most promising areas for growth are beyond North America, Olson added. AT&T needs to expand its presence in Western Europe and the Far East, he said. With North America, those regions represent a $500,000m market for information movement and management products. The three regions also comprise 90% of the total worldwide market, Olson said. The underpinning of AT&T’s international strategy is to form alliances with established foreign vendors, Olson said. Currently, AT&T has teamed up with 40 foreign vendors, including Olivetti in Italy, Philips in the Netherlands, and Ricoh and Toshiba in Japan. Olson, however, expressed frustration over political factors barring AT&T’s entry into foreign markets. Innovation and demand have been the greatest in those nations where trade restrictions have been removed or relaxed, he said. Among AT&T’s international struggles has been its battle to crack the French market, bidding with Philips and Societe Anonyme de Telecommunications for partial ownership of the state-owned equipment manufacturer Compagnie Generale des Constructions Telephoniques.

Content from our partners
How businesses can safeguard themselves on the cyber frontline
How hackers’ tactics are evolving in an increasingly complex landscape
Green for go: Transforming trade in the UK

Websites in our network
Select and enter your corporate email address Tech Monitor's research, insight and analysis examines the frontiers of digital transformation to help tech leaders navigate the future. Our Changelog newsletter delivers our best work to your inbox every week.
  • CIO
  • CTO
  • CISO
  • CSO
  • CFO
  • CDO
  • CEO
  • Architect Founder
  • MD
  • Director
  • Manager
  • Other
Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
THANK YOU