Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.telcom From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: telcom Tue, Mar 3 1992 Date: Tue, 3 Mar 92 06:00:08 EST Message-ID: 03-03 0000 DECISIONLINE: Telecommunications USA TODAY Update March 3, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network SOUTHWESTERN TO TEST FETEX-150: Southwestern Bell said Monday it plans to test customer uses for advanced broadband telephone switching technology. The tests, to be conducted in St. Louis, are scheduled to begin in the fall. They will use Fujitsu Network Switching of America's All-Bandwidth FETEX-150 switching system. It provides switching at speeds that range from 64 kilobits per second to 622 megabits per second. (For more, see Special Switching package below.) COMMUNICATIONS WORLD BOUGHT: Communications World International Inc. Monday said an investor group led by former Connecting Point chairman Mark Shumate has purchased controlling interest in the company. Communications World provides office communications systems to small- and medium-size businesses. Upon completion of the transaction, Shumate will become CWI's chairman of the board, replacing founder H. David Hunt. TRANSCRIPTS TO BE OFFERED: Complete transcripts of leading national news and public affairs television programs will be available as of April 10 for electronic searching and retrieval through the DataTimes online information network, DataTimes said Monday. Transcripts will be available in full-text form and may be searched simultaneously with other information sources, such as news publications and wire services. TRANSCRIPTS TO BE OUT DAY AFTER: Datatimes will provide electronic retrieval of transcripts from "The CBS Evening News" and ABC's "Good Morning America." Also available will be transcripts of PBS' Bill Moyers specials, Adam Smith's "Money World," "Nova," "Frontline," "American Experience" and "Health Quarterly." Transcripts will be available electronically the day after original broadcast. NEW MODEM UNVEILED: UDS Motorola Monday unveiled a new high-speed network modem that provides remote LAN access over dial-up lines. The LanFast network modem supports Novell's NetWare LAN operating system and features a built-in network interface for Ethernet. It comes with UDS' LanFast communications software. The LanFast modem will be available in April and has an estimated list price of $1,995. ACQUISITIONS PAY OFF FOR LDS: LDS Communications Inc. - which acquired Phone America of Carolina Inc., National Telecommunications of Austin and MidAmerican Communications Corp. in 1991 - said its net revenues increased for 71% for the year. Its net revenues in 1991 were $263.4 million. Combined, the three acquisitions added 12 new states and approximately $126 million in revenues, the firm says. CENTEL COMPLETES DEAL: Centel Corp. said Monday it has completed its previously announced exchange of cellular communications properties with United States Cellular Corp., a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems. As part of the deal, U.S. Cellular received franchises in Gainesville, Fla., and Laredo, Texas. Centel's acquisitions include two rural service areas in North Carolina. TRACKING SYSTEM INSTALLED: Trimble Navigation Ltd. has installed a Global Positioning System tracking, dispatching and delivery system for Los Angeles-based Minute Man Delivery, Trimble said Monday. FleetVision, an integrated computer-aided dispatch and fleet management system, allows dispatchers to know exactly where each delivery vehicle is at any given moment and to send the closest driver to a location. MARTIN MARIETTA GAINS CONTRACT: Martin Marietta Civil Space & Communications has been awarded a $2.4-million contract from Wheeling Jesuit College to perform systems engineering, integration and support services for the National Technology Transfer Center in Wheeling, W.Va. Martin Marietta will develop and implement a database of federal technology resources. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SWITCHING: INFORMATION MOVES QUICKLY: The tests to be conducted this fall by Southwestern Bell in St. Louis will support a variety of high-speed communications services. The technology to be tested can help customers receive remote access to educational and other information. Screens of information with more detail could be transmitted quickly to a customer's terminal from an information provider's database. INTERCONNECTION TO BE TESTED: Numerous applications will be addressed by Southwestern Bell. They include LAN interconnection, Computer-Aided Design:Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD:CAM), medical imaging, remote display of graphics and animation for scientific modeling, remote process control for manufacturing, remote computer access for computer center consolidation, video telephony and video teleconferencing. OTHER BELLS WILL TEST SERVICES: Southwestern Bell says several high-technology customers in the St. Louis metropolitan area will participate in the tests, which it is calling project Lindbergh. The tests will use Fujitsu's All-Bandwidth FETEX-150 switching system. US West, Nynex and BellSouth are also scheduled to test the system. Southwestern operates in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. (End of package.) Telecommunications Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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