‘The Press’ joins Viewdata group

Press, 24 April 1980, Page 3

‘The Press’ joins Viewdata group

PA Aucklandl A group of New Zealand' companies, including the Christchurch Press Company, Ltd, yesterday announced the first step towards the introduction of a revolutionary communications system. CBL Holdings, Ltd, the New Zealand-wide computer systems and services group, reported the signing recently of an agreement with Aregon Group, Ltd (formerly I.N.S.A.C), of London. Aregon, a subsidiary of the British National Enterprise Board, has been responsible for introducing Viewdata into the United States and other countries. CBL has now reached agreement with prospective partners for a widely based consortium to introduce Viewdata in New Zealand. With CBL the other concerns are the Christchurch Press Company; Fisher and Paykel, Ltd; Group Rentals Ltd; Independent Newspapers, Ltd; and Wilson and Horton, Ltd.

! Other publishing groups will be invited to take part. Viewdata enables information to be brought by telephone direct into homes and offices and displayed in words and diagrams on tele-' vision screens or other terminals. The information is stored centrally on a computer. . . Viewdata was originally developed by the British Post Office and is run in Britain under the name of Prestel. _ _ _ CBL runs seven P.D.P. 11/70 time-sharing computers in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch. More machine deliveries are planned during 1980. The 1.V.5.-3 Viewdata system, developed by Aregon for which CBL now holds exclusive licence, is designed to run on these computers. Mr John Graham, the marketing director of Aregon International, said he was delighted with the decision. It underlined ' Aregon s strength in Viewdata systems, after the announce-

meat of 1.V.5.-3 orders in Belgium and Switzerland, and the successful entry of Viewdata into the markets in West Germany and the Netherlands.

In Viewdata developments overseas, Sealink, the British! Rail subsidiary running cross-Channel ferries, has ordered 2400 terminals to be placed in travel agencies throughout Britain, In the United States, the Aregon Group (formerly I.N.S.A.C. Viewdata) which offers a Viewdata service there with the General Telephone and Electronics Corporation, has signed contracts with more than 20 big United States corporations. I Each corporation is install;ing one to five terminals connected via G.T.E. Telenet Communication Corp, to the G.T.E. P.D.P. 11/70 computer centre, which has the Viewdata system in Tampa, Florida I