ICL has won a UKP10m contract to implement an X25 packet-switched network for the Nationwide Anglia Building Society. The new system, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year, will link over 800 branches throughout the UK with the society’s 500 estate agency branches and with its four administration and computer […]
ICL has won a UKP10m contract to implement an X25 packet-switched network for the Nationwide Anglia Building Society. The new system, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year, will link over 800 branches throughout the UK with the society’s 500 estate agency branches and with its four administration and computer centres. The deal follows the merger of the Nationwide and Anglia Building Societies in September last year which brought together two existing point-to-point networks. The new society decided to maintain the existing ICL Series 39 mainframes from the Anglia and Unisys 1100 mainframes at the Nationwide, plus the Tandem Computers fault-tolerant minis and link them with an X25 network. ICL beat seven other tenders and will supply a managed X25 network of modems, packet switches and control units plus dual network management centres. The packet switch exchanges for the network, which form 25% of the contract, are the DPN 100 switch manufactured by Northern Telecom in Canada and marketed by ICL, while the V32 modems are being supplied by Mayze Systems Ltd. ICL chairman Peter Bonfield said the contract highlighted the company’s success in vertical markets – one third of UK building societies use ICL systems to manage client accounts – plus the quick integration of recently acquired Northern Telecom’s UK activities within the STC umbrella.
