The Bahrain telecommunications company (Batelco) recently announced the introduction of new Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) links with Jordan Telecommunications Company (JTC) and Turk Telekom. Using the ISDN digital communication service, business customers will be able to send and receive high volumes of assorted data, text, voice and images over the public network.
The ISDN service is designed to replaces normal telephone lines with a faster, more versatile option, which permits several data communications activities to be carried out simultaneously. For instance a customer can talk on the phone while connecting to the Internet, all on the same line.
These features make it particularly suitable for business customers who need to transfer large data and graphics files or carry out video conferencing on a regular basis. ISDN also has applications in the banking sector, where timely and constant communications with both local and international institutions is vital, permitting the exchange of information on stock markets, exchange rates, market reports and account statements need to be exchanged all the time between the branches.
There are two ISDN options. The Basic Rate Interface (BRI), especially suitable for small and medium scale enterprises, allows two channels of 64Kbps per line, while the Primary Rate Interface (PRI) provides 30 channels of 64Kbps per line. By using these channels over a single connection, speeds of 128kbps may be obtained, four times faster than the best analogue modems, which rarely exceed 33kbps.
Existing ISDN international links include Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the USA. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
