Gandalf Digital Communications Ltd, the Warrington, Cheshire-based arm of Canadian Gandalf Technologies Inc, which produces a wide range of data and voice communications products as well as modems, has announced an agreement with the US telecommun-ications manufacturer, Spectrum Digital Corp, to market its Digital Wideband Exchange, DX, series in the UK, where growth in the mid-range time division multiplexer market is matched by growth at the top-end: the DX series is aimed somewhere in between these markets. The series uses a 2.048Mbps bandwidth, which integrates analogue and digital voice, synchronous and asynchronous data, and can also cope with applications such as video, local network and CAD/CAM bridging. The introduction of the Megastream service will, says Gandalf, result in significant savings for firms with high volume voice or data networks across remote sites. Other advantages to firms include increased control and load management – exercised by the load manager from any location – and the advantages associated with freedom from the public network, such as increased security. Automatic re-routing and multiple priority facilities should substantially reduce downtime and guarantee non-stop operation. The hardware for the DX series is designed to integrate easily with new devices and networks, and could facilitate a smooth migration path to future developments such as Integrated Services Digital Network. The DX series consists of the DX-50 and DX-500: the DX-50 has a maximum channel capacity of 52 in a single non-redundant trunk configuration; the DX-500, which can expand into three cabinets, offers 508 channels. Gandalf, which believes that the cost of the DX series will for many potential users be justified by voice requirements, sees its main customer groups as being the financial community, carriers, local and central government, police and the armed forces, and industry.
