The Matra Iberica SA arm of Matra SA in Paris has started negotiating with various Spanish electronics companies in the hope of creating a joint venture to manufacture telephone equipment. Matra also intends to start work on a new terminal, private exchange and telephone manufacturing plant before the end of the year. Matra Iberica originally planned to set up a further subsidiary, Matra Communications, in Spain this year which would have marketed mobile exchanges and terminals, but that venture is waiting for the liberalisation of telecommunications in Spain to be finalised. In the meantime the company has decided to manufacture and market such products itself with the help of a Spanish partner. Matra Iberica was founded last February after Matra Datasysteme stopped marketing activities in France. The Sun Microsystems distributor Matra Datasysteme Iberica then became head of the group’s Spanish activities. Matra Iberica has two subsidiaries at the moment, SeMatra, which develops cartography systems, and Crisa, 50% owned by Abengoa and integrated with Matra Espace in France.
