[comp.dcom.telecom] Whither Telidon?

gld@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu (Gary L Dare) (10/26/89)

Since we touched a bit on Canadian technology efforts in telecom, can
someone give us an update on Telidon?  When I left Winnipeg in 1983,
there was a big deal over a testbed for an interactive video service
using Telidon technology.  Test site was Headingley, just outside of
Metro Winnipeg limits and the site for Manitoba's largest provincial
jail. (-;

Has any of this survived and gone into the Canadian ISDN efforts?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Je me souviens ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gary L. Dare				"No matter where you go,
> gld@cunixd.cc.columbia.EDU 		 there you are!
> gld@cunixc.BITNET				-- Buckaroo Banzai

bill@toto.UUCP (Bill Cerny) (10/29/89)

In article <telecom-v09i0472m04@vector.dallas.tx.us>, gld@cunixd.cc.columbia.
edu (Gary L Dare) writes:

> Since we touched a bit on Canadian technology efforts in telecom, can
> someone give us an update on Telidon?

The (Canadian) gov't sponsored Telidon trials of the early 80's have
spawned commercial offerings in Bell Canada ("Alex") and SaskTel
("Agritex").  The Canucks are pretty proud of their Telidon efforts,
which they claim delivered the present-day North American Presentation
Level Protocol Syntax (NAPLPS, pronounced "nap-lips").

Now here's the twist: Bell Canada will offer Alex in Toronto next
spring, in addition to Montreal where Alex was launched a couple years
ago.  SaskTel reports that the "Grass Roots" program available over
Agritex (at a mere $0.10[Canadian]/min.) is quite popular.  How do
these companies justify the continued operation of these videotext
services when American companies (viz., Pacific Telesis) cite
exhorbitant investment and poor public interest as reasons for
avoiding similar videotext gateways in the U.S.?

Contacts:
Ross Richardson, SaskTel (306) 777-3905
Alex Marketing Group, Bell Canada (514) 870-6881

Bill Cerny
bill@toto	|	attmail: !denwa!bill	|	fax: 619-298-1656