The Telcom '97 exhibition at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds, attracted 70 exhibitors, hundreds of visitors from abroad and thousands from the local area. It began two years ago, in December 1994, as a small exhibit in at the Dan Panorama hotel in Tel Aviv. At that time, Telcom '94 was deemed a professional success, on a small scale, and a financial failure. But it was a beginning, paralleling the liberalization process, and everyone expected a continuation.
After the current success, the real test will be in another two years, in December 1998. The professional, marketing and technological level presented last week, was of an international caliber which everyone hopes will continue.
The most impressive and original booth was Pelephone’s, which like all other Bezeq corporation booths, was designed by Uzi Cohen. Bezeq’s total investment in design was $400,000 of which Pelephone represented $100,000 not including the price of a VR simulator promotional film which cost an additional $110,000.
The Cellcom booth was conservative, similar to the style seen abroad and included an upper-story cafeteria, which served as both a place to relax or meet with colleagues. A small hall underneath showed a promotional film and new services, to be available to the public within a few months, were presented at surrounding small booths.
There were three international telecommunications service provider booths: Bezeq International, Barak and Golden Lines, which presented as part of the STAT of Italy booth. Whereas Bezeq International presented services, the other two handed out promotional gifts, raffled off phone calls abroad (Golden Lines) or trips abroad (Barak). Anything for presence.
Products were on display at the Bezeq International booth, and one of the more interesting ones was a complex combination of communications ability, long-distance digital archive access, graphic visualization and digital printing on demand. The product was created in cooperation with Scitex’s integrated systems division (SSID).
The most outstanding international presentor was Ericsson, which set up an enormous booth, brought over a staff of hundreds and operated 2 cellular switchers: a GSM and DCS-1800 system, in order to demonstrate the integration of the two technologies, which work on different frequency spectrums. Ericsson also presented its business switchboard systems.
Ericsson’s switchboard competitors are Lucent Technologies, presented at the I. Mittwoch booth, Comdial and Siemens. In addition to the Definity systems which has already been approved for sale and which managed up to 2,500 extensions, Mittwoch also presented three other systems, capable of handling up to 200, 96 and 64 extensions.
Telrad’s flagship product at Telcom '97, was the MiniStar switchboard, which is meant to both compete and perhaps replace Tadiran Telecommunications’ Yahalom switchboard, marketed by Bezeq and BezeqBit. The new switchboard, which is digital and ISDN compatible, is now in beta testing. In February, the company will distribute 50 units to so-called "friendly" users and the launch is scheduled for April. Telrad promises the price will be only 10% more than its analog systems.
Tadiran Telecommunications, in addition to its existing line of products, presented two new products: the first integrates infra-red communications with switchboards. To date, one system has been installed at Bezeq International, linking the company’s offices at the Ramat Gan Twin Towers with offices at the adjacent Oz House, so that they operate as one. The next client is the Israel Police Force.
TNN Networks, owned by Tadiran Telecommunications and New Bridge of Canada, presented innovative solutions for audio transmission over IP infrastructure.
Bynet Communications presented Ascend's MegaPOP, a system that gives Internet Service Providers (ISPs) the ability to support 2,000 concurrent modem users.
SpaceCom presented a model of the Amos Satellite. Gilat and Internet Gold also presented Gilat’s Internet accessibility via satellite service.