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	PULSE A BT-operated data network called PULSE, which helps save lives by directing blood supplies to hospitals, won the 1998 Health Care Effectiveness IT Award. The network is run by BT's Syncordia Solutions for the National Blood Service and enables its regional centres to share information, respond to local shortages and maintain national records. Syncordia Solutions operates networked solutions for clients in all sectors of industry, commerce and government. See www.syncordia.bt.com IP TECHNOLOGY One force behind the datawave is the emergence of the Internetworking Protocol (IP) - the technology behind the Internet. IP makes sending data much simpler and cheaper. Instead of reserving a series of lines - or a "circuit" - for each call or data transaction, the information is split into tiny "packets" which are each given an address and then "thrown" into the network. They then take the quickest available route to their destination and are reassembled once they reach it. Our new networks are being built in preparation to carry greater volumes of IP traffic.