Hewlett-Packard and Northern Telecom said they had...

Hewlett-Packard and Northern Telecom said they had formed a joint venture to sell their computers and telecommunications systems to large business customers. The companies said the 50-50 venture would initially focus on big customers that already use Hewlett-Packard’s computers and Northern’s telephone switchboards and data switching systems. They said the alliance was created in response to a growing demand among their customers for networks that can link computers and phone systems within an office or across the country.