U.S. Robotics Applauds International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) Enhancement of 56K Modem Standard
New V.92 standard offers three major improvements to 56K technology
ROLLING MEADOWS, ILL.- July 11, 2000 – U.S. Robotics Corporation today announced its endorsement of the newly determined enhancements to the 56Kbps standard by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) at an ITU-T meeting this month in Edinburgh, Scotland. V.92 is an enhancement from the current standard, called V.90.
“V.92 represents a significant advancement for 56K modem technology. Faster speeds, quicker connection times and seamless call handling will dramatically improve the Internet experience of millions of customers throughout the world,” said Christine Pomeroy, director of marketing for U.S. Robotics.
“As analog modem technology remains by far the leading Internet access solution, these improvements will have a significant impact on user satisfaction. U.S. Robotics plans to begin shipping V.92 standard products by the third calendar quarter, 2000.”
V.92 enables three major new functions:
1) “Modem On Hold” technology allows a modem user to suspend a data call, answer an inbound call, then re-establish the data call without ever losing the connection. This permits a fuller utilization of a single phone line and eliminates time lost when the user’s modem drops the call.
2) “Quick Connect” allows a user’s modem to remember the line conditions to the dial-up service provider to which it connects, and then connect quickly the next time without going through the training sequence. Users will be able to re-establish a connection significantly faster than with the previous standard, reducing the wait period to establish a connection.
3) “V.PCM-Upstream” technology facilitates faster upstream communication with upload speeds reaching 44,000 bits per second (V.90 upstream speeds were limited to 31,200 bps). This allows faster and smoother operation of applications such as sending large e-mails, spreadsheets, presentations or photos, or uploading files.
“As a world leader in analog modems, U.S. Robotics has been a major contributor in the push for the V.92 determination, and we are pleased with the ITU’s decision to approve the new V.92 standard,” said Ray Crawford, director of product management for U.S. Robotics. “We continue to refine and improve the software to maximize the customer’s Internet experience.”
According to analysts at Cahners In-Stat, the demand for analog modems is at an all-time high as customers across the globe seek access to the Internet. By 2003, sales of analog modems are predicted to reach 129,000,000 units and are expected to account for 52 percent of all Internet access methods.
“EarthLink is driven to continually improve our member’s experience, so we are pleased that U.S. Robotics is implementing the V.92 standard,” said Lance Weatherby, executive vice president of Narrowband Services for EarthLink. “Dial-up service will continue to be EarthLink’s core product for many years and the launch pad for all of the emerging access products that we offer our members. Their ongoing satisfaction is our most important job.”
U.S. Robotics will be shipping client-only V.92 standards-based modems and will work closely with major head-end manufacturers to ensure interoperability. U.S. Robotics plans to ship product when interoperability with head-end providers has been achieved.
SOURCE: U.S. Robotics