U.S. Robotics Applauds International Telecommunications Union's Enhancement of 56K Modem Standard

Business Wire, July 11, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000

New V.92 Standard Offers Three Major Improvements

to 56K Technology

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.

EVOLUTION OF THE 56K STANDARD

In 1998, U.S. Robotics (then part of 3Com) led the push for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to officially ratify the V.90 standard. This ratification unified the technical aspects of the analog modem specification. Almost immediately after the announcement of the new standard, U.S. Robotics began the push for faster and better technology, and has been leading the way in the drive to ratify the V.92 standard.

ABOUT U.S. ROBOTICS

U.S. Robotics is the world's leading modem provider, bringing the Internet into millions of homes and businesses around the world. For three decades, U.S. Robotics has been at the forefront of modem technology, and in the 1990's was the first to boost analog modem speeds to the V.90 56K standard. This year, U.S. Robotics has reemerged as an independent company and will continue its tradition of making the most reliable, simple and innovative Internet access solutions available. All U.S. Robotics resources - from engineering to customer support - are dedicated to fulfilling that commitment. U.S. Robotics is a privately held company headquartered in the Chicago area.