The Unsorted BBS Collection/thegreatunsorted.tar/thegreatunsorted/texts/txtfiles_misc/vfast.txt

Text File | 1992-11-03 | 6KB | 92 lines

U.S. ROBOTICS ANNOUNCES THE LAST MODEM YOU'LL EVER BUY
Provides Migration Path to Forthcoming CCITT 28.8 Kbps Standard

SKOKIE, Ill. -- June 8, 1992 -- U.S. Robotics today announced an upgrade
program for the CCITT-proposed standard of 28.8 Kbps, previously referred to
as V.FAST.  The Courier V.32bis, Courier HST Dual Standard and Shared Access
Modem Sharing Kits are the products currently included in the program. Field
upgrades will be available for $299 as soon as the CCITT 28.8 Kbps draft
recommendation is completed. Official approval of the standard is not expected
until January, 1994.

"The CCITT-proposed 28.8 Kbps standard won't be a reality for most
manufacturers until 1994," said Jonathan Zakin, U.S. Robotics executive
vice president, sales and marketing.  "By offering modems ready for 28.8 Kbps
now, we're providing insurance against technical obsolescence.  Customers can
purchase a Courier high-speed modem or Shared Access Modem Sharing Kit now and
take advantage of the most updated technology available. When the 28.8 Kbps
standard becomes available later, they'll already have a cost-effective
upgrade option and won't have to re-invest in new equipment."

"Key to the 28.8 Kbps program is the fact that the upgrade to the Courier
high-speed modems and Shared Access Modem Sharing Kits can be completed by the
end user at their worksite, which reduces their "down" time and eliminates
excess costs like shipping and handling," continued Zakin. "You may hear about
other 28.8 Kbps modems that are available now, but until the standard is
defined, no one knows what hardware will be needed to comply. Our unique modem
architecture makes future "field" upgrades a realistic and simple procedure."

Because of U.S. Robotics' advanced modular modem architecture, the company's
Courier V.32bis, Courier HST Dual Standard, and Shared Access modems are
readily upgradable to 28.8 Kbps. The modems are made up of a motherboard and
a smaller daughterboard, which holds the modems' microprocessors and firmware.
The current, high-speed daughterboard can easily be replaced with a new board
containing the 28.8 Kbps CCITT standard. U.S. Robotics is the only modem
manufacturer to implement this kind of flexible design.


"In the CCITT, the previously called "V.FAST" standard has gained universal
support at the 28.8 Kbps speed," said Dale Walsh, U.S. Robotics vice president,
advanced development and participant in the CCITT committee on the 28.8 Kbps
standard. "This is how our modular architecture works. The data pump (which
executes the modulation and demodulation of the data), and the key controller
functions (which perform the data compression, error control and the AT command
set) are on one board, making upgrades simple. We can easily make the data pump
faster and upgrade the controller functions to keep up with the new speed. It's
all in just one small plug-in card."

Because compatibility with CCITT standards is crucial, U.S. Robotics'
availability and implementation of the 28.8 Kbps standard will depend on the
CCITT's progress.  At this time, the standard is expected to define a connect
speed of 28.8 Kbps, two times faster than V.32 bis, the fastest CCITT standard
now available.

U.S. Robotics is one of the first vendors to announce a program for 28.8 Kbps
compatibility.  The company has a history of industry "firsts," including the
first CCITT V.32 bis modem from a major manufacturer, the first self-managing
modem management system and the first portable CCITT V.32 modem.


U.S. Robotics will upgrade any Modem Sharing Kit to 28.8 Kbps. Current Courier
models, which have the smaller footprint and a higher, 57.6 Kbps, DCE to DTE
(modem-to-computer) interface speed, are also upgradable.  The company's
upgrade program does not include WorldPort and Sportster modems.

U.S. Robotics Courier modems offer a wide range of features, including fax,
remote configuration, and synchronous capabilities.  The Shared Access Modem
Sharing Kits, which began shipping in March, 1992,  allow for the pooling of
modems on a LAN so that a LAN user can access them for dial-in or dial-out
communications.

The following products will be upgradable to 28.8 Kbps:

Courier V.32 bis, internal and external         (57,600 bps versions only)
Courier HST Dual Standard, internal and external    (57,600 bps versions only)
Courier V.32 bis FAX, internal and external
Courier HST Dual Standard FAX, internal and external
Shared Access Modem Sharing Kit Single Port and Dual Port

U. S. Robotics, Inc., (NASDAQ: USRX) is a leading designer, manufacturer and
marketer of data communications hardware and software.  Product lines include
the Shared Access communications resource-sharing products; Total Control
modem management system for central data sites; BLAST software products for
terminal emulation, file transfer and remote control; Courier data and
fax/data modems for corporate users;  WorldPort data and fax/data portable
modems for traveling professionals;  and Sportster data and fax/data modems
for small business, home office and entry-level users.  Both corporate
headquarters and manufacturing operations are based in Skokie, Ill.
U.S. Robotics owns and operates Miracom Technology Ltd., Slough, England,
and U.S. Robotics, s.a., Lille, France.  The company markets its products
to business, industry, government agencies and original equipment
manufacturers.