THE ULTIMATE in modem performance was supposed to have been reached when the 28.8-kbps V.34 standard was unveiled last year. However, the same folks who brought us V.34 are now tweaking the standard to allow speeds of 31.2 and 33.6 kbps -- but only over high-quality telephone lines. Technically, these faster-than-28.8-kbps modems still conform to the V.34 standard, but they're quickly acquiring the nickname V.34 plus.
V.34 plus is not a new standard but rather a discovery by engineers at AT&T Paradyne that certain combinations of V.34's many connection tools can vault performance over the 28.8-kbps barrier. V.34 plus was first offered in AT&T Paradyne's Comsphere 3800 series ($895 and up). Other early adopters have quickly appeared: Penril now sells the Alliance V.34bis ($895), U.S. Robotics offers V.34 plus in both its Courier V.Everything ($595, or free upgrade from V.34) and Sportster V.34 ($279, or $25 upgrade), and Motorola has introduced the Premier 336 ($495). Hayes and others are also working to develop V.34 plus products.
The top speed of 33.6 kbps will sel-dom be achieved over long-distance circuits, but V.34 plus modems should be able to zoom along on local calls -- including calls to your friendly neighborhood Internet provider, should you be fortunate enough to sign up with a provider that has a V.34 plus access number.
Although V.34 plus reaches very close to the theoretical 35-kbps limit for telephone-line data transmission, it's still slower than the 64 kbps of ISDN (available today) and the 100-kbps cable modems that will begin to appear in mid-1996. However, access to ISDN and cable-modem service will always be limited to select locations, whereas modems can be used -- with vary-ing success -- wherever there's a phone line. AT&T Paradyne, 800-482-3333, ext. 402; Motorola, 800-365-6394; Penril, 800-473-6745; U.S. Robotics, 800-877-2677 or 800-342-5877.
V.34 plus modems such as the Penril Alliance V.34bis (above) and others, from AT&T Paradyne, U.S. Robotics, and Motorola, can transfer data at a blistering 33,600 bits per second.
