2/9/98 M2 Presswire (Pg. Unavail. Online)
1998 WL 5049286
M2 PRESSWIRE
(c) Copyright 1998 M2 Communications, Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Monday, February 9, 1998
HAYES: Hayes, Ascend and Cisco form V.pcm work group to insure
interoperability
Despite V.pcm's certain future role as the new 56K modem standard,
early testing has revealed interoperability is not automatic between
differing V.pcm implementations. As a result, leading communications
industry companies -- Ascend, Cisco Systems and Hayes Corporation --
have banded together and pledged to release new V.pcm-only products when
interoperability can be demonstrated between major modem and server
providers. The new V.pcm 56K modem standard is set for determination
this week, with final adoption and ratification expected to occur in
September 1998.
While the new standard provides very specific methods and techniques
for communicating at up to 56K, differences currently exist within each
company's V.pcm implementation, preventing initial interoperability. To
prevent such problems from affecting customers, the V.PCM Work Group was
formed to insure complete interoperability between major brands. Each
company within the Work Group is responsible for determining when
interoperability is achieved and its individual products' release
schedule. Individual members are also free to respond to market
pressures, in a responsible manner through the release of product with
limited V.pcm interoperability.
"The entire reason for developing a V.pcm standard was to end the
confusion for end users by delivering interoperable 56K modem
communications," stated Ron Howard, CEO of Hayes and a member of the
Work Group. "Hayes and other Work Group participants are committed to
assuring our existing K56flex and x2 products are interoperable using
V.pcm. Any company releasing 'so-called V.pcm' products before
interoperability exists, without clearly stating its limitations, would
be doing a great disservice to end users."
"In the last year, growth of the remote access market was
significantly reduced as a result of the confusion caused by
incompatible 56K standards," commented Brad Baldwin, Director of Remote
Access Research for International Data Corporation (IDC). "With these
experiences behind us, it is hard to imagine any company would release
what amounts to a proprietary implementation of V.pcm that cannot
achieve universal connectivity. IDC supports the goals of the Work Group
and recommends end users purchase V.pcm products only after their vendor
confirms interoperability between major brands."
"Revenues in the modem market are expected to improve significantly
this year in large part due to the release of a new modem standard that
ends interoperability problems," said Lisa Pelgrim, Senior Analyst,
Dataquest. "I applaud the efforts of the V.PCM Work Group and encourage
industry leaders to achieve interoperability."
Additional communications companies are expected to join the V.PCM
Work Group. The Work Group is open to all communications companies. For
further information about the V.PCM Work Group, contact Bill Taylor,
Hayes Corporation, at (770) 840-9200, x 6341 or btaylor@hayes.com.
Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures, sells and services
wide area networking solutions for telecommunications carriers, Internet
service providers and corporate customers worldwide. For more
information about Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web
site at www.ascend.com or send e-mail to info@ascend.com.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in
networking for the Internet. News and information are available at
cisco.com.
Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, Hayes Microcomputer Products,
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hayes Corporation, a publicly-traded
company, (Nasdaq: HAYZ) markets its ULTRA, ACCURA, OPTIMA, Practical
Peripherals, Cardinal and CENTURY brands of analog, digital and cable
modems, remote access servers and terminal adapters along with Smartcom
communications software worldwide. Today, with distributors in more than
45 countries, it is one of the largest manufacturers of modems in the
world. For more information about Hayes and the company's award-winning
products, visit the Hayes Web site at hayes.com.
"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: This release contains forward looking statements that are
subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the
impact of competitive products and pricing, product demand and market
acceptance, new product development, reliance on key strategic
alliances, availability of raw materials, the regulatory environment,
fluctuations in operating results and other risks detailed from time to
time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
*M2 COMMUNICATIONS DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY FOR INFORMATION PROVIDED
WITHIN M2 PRESSWIRE. DATA SUPPLIED BY NAMED PARTY/PARTIES.*
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COMPANY (TICKER): Hayes Corp. (HAYZ)
INDUSTRY: Communications Technology; Telecommunications, All (CMT TEL)
Word Count: 673
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