I think the 56K war is over and X2 has won.
Are you sure? I see AOL (see below) is now testing ASND's 56Kflex. Seems like AOL is hedging its bets by deploying both x2 and Flex, -- probably a smart move. I don't think the war is over just yet.
Tulvio
AOL Networks Announces Field Trial Of Lucent
and Rockwell 'K56flex' Modem Technology
DULLES, Va., April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- AOL Networks, a subsidiary of America Online, Inc. (NYSE: AOL), along with Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU), Rockwell (NYSE: ROK), and Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) today announced that they will conduct a field trial of the Lucent and Rockwell K56flex (TM) high-speed 56 kilobits per second modem technology. The K56flex technology has the potential to provide online service and Internet connections at speeds nearly twice as fast as those currently available over standard telephone
lines.
The field trial will take place in selected cities, available to AOL members with modems that support the K56flex technology. They are scheduled to begin early this summer, upon completion of internal testing.
"By supporting K56flex and other leading high-speed technologies, AOL is working to ensure for our members the fastest and most reliable connections available anywhere," said Matt Korn, AOL Networks Senior Vice President for Operations. "We believe that the K56flex technology is another important step toward developing one common standard for Internet online services and providing more seamless access for our approximately 8 million members."
"The majority of today's home personal computer users connect to Internet online services using modem products manufactured from Rockwell chipsets," said Vijay Parikh, vice president and general manager, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems. "As a result, AOL is endorsing the high-speed technology we expect will be broadly supported by their subscriber base." "PCs from Compaq, IBM,
Hewlett-Packard and other PC manufacturers will now be able to connect to the largest private dial-up network in the world at speeds up to 56kbps," said Bob Rango, general manager of modem ICs for Lucent Technologies' Microelectronics
Group. "These PC manufacturers rank among the largest in the world and use Lucent modem chipsets."
"Ascend and AOL have been working together to provide a world class Internet network and the best possible service to AOL's customers," commented Mory Ejabat, president and CEO of Ascend Communications. "Ascend will provide the K56flex-compatible central site equipment that will enable AOL's network to support their customers with K56flex connectivity."
Upon the completion of the field trials, AOL will begin deploying the K56flex modem in approximately 175 AOLnet markets. With over 275,000 modems in more than 540 cities, AOLnet is the world's largest private dial-up network, with the capacity to support the full range of leading modem technology. The installations of the K56flex modem will be achieved over the section of AOLnet managed by BBN Corporation (NYSE: BBN), equipping the Ascend Communications Max 4000 remote access server equipment, already deployed in AOL's network, with K56flex modems.
About The K56flex Protocol
K56flex is a technology developed by Lucent Technologies and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems -- two of the world's leading manufacturers of modem chips -- to ensure interoperability between their 56K modem technologies. K56flex is a protocol allowing Lucent's V.flex2 technology and Rockwell's K56Plus technology to interoperate.
The K56flex modem technology allows up to 56kbps speeds over standard telephone lines. By allowing downstream speeds of up to 56kbps, K56flex significantly speeds the delivery of information. Graphics-intensive web pages, audio and video, and files will download at almost twice the rate of the prevailing 28.8K standard.
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