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U.S. Robotics Guarantees Free Upgrades To ITU-T 56K Standard For x2 Modem Products
Business Wire - May 28, 1997 12:01
FINANCIAL U-S-ROBOTICS USRX ILLINOIS COMPUTERS ELECTRONICS COMED TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRODUCT V%BW P%BW
NOTE: Audionet Archive of press conference: x2.usr.com/conference
SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 1997--
"x2 Delivers" program includes 30-day money-back
guarantee and one month of free x2 Internet service
U.S. Robotics (NASDAQ:USRX) today announced the "x2 Delivers" program, a three-point buyer protection plan that guarantees customers complete satisfaction.
As part of the "x2 Delivers" program, x2 technology (56 Kbps(a)) products will be upgraded free of charge to the 56K modem standard that will be adopted in 1998 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T). The x2 products included in this program include those bought by the consumer, Internet Service Providers and corporations.
In addition, the program offers purchasers of new x2 desktop and PC Card modems one month of free Internet service, up to $25, from nearly 350 Internet service providers that offer x2 service, plus an unconditional 30-day "satisfaction guaranteed" return policy. The offer is available to customers in the United States and Canada.
"We've protected our customers' investments by making their x2 modem purchase worry-free," said Casey Cowell, chairman and chief executive officer of U.S. Robotics. "U.S. Robotics has consistently maintained that x2 modems will be upgradeable to whatever standard emerges. Now we've guaranteed it," Cowell said.
On the consumer side, the guaranteed free upgrade to standard offer covers purchases of the following products: x2 (56 Kbps) Sportster(R) modems, x2 (56 Kbps) Courier(TM) modems and x2 (56 Kbps) Megahertz(R) PC cards, including those that have been upgraded to x2.
On the server side, the program applies to Total Control(TM) remote access servers, NETServers, MP modem pools and Courier I-Modems,(TM) including those that have been upgraded to x2.
Under the terms of the "x2 Delivers" program announced today, U.S. Robotics will provide individual customers who purchase an x2 modem at retail between June 1 and September 15, 1997, one free month of service, up to $25, from any ISP that is live with x2 technology. All the customer needs to do is send in proof of purchase of the x2 modem and the monthly statement for ISP service. U.S. Robotics will then send a check to reimburse the customer for the month of service.
U.S. Robotics is so confident consumers will welcome the fastest possible Internet downloads over regular telephone lines that it's including in the program a 30-day unconditional guarantee for x2 consumer modems. This means a customer can return any single x2 modem for any reason to the place of purchase for a full refund.
The ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union- Telecommunication Standardization Sector) develops communications standards worldwide. Study Group 16 of the ITU-T is developing the worldwide standard for PCM (pulse code modulation) modems. PCM codes, used in the digital portion of the phone network, are at the heart of the new generation of 56 Kbps modems. A stable draft PCM modem recommendation is expected this fall; a final recommendation could be completed by January 1998. The "V.PCM" modem standard would then become official in 1998.
"U.S. Robotics is a very active, contributing participant in the standards process and is emerging as a leader in the meetings," said Dale Walsh, vice president of advanced development at U.S. Robotics. "Based on the standards progress to date, we have determined that the x2 modem architecture can be readily upgraded to the emerging standard."
Since all U.S. Robotics x2 modems are based on DSP (digital signal processing) solutions from Texas Instruments, U.S. Robotics expects the upgrade to be as simple as a software download from the Internet. If not, U.S. Robotics will replace the modem with one that does meet the new standard - free.
U.S. Robotics began shipments of its x2 modems in February. At present, nearly 350 Internet Service Providers are live with U.S. Robotics' x2 technology with close to 1900 "Points of Presence" (POPs) in more than 850 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. This means that in most major metropolitan areas of the U.S. and Canada, x2 service is available with a local phone call.
To make it easy to find a local or national ISP that supports x2, U.S. Robotics' "Connect Now" page on its Web site (www.usr.com) lists local POPs, customer service numbers and Web addresses of every ISP offering x2 service today, including America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, IBM Global Networks, NETCOM, EarthLink, MindSpring and Web America Networks. A hard copy ISP directory is also available at retail stores.
U.S. Robotics (NASDAQ:USRX) is one of the world's leading suppliers of products and systems that provide access to information. The company designs, manufactures, markets and supports remote access servers, LAN switching equipment, desktop/mobile client products and modems, telephony products and handheld organizers.
U.S. Robotics products connect computers and other equipment over analog, digital and switched cellular networks, enabling users to gain access to, manage and share data, fax and voice information. Its customers include Internet service providers, regional Bell operating companies, inter-exchange carriers and a wide range of other large and small businesses, institutions and individuals.
(a) All x2 products are capable of 56 Kbps downloads; however, due to FCC rules which restrict power output of the service providers' modems, current download speeds are limited to 53 Kbps. Actual speeds may vary depending on line conditions. Uploads from users to service providers travel at speeds up to 28.8 Kbps. An x2-capable modem, an x2-compatible analog phone line and an x2-capable Internet service provider are necessary for these high-speed downloads. See www.usr.com/x2 for details.
CONTACT: U.S. Robotics, Skokie
Kathleen Behof, 847/982-5161
Karen Novak, 847/982-5244
REPEATS: New York 212-752-9600 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 or
800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473
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