Jay Yang...I would be. Look how many people are supporting their modems. Lucent is highly respected.
Thursday January 9 5:07 PM EDT
Lucent Technologies demos 56-kbps modem
technology
Compaq and Hayes to use in new products
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 1997--The Microelectronics Group of Lucent
Technologies announced two new customers for its 56-kilobit-per-second (kbps)
modem technology, which it is demonstrating at this week's Consumer Electronics
Show at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, Booth No. 20821.
This technology will connect PCs to the Internet over regular analog phone lines at
twice the speed of today's typical modems, and will dramatically reduce frustrating
waiting times confronted by users when downloading information from the World Wide
Web.
Compaq Computer Corp., the world's largest PC manufacturer and Hayes
Microcomputer Products, a leading modem manufacturer, both announced today that
they plan to have products incorporating Lucent Technologies' 56-kbps modem chip
sets on store shelves in the first quarter of 1997.
Because users can only achieve 56-kbps connection rates when modems are
compatible at the end user's site and at the Internet service provider's central site,
Lucent has taken an active role in unifying the communications and computer industries
behind an interoperable 56-kbps protocol. Last November, Lucent reached an
agreement with Rockwell Semiconductor Systems to make their respective 56-kbps
modem technologies interoperable.
Since this agreement was reached, more than 400 computer and communications
companies -- including Compaq Computer Corp., Toshiba Corp., 3Com, Cisco
Systems, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Hewlett-Packard Co., CompuServe, and
UUNet Technologies -- have announced that they will support the new Lucent/Rockwell
interoperable protocol called K56flex(TM).
"Lucent is committed to reducing confusion in the market and simplifying faster
connections to the Internet," said Bob Rango, general manager of modem/multimedia
applications for Lucent's Microelectronics Group. "For this reason, the company has
taken a leading role in enlisting a vast majority of the world's modem and PC
manufacturers as well as 75% of remote access server (RAS) equipment
manufacturers to support the K56flex protocol."
In addition to driving widespread acceptance of the K56flex protocol, Lucent has
dedicated a leading research and development team to setting industry benchmarks for
analog modem technology. Lucent's renowned Bell Labs developed the company's
56-kbps technology to not only download information at top speeds but also uniquely
upload data to the Internet at 40 kbps.
Lucent's modern technology can also operate in a symmetrical mode, which transmits
data at 45 kbps in both the downstream and upstream directions, a capability that
significantly improves applications requiring fast symmetrical rates such as Internet
telephony and videoconferencing.
"The faster uploading speed and symmetrical modes of Lucent's modem technology
are faster than any other on the market," said Rango.
To ensure that user investments will be protected as standards for 56 kbps evolve,
Lucent has designed its modem technology so that it is software upgradeable. That
means that modems can be upgraded by downloading software via the Internet rather
than by buying new equipment. Lucent 56-kbps modem technology is backwards
compatible with existing 28.8-kbps and 33.3-kbps modem technology.
"56-kbps modems should encourage the growth of the Internet into a more
sophisticated multimedia environment," said Rango. "Whereas users of 28.8 modems
will sometimes pass up high-bandwidth content because of long downloading times,
56-K net surfers will be more inclined to access data-intensive applications, such as
video and audio files."
Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private
networks, communications systems and software, consumer and business telephone
systems and microelectronics components. Lucent was formed as a result of AT&T's
restructuring and became a fully independent company -- separate from AT&T -- on
Sept. 30, 1996.
Lucent's Microelectronics Group designs and manufactures integrated circuits,
optoelectronic components and power systems for the computer and communications
industries. More information about the company is available from its Web site at
www.lucent.com/micro . |
