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A TRUCE IN THE 56K WARThe ''56k'' modems that hit the market early this year have been a major disappointment to many consumers. First, a combination of regulatory and phone-system impediments kept their top speed well below the promised 56 kilobits per second. Then, two rival, incompatible 56K systems meant added confusion and inconvenience. You'll still be lucky to get speeds above the high 40s, but confusion should disappear soon. The team of Lucent Technologies and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems has agreed with 3Com on a single specification to replace their X2 and K56flex systems, respectively. The proposed standard will be presented to a committee of the International Telecommunication Union in January. Speedy approval is expected. Most of the 56K modems that have been sold were designed for easy software upgrade to an eventual international standard. Manufacturers will be announcing their upgrade plans once the standard becomes final. And a single standard will end the uncertainty over which Internet service providers support which system--and encourage providers that have been holding back to upgrade their dial-in facilities to 56K.
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Updated Dec. 18, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1997, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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