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56K Modem Update

ITU 56K Standard

V.90 upgrade is currently available for some models. Please check V.90 upgrade for 56K modem.

By now all of you have heard or through your customers about this issue. On February 6, 1998, the International Telecommunication Union agreed on the technical specifications for 56K modems and has initiated the formal approval process. The new recommendation, designated V.90, is expected to be widely used for applications such as Internet and on-line service access. V.90 modems are designed for connections which are digital at one end and have only one digital-to-analog conversion. Download speeds of up to 56K per second are possible, depending on the telephone line conditions, with upload speeds of up to 33.6K. Phoebe and other manufacturers of 56K modems will rapidly migrate to the new standard.

The V.90 modem harmonizes the two competing proposals (Texas Instruments & Rockwell) submitted in March 1997. Customers who have purchased 56K based on either technology may be able to get software to make their devices compatible with the new ones developed on the V.90 standard.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Despite the recent V.90 software upgrade from Rockwell, Lucent or Texas Instrument chip makers, their V.90 software are not interchangeable. Final approval "decision" of V.90 from ITU-T is scheduled for September 1998. For more information on this issue, please visit ITU web site: www.itu.int/newsroom.