David Bowerman wrote in a message to Lee Waun:
DB> Lee Waun wrote in a message to Pratap Derrick:
 PD>      The rumor is that the standard will be mostly X2..
 PD>      and the log jam has been broken and a tentative
 PD>      agreement has been reached.. approval is expected
 PD>      at the Jan Meeting...
 LW> Better get your facts straight. Intel forced the standard to be
 LW> agreed upon back in Dec and it is mostly Kflex. Go to the intel web
 LW> site. They discuss it in detail and X2 was the loser big time. The
 LW> standard is based on the Rockwell\Lucent technology. 
DB> Really?  Care to quote the URL for the piece of persiflage? 
DB> The Intel website seemed to have nothing that claimed that
DB> Rockwell/Lucent were the basis for the proposed ITU-T
DB> standard with x2 being the big loser.  The only items I
DB> could find were similar to the below which comments about
DB> blending. 
     Hi Dave...
             In the above quote that wasnt me that was a news
             release.. but...I posted it so I get the flack
             hahahahaha
      I go this in Modems... I wonder if its True?
     
     
Begin...
Frequently Asked Questions
-- About the ITU's Declaration of Consensus Regarding the Standardization of 
56Kbps Modems
1. Why is the ITU's declaration of consensus significant for the marketplace?
A: With this declaration of consensus, the ITU has voted to approve a 
preliminary standard that can now be formally "determined" when the full 
Study Group 16 Working Party convenes in Geneva during late January 1998. 
There are still some minor issues yet to be resolved, but it is fully 
expected that those issues will be finalized at the January meeting, and the 
ITU could ratify the standard by September 1998, or earlier. We think this is 
an extremely significant decision for the industry as a whole, since it will 
now unify was previously was a fragmented marketplace. For end-users who've 
been uncertain about buying 56Kbps modems, this offers the reassurance of a 
clear path to a standard. For current K56flex end-users, this is really a 
non-event, since nothing is really required of them -- ISPs will continue to 
support the original K56flex protocol even after their central-site modem 
ports are upgraded to the new standard, so K56flex end-users will continue 
getting the same fast connections whether they upgrade to the new standard or 
not.
2. What is the significance of the ITU's decision for Rockwell?
A: It represents an overwhelming endorsement of K56flex-supported 
technologies by the worldwide technical community. Ten of the 11 key issues 
in the proposed ITU standard use technology that was either invented by 
Rockwell or supported by the company and its K56flex backers. This includes 
all of the start-up mode and other peripheral issues, plus three of the four 
data mode issues. Only one data mode issue uses non-K56flex-backed technology 
that is based on intellectual property owned by GDC and Paradyne and backed 
by 3Com.
3. What brought about the declaration of consensus?
A: It represents a compromise among the leading participants in the 56Kbps 
standardization process. While we would have preferred a clean sweep of all 
issues in Rockwell's favor, we're delighted to have seen 10 of the 11 key 
issues resolved in favor of the K56flex camp. Our upgrade path to the new 
standard will continue to be as straightforward as we anticipated.
4. Did Rockwell vote in favor of the compromise?
A: The vote was confidential, but we can say that we applaud the ITU's 
declaration, anxiously await ratification of the standard, and are pleased 
with this ringing endorsement of K56flex technology.
5. How do Townshend's claims impact the preliminary standard, if at all?
A: Rockwell continues to assert that the Townshend patents announced in 
September 1997 by 3Com -- if and when they are issued to Mr. Townshend -- 
will not be fundamental to K56flex or to the proposed ITU standard.
6. Now that momentum is building toward a global standard, what should a 
consumer do? Should he wait until the standard is ratified? If not, should he 
pick K56flex or x2?
A: It will still take a number of months to ratify the standard -- perhaps 
until September 1998 -- so until that time, consumers still needs to be 
concerned about which 56Kbps technology their ISP supports. K56flex has 
emerged as the most widely deployed 56Kbps modem technology on the market, 
with over 1,000 ISPs at 6,000 points of presence (POPs) in 4,000 cities in 
the U.S. and more than 30 countries worldwide, as confirmed by an independent 
party. The K56flex deployment lead continues to grow as manufacturers of 
Internet access equipment, personal computers and retail modems ship K56flex 
products at more than double the rate of the competition. K56flex is 
increasingly the safest choice the consumer can make before standards are 
ratified, with the most brands and the broadest ISP adoption. Further, 
K56flex modems will be supported by free and easy software upgrades to the 
standard once it is ratified. Plus, all central-site K56flex modem ports used 
in ISP equipment will continue to support the original K56flex protocol even 
after they are upgraded to the new standard. So for current K56flex 
consumers, the standardization activities are a non-event, as they need not 
take any action.
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 7. What will the upgrade process be for K56flex modems?
A: Rockwell ships software-upgradeable K56flex modem chipsets. We will be 
providing our chipset customers with free software upgrades to the ratified 
standard, and they will be facilitating the upgrade process for their own 
customers. A likely scenario is that the software will be available on the 
K56flex modem manufacturer's website for easy downloading by consumers.
8. After the standard is ratified, which 56Kbps technology will be the best 
choice?
A: Once standards are ratified, any 56Kbps modem will be able to connect with 
any central site modem that supports the ITU standard. At that point, the 
critical concern for the consumer will be his ability to select from among a 
broad range of brands with a variety of price points, feature sets and 
packaging options. K56flex is by far the technology with the biggest 
selection of retail brands and the broadest adoption rate among PC OEMs, and 
it is the only technology that can offer the consumer that range of choices.
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