.#300
Quoting you 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?  The Intel 
websi
  >seemed to have nothing that claimed that Rockwell/Lucent were the basis 
or
  >proposed ITU-T standard with x2 being the big loser.  The only items I 
could
  >find were similar to the below which comments about blending.
DB>-----------------------8<-cut-here--------------------------------------
DB>07-Jan-98
DB>INTEL ARCHITECTURE LABS PROPOSAL BREAKS GRIDLOCK IN 56K STANDARDS PROCESS
------ snipped ------
All sounds as if quite true .. Rockwell/Lucent seemingly wins the battle
with Intel help ( is Intel that knowledgeable re telecomms or have they
an ulterior motive?) :-((
See appended blurb below:-
Regards
Don.
------
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=
     Date: 01-09-98    Time: 07:27a     Number: 28651
     From: Simon Slater                  Refer: 0
       To: All                        Board ID: ALS             Recvd: No
  Subject: ITU 56k STANDARD                930: FI USR_MODEM   Status: Public
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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* Crossposted in SUPRA
* Crossposted in SUPRAFAX
* Crossposted in MODEM
* Crossposted in MODEMS
* Crossposted in USR_MODEMS
* Crossposted in ZOOM_MODEM
Hi All! How are you?
FYI this was on the rockwell web site:
/* [MAIN.TXT]
  Rockwell Semiconductor Systems [ K56flex technology -- The Wait Is Over ]
+--------------------------------------------------+
|  Rockwell applauds ITU committee's progress on   |
| key technical issues, prepares for February ITU  |
|   specification that will look very much like    |
|                     K56flex                      |
|                                                  |
|  After more than a year of hard work, the modem  |
| industry has resolved key technical issues that  |
|        should lead to the availability of        |
|   industry-standard 56Kbps modems during 1998.   |
|  While perhaps a few minor issues still must be  |
|     ironed out during late January and early     |
|  February at the next ITU committee meeting in   |
|    Geneva, the majority of the task has been     |
|  completed. ITU members have declared consensus  |
|     on the most contentious issues, and the      |
|   industry can now prepare for a fairly rapid    |
|         transition to the new standard.          |
|                                                  |
|   At issue during December were two remaining    |
|   items out of a total of 11 key components of   |
| the V.PCM standard. Intel brokered a compromise  |
|   that gave the nod to Rockwell K56flex backer   |
|   Motorola on one issue, and GDC, Paradyne and   |
|   3Com on the other. In all, 10 of the 11 key    |
|   start-up, data mode and other primary issues   |
|  have now been decided in favor of the K56flex   |
|     camp, which means that K56flex software      |
|  upgrades to the new standard are now likely to  |
|   be even more straightforward than previously   |
|                   anticipated.                   |
|                                                  |
|  It is fully expected that an ITU specification  |
| for the as-yet-unnamed "V.pcm" standard will be  |
|    determined during the two-week ITU meeting    |
|   beginning in late January. ITU determination   |
|  will clear the way for formal ratification in   |
|  September 1998 (or sooner, if the ITU chooses   |
|  to convene on the matter at an earlier date).   |
|  After determination, it will take a few weeks   |
|  for Rockwell to finalize the software code for  |
| upgrading K56flex modem chipsets and distribute  |
|  it free to its modem manufacturing customers.   |
|  Following a period of interoperability testing  |
|   conducted by ISP equipment manufacturers and   |
|     leading ISPs, we believe ISPs will begin     |
|      activating V.pcm service by mid-year.       |
|                                                  |
|   In the meantime, it's business as usual for    |
|  manufacturers of K56flex modems. Rockwell will  |
|   continue to work with leading ISP equipment    |
|   makers to roll out K56flex modem ports at an   |
| accelerating pace. This will give consumers the  |
|    confidence of the most K56flex ISP access     |
|   points possible until a standard is deployed   |
|  and universal interoperability is guaranteed.   |
|                                                  |
|              For more information:               |
|          Rockwell Semiconductor Systems          |
|                4311 Jamboree Road                |
|                Newport Beach, CA                 |
|                      92658                       |
|                Tel: 714.221.4600                 |
|               www.rss.rockwell.com               |
+--------------------------------------------------+
Copyright(c) 1997 Rockwell International. All rights reserved.
*/
Regards, Simon...
ICQ    : 2608849
E-Mail : simon@tcbbs.globalnet.co.uk
webpage: www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tcbbs/
=== Terminate 5.00/Pro*at [Terminate *UK* Support]
==============================================================================
=
     Date: 01-09-98    Time: 07:31a     Number: 28652
     From: Simon Slater                  Refer: 0
       To: All                        Board ID: ALS             Recvd: No
  Subject: ITU 56k STANDARD FAQs           930: FI USR_MODEM   Status: Public
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
* Crossposted in SUPRA
* Crossposted in SUPRAFAX
* Crossposted in MODEM
* Crossposted in MODEMS
* Crossposted in USR_MODEMS
* Crossposted in ZOOM_MODEM
Hi All! How are you?
/* [FAQ_ST.TXT]
    Rockwell Semiconductor Systems [ K56flex technology -- Frequently Asked
            Questions-- About Rockwell K56flex Modem Technology ]
         +----------------------------------------------------------+
         | ( This header has been provided for printing purposes. ) |
         +----------------------------------------------------------+
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
      +----------------------------------------------------------------+
      | Copyright(c) 1997 Rockwell International. All rights reserved. |
      +----------------------------------------------------------------+
*/
Regards, Simon...
ICQ    : 2608849
E-Mail : simon@tcbbs.globalnet.co.uk
webpage: www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tcbbs/
=== Terminate 5.00/Pro*at [Terminate *UK* Support]
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