56-kbps camps join hands
Lucent and 3Com will jointly conduct testing of their 56-kbps modems and modem chip sets for adherence to the forthcoming industry standard.
Lucent and 3Com today announced that they will conduct joint testing of their 56-kbps modems and modem chips. The companies are hoping to make a presentation on how the two technologies will become compatible at the February 5-6 meeting of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, where the ITU will vote on a standard.
"We want to come to the meeting with background data about how these products are interoperating," said Neil Clemons, vice president of marketing for 3Com. "Our goal is that we will deliver as much information in advance of the meeting as possible."
Lucent backs the K56flex specification, while 3Com is the main force behind the competing x2 technology. A common standard means consumers would no longer be tied to one proprietary standard. Currently, K56flex and x2 modems are incompatible and each works only if the user's Internet service provider supports the respective standard.
Analysts were surprised that the companies announced the testing before the ITU votes on the compromise standard, which is a mix of the K56flex and x2 technologies. "Normally this would happen after the standard," said Dataquest analyst Lisa Pelgrim. "The race is on," she said, for the release of a standard-compliant 56-kbps modem.
One name that was prominently absent from the détente that 3Com and Lucent were hyping was Lucent competitor and modem manufacturer Rockwell, who also makes a K56flex modem.