| CCSI Internet: V.92
Technology |
Q. What
is V.92?
A. V.92 is a new standard in 56K modem technology that was determined by
the International Telecommunications Union in June, 2000. This standard
is an enhancement of the existing V.90 standard, and will enhance the
Internet experience of millions of customers throughout the world by
allowing faster upload speeds, quicker connection times, and streamlined
call handling.
Q. What is the
ITU?
A. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is a formal,
worldwide telecommunications standards body. The ITU is a charter
organization of the United Nations (UN), and is based in Geneva,
Switzerland.
Q. What does it
mean for a standard to be determined by the ITU?
A. At the ITU, standards development occurs via a two-stage process.
First, the active participants agree on, or “determine, ”a technical
specification. Traditionally, modem manufacturers develop and ship
products based on the determined standard, because at that time, all
technical aspects are agreed upon. The V.92 standard was announced as
“determined” on July 4, 2000.
Second, agreement is sought among all the member countries of the UN.
Once agreement is reached, the standard is considered “decided,” or
“ratified.” Final ratification for V.92 is expected in November,
2000.
Q. What options
does V.92 allow that V.90 does not?
A. In addition to an overall refinement of V.90 technology, V.92 enables
three major new functions: “Modem on Hold,” “Quick Connect,” and
“V.PCM upstream.” To receive the full benefit of each of these
features, both the user’s modem and the ISP’s server equipment need
V.92 upgrades.
“Modem on Hold” allows a modem user to suspend a data call, answer
an inbound voice call, then re-establish the data call without ever
losing the connection. This permits less intrusive use of a modem in the
home and fuller utilization of a single phone line. (Note: This feature
requires Call Waiting service from your local phone company.)
“Quick Connect” enables the modem to shorten the initial connect
time on a call. The modem can compare the new call to the previous call, and
if the line conditions are similar (as will often be the case when
calling the same POP on the same phone line), it can bypass portions of
the training sequence. This may reduce connect time by 50% or more in
some cases.
“V.PCM Upstream” facilitates faster upstream communication with
upload speeds reaching 48,000 bits per second (V.90 upstream speeds were
limited to 31,200 bps.) The modem user can choose to favor fast downstream
communication, or to favor a more “balanced” communication flow
which will increase upstream data rates while slightly reducing
downstream rates. This extra flexibility is ideal for sending large
e-mails, spreadsheets, presentations or photos, or uploading files.
Q. Will current
V.90 products be upgradeable?
A. Yes. Many U.S. Robotics products will be upgradeable to the new
V.92 standard via software download from the U.S. Robotics site at www.usr.com/v92.
Q. Will upgrades
to V.92 be free?
A. In most cases, the V.92 upgrade will be free for current V.90 U.S. Robotics
customers. More complete product upgrade information will be available
at launch.
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