New Courier Modems Offer Host of New Features Including V.32 terbo, HST Cellular, V.17, Security

Products to Ship September 1, 1993

Skokie, Ill. -- August 23, 1993 -- U.S. Robotics, Inc. today announced a major evolution to its Courier modem line; the company will ship new Courier models beginning September 1 that include a battery of new features, most notably the 19.2 Kbps V.32 terbo protocol and U.S. Robotics' proprietary Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL[tm]) technology, which further boosts speed to 21.6 Kbps.  The new features fall into three broad categories:  increased data rates, fax enhancements and high-end features.  The company is offering an upgrade program for current Courier high-speed modem users, also beginning September first.

U.S. Robotics Among First To Ship V.32 terbo

Among the features included in the new modems is V.32 terbo, a new protocol for 19.2 Kbps data transmission developed by AT&T; Courier modems will be among the first shipping products to include V.32 terbo, which delivers a 33 percent increase in speed over the 14.4 Kbps V.32 bis standard.  The move to V.32 terbo is in keeping with U.S. Robotics' philosophy of developing modems that support a variety of protocols and provide compatibility with a wide range of modems from other vendors.

These products allow Courier customers to take advantage of increased data rates, while still assuring them of a clear upgrade path to the forthcoming V.fast standard. Additionally, the new modems provide Courier customers the added benefit of proprietary technology that boosts connect speed to 21.6 Kbps.

Proprietary ASL Increases Speed to 21.6 Kbps; DTE Interface Rate Jumps to 115.2 Kbps

The Courier V.32 terbo modems include the company's proprietary Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL[tm]) protocol, boosting throughput to 21.6 Kbps, a 50 percent increase in speed over the current 14,400 bps V.32 bis standard.  This protocol allows users who are connecting two Courier modems to take advantage of the 21.6 Kbps rate; V.42 bis data compression provides an additional increase in throughput.  An increased DCE to DTE (modem-to- computer) interface rate of 115,200 bps and faster processors accommodate these higher speeds.

Courier Modems Still Upgradable to V.fast (ITU-T V.34)

The new Courier modems, like the current Courier high-speed models, will be field upgradable to the forthcoming V.fast standard, which will likely be named V.34.  Availability will depend on ITU-T progress in finalizing the standard; however, study group approval of V.34 is expected in June, 1994.  The standard will provide data rates of up to 28,800 bps.

Dale Walsh, U.S. Robotics vice president, advanced development, and a member of the ITU-T committee developing the V.34 standard, points out that V.32 terbo should not be confused with the V.fast standard.  "The V.32 terbo protocol is really an extension of V.32 bis," said Walsh.  "In fact, when you compare the processing power necessary to run V.32 terbo and V.34, the processors in V.32 terbo modems are more like the processors used for V.32 bis -- they are certainly not capable of achieving the 28.8 Kbps throughput that will be available with V.34."

U.S. Robotics' upgrade to V.34 is performed via a daughterboard swap, which takes a typical user about five minutes.  Because the pending V.34, standard requires two to three times the processing power of V.32 bis, both the hardware and software must be upgraded to provide enough power and ensure that there are no hardware bottlenecks that might impede the speed of V.34.

Upgrades to New Product Available for Current Courier Users

Current Courier users may upgrade to the new models.  Pricing will vary depending on the modem model being upgraded.  The upgrade program will include both current-model Courier modems, which may be upgraded via a daughterboard swap, as well as older-model Courier modems, which may be exchanged for the new models.  Courier 2400 bps modems are not included in the upgrade program.

New Courier Enhancements:  Fax, Data and High-End Features The full list of features that will be added to the Courier line includes:

Data Rate Enhancements:

• V.32 terbo Supports data rates of up to 19.2 Kbps.
• Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL*) for 21.6 Kbps throughput Exclusive to U.S. Robotics; proprietary protocol boosting connect speed to 21.6 Kbps
• Increased DTE interface rate of 115.2 Kbps *  HST Cellu"- etary protocol for high-speed cellular data transmission Available only in HST Dual Standard Courier models

Fax Enhancements:

• V.17 14,400 bps fax capabilities
• EIA Class 2.0 fax capabilities Standard for fax communications; U.S. Robotics is the first to provide support for EIA 2.0
• Call selection Automatic detection of a fax or data call

Feature Enhancements:

• Dial-back Security
• Link Security
• V.25 bis Protocol for synchronous dialing

The Courier modems including these features will be shipping September 1; model information and pricing follow.

Courier Products and Pricing

List Price Model Name               
$645       Courier V.32 terbo Fax
$695       Courier V.32 terbo/PC
$745       Courier V.32 terbo Fax/PS/2    
$795       Courier V.32 terbo Fax/PC
$1245     Courier HST Dual Standard with V.32 terbo Fax
$1295     Courier HST Dual Standard with V.32 terbo/PC

U.S. Robotics, Inc., (NASDAQ:USRX), is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of data communications systems and products.  Both corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations are based in Skokie, Illinois. U.S. Robotics owns and operates U.S. Robotics Ltd. in Slough, England, U.S. Robotics, s.a. in Lille, France and P.N.B., s.a. based in Suresnes, France. The company markets its products to business, industry, government agencies and original equipment manufacturers.