Time: Wed Feb 05 07:32:17 1997
by primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id HAA29465;
Wed, 5 Feb 1997 07:15:37 -0700 (MST)
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 1997 07:31:11 -0800
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: 56Kbps modem status
>Date: Wed, 05 Feb 1997 07:29:31 -0800
>From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
>Subject: 56k (fwd)
>
>Dear Nathan,
>
>This is brilliant. I knew there were
>many excellent reasons why you were
>deliberating so carefully. I trust and
>respect you folks at Primenet so much,
>I know that you will choose a technology
>path which outshines your competitors;
>you already have, time and time again.
>
>Please know that you have in me a very
>dedicated customer, albeit a little overzealous
>at times about the "noosphere."
>
>Now, if you will only hire more guys like
>Bill in tech support, the world would
>instantly become a perfect place :)
>
>/s/ Paul Mitchell
>
>
>
>At 01:39 AM 2/5/97 -0700, you wrote:
>>
>>fyi -- enjoy.
>>
>>
>> Nathan Raciborski, president __ __ ____ ___ ___ ____
>> (800)4-NET-FUN /__)/__) / / / / /_ /\ / /_ /
>> nathan@primenet.com / / \ / / / / /__ / \/ /___ /
>>
>>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 01:30:17 -0700 (MST)
>>From: Nathan Raciborski <nathan@primenet.com>
>>To: Nathan Raciborski <nathan@primenet.com>
>>Subject: 56k (fwd)
>>
>>
>>GlobalCenter/Primenet's 56k Modem Strategy Briefing
>>
>>Glossary of terms:
>>
>> K56PLUS(TM) - Rockwell's 56k implementation.
>> V.flex2(TM) - Lucent's 56k implementation.
>> X2 - US Robotics' 56k implementation.
>> K56Flex(TM) - Rockwell & Lucent's interoperable 56k
>> implementation.
>>
>>Preface:
>>
>> I am writing this moments after I responded to an outraged
>> Primenet subscriber who read our advertisement stating we
>> have 28.8k dialup modems and he was requesting MONTHS of
>> credit because he was only connecting at 26.4k and never
>> got a 28.8k connect while using our service. At some point
>> in the near future I will have our new Business Communications
>> Department glaze the below information and put it in the form
>> of a 'real' release. :-) Here we go attempt #1.....
>>
>>Some History:
>>
>> The evolution of 56 kbps modem technology actually seems to start
>> with a technical paper issued in France several years ago. The
>> basic premise is that the way people use modems has changed
>> dramatically over the past few years, and half of the actual
>> connection doesn't use POTS analog telephone lines at all. This
>> is not how we deployed the majority of the PN dialups, because
>> of costing (recurring) expense for very little upside differences,
>> until this surprise technology arrived.
>>
>>Known Facts:
>>
>> All proposed 56k technology is asymmetric (data throughput
>> in one direction may not be the same in the opposite
>> direction).
>>
>> From provider ---> end user, MAXIMUM connect speed is
>> approximately 56k.
>>
>> From end user ---> provider, MAXIMUM connect speed can
>> vary between 44k-56k, depending on the implementation.
>>
>>As I have expressed recently in primenet.general we have taken a very
>>conservative stance in announcing our 56k modem strategy and its
>>deployment. It is my opinion that through these conversations our user
>>base has begun to realize the confusion and frustration that the market
>>really is or will be experiencing in the months to come. There are few
>>consumers at this point that realize the complexity of a simple modem
>>purchase and others that are going to buy a 56k modem because it is faster
>>than what they currently are using. This confusion has been bolstered by
>>the near constant press releases that the large modem manufacturers are
>>distributing about this new innovation. The fact remains that currently
>>there are at least qty 3 56k modem implementations and until recently
>>*none* of them were compatible above v.34+ (33.6k) with each other, hence
>>'like modems' (isp side and client side) wouldn't connect at the
>>expectations of the uninformed end user base, due to the varying
>>implementations.
>>
>>As briefly described in the above Glossary, recently Lucent Technologies
>>and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Multimedia Communications Division
>>announced an interoperability between their proprietary 56k
>>implementations. In my opinion this is a relationship of necessity,
>>because of the preceived momentum that US Robotics has on 'consumer' side
>>of this issue. For the client side, USR has announced upgrade paths for
>>recent Sportster purchases and all Courier modems. It has been my concern
>>that USR could 'own' the modem business if they controlled the client and
>>server side hardware. It was also very obvious that USR had no intentions
>>of licensing server side X2 code to other hardware manufacturers. USR has
>>been parading around the country in an attempt to recruit as many press
>>release candidates as possible and organize a web page such that the
>>consumers would belive that EVERYONE is going to subscribe to their
>>proprietary technology. The fact remains that MANY LARGE services like
>>PSI (including Mindspring), UUNet (including Earthlink) have historically
>>been Ascend (Rockwell) and Cisco (Rockwell) equipment users. The current
>>equipment in their networks are not upgradeable to 56k technology and the
>>latest word I had from UUNet is they don't intend to support any
>>proprietary 56k implementation until the ITU committee ratifies a
>>STANDARD. This ratification is speculated to take between 18-36 months,
>>and it is very likely that the ITU committee will not accept the
>>submission of any of the current proposals (Rockwell, Lucent & USR).
>>
>>I have an article in my briefcase that I picked up last week stating that
>>the USR X2 implementation overdrives the copper phone lines and it
>>blatantly violates a current FCC tariff. It is my understanding that USR
>>is attempting to convince the FCC to waive the overdrive issue, allowing a
>>'full speed ahead' introduction..
>>
>>It has been interesting to observe modem manufacturers response to the USR
>>announcements. The most recent being, Hayes will upgrade ANY modem to a
>>Rockwell/Lucent compatible Hayes 56 kbps modem for $99.00 see
>>http://www.hayes.com/56k/upgrade/ for more details. It is posturing like
>>this that I predicted MONTHS ago. GlobalCenter/Primenet would like to
>>allow the end user to leverage the current hardware competition by
>>allowing the end user to have a choice. Guess what? Exactly **NONE** of
>>these Hayes modems will operate above 28.8k in the AOL and MCI networks.
>>
>>Remember, despite all the flowery press releases this entire techology is
>>vaporware AT BEST. I expect WEEKS to pass before ANYONE will be able to
>>mass deploy a reliable 56k hardware or service offering.
>>
>>After months and months of analyzing the current predicaments here is
>>what we have decided. Please understand the motivation of which these
>>no-so-lite decisions have been made (see above).
>>
>>GlobalCenter/Primenet intends to offer our subscribers a choice when
>>choosing a not yet standardized innovative 56k modem technology.
>>
>>sidenote: .....gosh, I really am getting tired, maybe I would come back
>>tomorrow with the continuation and conclusion.... :-)
>>
>>We intend to deploy redundant dialup pools supporting all known standards
>>(specifically: Lucent, Rockwell & USR) within our major markets. The
>>major deployments will include all of California, all of Arizona, and
>>other markets where we have a high subscriber concentration or we cover
>>high population metropolitan areas. Please understand that this
>>deployment is BY FAR the most expensive position that we could have taken,
>>but we have convictions on allowing the end user to make a choice whenever
>>feasible and possible. That is commonly referred as the 'American way'.
>>
>>Please do not ask for specific dates as to when these deployments will
>>occur; we haven't penciled in the specific dates because of the unknown
>>telco installation factors that play HEAVY into these offerings. I
>>believe the deployment will be leaps ahead of our competitors as far as
>>technology is concerned and on par with our competitors as far as timing
>>is concerned. The 'net net' is YOU ALL WIN! :-)
>>
>>You will see X2 (USR), K56PLUS (Rockwell) and V.flex2 (Lucent) deployed in
>>different ways and at different times in different cities. Sometimes X2
>>will come 1st and in the very next city, K56PLUS will come 1st; there is a
>>rhyme to our reason so please don't beat us for the details. We are
>>placing an enormous load on our Product Managers as it is, the thirst for
>>details could consume them. :-) We also don't know if there will be
>>price differences between the different services that will be offered, so
>>please don't ask. You will see formal beta requests in all markets and
>>about that time we will more than likely announce our pricing intentions.
>>
>>Let's Party,
>>Nathan F. Raciborski
>>president, GlobalCenter
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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Paul Andrew Mitchell, B.A., M.S., email address: pmitch@primenet.com
Web site for the Supreme Law Firm is URL: http://www.supremelaw.com
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We can decode all your byte streams, spaghetti code notwithstanding.
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