• Recommend:
• 0 Comments

AOL Now Using V.90 Standard for 56-Kbps Modems

Members can download AOL's V.90 upgrade to make 56-kbps modems compatible with the standard.

By Nancy Weil, PCWorld   

Before accessing the Internet using a V.90 dial-up number, AOL subscribers with 56-kbps modems will need to download upgrades to make their modems compatible with the standard. Going to Keyword: V.90 will give subscribers a list of links to the Web sites of modem manufacturers, said Wendy Goldberg, an AOL spokesperson.

After subscribers have obtained modem upgrades, they will then have to set up their computers to use one of the V.90 telephone numbers in the AOL network. AOL is making available more access numbers for the higher-speed connections and also will continue to support competing technologies for modems that cannot yet be upgraded to work with the standard.

The two competing technologies are x2 from 3Com and K56flex from Lucent Technology and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems. The V.90 standard, approved in draft form by the ITU in February, uses elements from both technologies. Manufacturers have been conducting interoperability tests for months, and various online services and Internet-backbone providers have been announcing deployment of V.90.

AOL's announcement does not apply to subscribers of CompuServe, an Internet service also operated by AOL, Goldberg said.