Lucent Technologies Inc is attempting to accelerate the standardization process for high speed 56Kbps analog modems, at a meeting of the International Telecommunications Union in Orlando, Florida this week. The first ITU-backed attempt at modem standardization failed back in September (CI No 3,250). But now Lucent is submitting five proposals to a special gathering of the ITU, which it admits is giving ground away to its competitor 3Com Corp and which it says is compromising on various aspects of the standard. The standards battle, now reduced down to a battle between the K56Flex technology jointly developed by Lucent and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Inc, and the x2 alternative from 3Com’s US Robotics division, has led to confusion in the marketplace and slowed sales. Both Rockwell and Ascend Communications Inc have complained that the battle has affected their sales (CI No 3,285), although 3Com maintains that its software upgradable digital signaling processors have meant that its business hasn’t been affected. Lucent hopes to move fast and hammer out a draft standard that can be ratified at the next full meeting of the ITU on January 26, in Geneva.
