MindSpring Upgrading to V.90 Standard

National Internet Service Provider MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. today announced it has begun an upgrade of its network to the V.90 protocol for 56 Kbps-compatible modem connections.

V.90 is the new international standard that supplants the “x2” and
“K56Flex” 56K protocols, which are not cross compatible for connection
speeds above 33.6K, the company stated.

“MindSpring is excited to have initiated this upgrade, which will improve
the speed and stability of our members’ Internet connections,” said Jim
Markle, MindSpring’s executive vice president of network operations. “Our
goal is to provide our customers with the best Internet experience we can,
which includes rolling out the most advanced technologies as soon as we are
satisfied with their reliability.”

Many cities already have been upgraded, and the firm said it expects more than 80% of its customers will be upgraded within a month. Information about the roll out and schedule is available here.

MindSpring said it expects the third-party networks serving the remainder of its customers will announce their V.90 roll out schedules in the near future. Owners of “x2” and “K56Flex” modems can obtain free V.90 upgrades from the Web sites of most major modem manufacturers.

MindSpring offers local Internet service in more than 375 locations throughout the United States, and provides Web Hosting services and domain registrations.