Netcom Canada First to Upgrade to 56K

Netcom Canada is laying
claim to being the first Canadian ISP to upgrade its nationwide network to
the 56K modem standard.

With the upgrade, Netcom is also enabling 56K service on all dial-up pricing
plans, including Netcom’s flagship Serious Surfing plan–flat-rate Internet
access for $26.95 per month. Previously, 56K service was limited to the
$29.95 per month Professional Plan.

The new V.90 standard announced just two months ago, replaces two previously
incompatible modem protocols–x2 and K56flex. Using the best of the two
previous standards, V.90 technology allows modems to receive data at up to
56 Kbps over regular phone lines.

“Netcom Canada was the first Canadian ISP to launch a national “x2″ service
in March of 1997. We are very pleased to, once again, be the first to
provide our loyal customer base and many new subscribers with the benefits of
V.90, the universal 56K standard, and to extend our 56K service to all our
customers,” said Ron Close, president of Netcom Canada.

Because Netcom has deployed V.90 code at all 36 of its Point of Presence (POPs), Netcom customers anywhere in Canada have immediate access to 56K V.90 service, and the upgrades have been transparent to Netcom’s customers.