Motorola promises 56K standard upgrade, shy on pricing

In a bid to cash in on worries over the lack of a standard for 56Kbits/sec modems, Motorola is guaranteeing an easy upgrade to whatever specification is ratified. However, the US giant diluted its boast by admitting that it can't yet offer pricing details.

Called Tidal Wave, the programme guarantees Motorola 28.8Kbits/sec and 33.6Kbits/sec customers a "low-cost" route to the industry standard when it becomes available, or alternatively the BitSURFR Pro ISDN card.

"Buying non-standard technology such as X2 today carries a risk," said Theresa Noonan, retail marketing manager for Motorola's Information Systems Group. "Customers may be setting themselves up for problems with interoperability and the added expense of another upgrade whren true standard-based technology emerges."

However, Noonan said she was unable to supply pricing details. "We haven't currently set pricing," Noonan said. "I really wanted to get pricing in time for this announcement but I can say that it will be a small percentage of the retail price of a 56Kbits/sec modem. There will be something like a 70 per cent discount, but that really is ballpark."

In related news, Hayes has delayed the UK introduction of its 56Kbits/sec modem upgrade policy.