There has been a lot of talk about what V.Fast is, and what modems will
be upgradeable to it.  Here's the info, right from the source:

U.S. ROBOTICS ANNOUNCES THE LAST MODEM YOU'LL EVER BUY
Provides Migration Path to Forthcoming CCITT 28.8 Kbps Standard

SKOKIE, Ill. -- June 8, 1992 -- U.S. Robotics today announced an upgrade
program for the CCITT-proposed standard of 28.8 Kbps, previously
referred to as V.FAST.  The Courier V.32bis, Courier HST Dual Standard
and Shared Access Modem Sharing Kits are the products currently
included in the program.  Field upgrades will be available for $299 as
soon as the CCITT 28.8 Kbps draft recommendation is completed.  Official
approval of the standard is not expected until January, 1994.

"The CCITT-proposed 28.8 Kbps standard won't be a reality for most
manufacturers until 1994," said Jonathan Zakin, U.S. Robotics executive
vice president, sales and marketing.  "By offering modems ready for 28.8
Kbps now, we're providing insurance against technical obsolescence.
Customers can purchase a Courier high-speed modem or Shared Access
Modem Sharing Kit now and take advantage of the most updated technology
available. When the 28.8 Kbps standard becomes available later, they'll
already have a cost-effective upgrade option and won't have to
re-invest in new equipment."

"Key to the 28.8 Kbps program is the fact that the upgrade to the
Courier high-speed modems and Shared Access Modem Sharing Kits can be
completed by the end user at their worksite, which reduces their "down"
time and eliminates excess costs like shipping and handling," continued
Zakin. "You may hear about other 28.8 Kbps modems that are available
now, but until the standard is

defined, no one knows what hardware will be needed to comply. Our unique
modem architecture makes future "field" upgrades a realistic and simple
procedure."

Because of U.S. Robotics' advanced modular modem architecture, the
company's Courier V.32bis, Courier HST Dual Standard, and Shared Access
modems are readily upgradable to 28.8 Kbps.  The modems are made up of a
motherboard and a smaller daughterboard, which holds the modems'
microprocessors and firmware.  The current, high-speed daughterboard can
easily be replaced with a new board containing the 28.8 Kbps CCITT
standard.  U.S. Robotics is the only modem manufacturer to implement this
kind of flexible design.

"In the CCITT, the previously called "V.FAST" standard has gained
universal support at the 28.8 Kbps speed," said Dale Walsh, U.S.
Robotics vice president, advanced development and participant in the
CCITT committee on the 28.8 Kbps standard.  "This is how our modular
architecture works. The data pump (which executes the modulation and
demodulation of the data), and the key controller functions (which
perform the data compression, error control and the AT command set) are
on one board, making upgrades simple. We can easily make the data pump
faster and upgrade the controller functions to keep up with the new
speed. It's all in just one small plug-in card."

Because compatibility with CCITT standards is crucial, U.S. Robotics'
availability and implementation of the 28.8 Kbps standard will depend on
the CCITT's progress.  At this time, the standard is expected to define
a connect speed of 28.8 Kbps, two times faster than V.32 bis, the
fastest CCITT standard now available.

U.S. Robotics is one of the first vendors to announce a program for 28.8
Kbps compatibility.  The company has a history of industry "firsts,"
including the first CCITT V.32 bis modem from a major manufacturer, the
first self-managing modem management system and the first portable
CCITT V.32 modem.

U.S. Robotics will upgrade any Modem Sharing Kit to 28.8 Kbps. Current
Courier models, which have the smaller footprint and a higher, 57.6
Kbps, DCE to DTE (modem-to-computer) interface speed, are also
upgradable.  The company's upgrade program does not include WorldPort
and Sportster modems.

U.S. Robotics Courier modems offer a wide range of features, including
fax, remote configuration, and synchronous capabilities.  The Shared
Access Modem Sharing Kits, which began shipping in March, 1992, allow
for the pooling of modems on a LAN so that a LAN user can access them
for dial-in or dial-out communications.

The following products will be upgradable to 28.8 Kbps:

Courier V.32 bis, internal and external (57,600 bps versions only)
Courier HST Dual Standard, internal and external (57,600 bps versions
only) Courier V.32 bis FAX, internal and external Courier HST Dual
Standard FAX, internal and external Shared Access Modem Sharing Kit
Single Port and Dual Port.

U. S. Robotics, Inc., (NASDAQ: USRX) is a leading designer, manufacturer
and marketer of data communications hardware and software.  Product
lines include the Shared Access communications resource-sharing
products; Total Control modem management system for central data sites;
BLAST software products for terminal emulation, file transfer and
remote control; Courier data and fax/data modems for corporate users;
WorldPort data and fax/data portable modems for traveling
professionals;  and Sportster data and fax/data modems for small
business, home office and entry-level users.  Both corporate
headquarters and manufacturing operations are based in Skokie, Ill.
U.S. Robotics owns and operates Miracom Technology Ltd., Slough,
England, and U.S.  Robotics, s.a., Lille, France.  The company markets
its products to business, industry, government agencies and original
equipment manufacturers.
