Eicon's New ISDN PC Card Installs as Easily as a Modem, is First to Work with both PCs and MACs.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 1996--Eicon Technology has introduced a PC (PCMCIA) Card which combines the high speed of ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) communication with the ease of use of a plug-in modem -- and is the first such card to operate in both PC and Macintosh platforms.

Eicon's Diva Terminal/Adapter (T/A) allows users of laptop computers to connect to the Internet or to corporate backbone networks as simply as if they were configuring a modem, but at ISDN line speeds of up to 128 kilobits per second.

Designed as a direct replacement for a standard V.34 modem in laptop systems or stand-alone remote-access servers, the Diva T/A supports the Hayes AT command set with ISDN extensions, offering an installation process with which many users are already familiar. The user simply inserts the card, types in a few AT commands and plugs in his ISDN line; no additional external equipment is needed. And because the Diva T/A appears to the host system as a fully compliant 16550 COM port, it is compatible with any software package that communicates via the COM port.

Jeff Paine, Eicon's vice president of marketing for the Americas, said, "With the Diva T/A, laptop users can access on-line services or browse the web, downloading high- resolution graphics, video clips, interactive games or music without irritating delays. Telecommuters can gain fast access to remote network resources, retrieving e-mail or files from a remote server in a fraction of the time it would take using a conventional analog modem. And the Diva T/A is the first true multi-platform ISDN card, providing Mac and PC connections for the many companies that have both platforms."

The Diva T/A provides an ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) with two B channels and one D channel, supporting full COM port speeds up to 128 Kbps with concurrent use of both B channels. The card supports the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) and, with rate adaptation (V.120 and V.110), can also handle any asynchronous protocol. Multilink PPP is available via a software upgrade.

The Diva T/A can be installed in any system equipped with a PCMCIA Type II slot. A VT-100 interface facilitates easy configuration of the card, and support for ISDN Ordering Codes (IOCs) simplifies ISDN line configuration. On-board Flash memory allows OEMs, system integrators or Internet service providers to pre-program ISDN service profile IDs (SPIDs) before shipping cards to end users; it also will enable the Diva T/A to be software-upgraded to take advantage of future ISDN services offered by ISDN providers.

The Diva T/A is the third member of Eicon's Diva family of ISDN adapter cards. Other versions, introduced in 1995 for desktop and laptop PCs, support multiple application types (e.g., data, fax, analog voice) over ISDN.

Diva T/A Pricing and Availability

Available in May, the Diva T/A is priced at $495 (U.S. list). It is available with either an S/T interface or a U interface (integrated NT-1). The card is certified for connection to ISDN services worldwide, including National ISDN-1, AT&T 5ESS Custom, Euro-ISDN, JATE and TPH (Australia).

Eicon Technology is a worldwide provider of desktop and server-integrated information access solutions for the networked enterprise. The company develops, markets and supports hardware and software products that enable personal computers from a wide range of industry-standard platforms and operating environments to access corporate internetworks, IBM SNA networks and on-line information services. The products are sold in more than 70 countries through an extensive distribution network. Eicon Technology shares are traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange and the Montreal Exchange under the symbol EIC. Further information on Eicon products can be obtained through the World Wide Web address http://www.eicon.com.

CONTACT: Eicon Technology, Inc.

Janie Reyes, 214/239-3270

or

Ulevich & Orrange, Inc.

William Orrange, Janis Ulevich, 415/329-1590