VoCAL Technologies Ships V.92 Modem Software for a Variety of DSP Chips.

Business/High-Tech Editors

BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2000

Major communications software house ships software enabling

faster Internet connect, faster upstream transmission and

ability to answer phone calls while surfing

VoCAL Technologies Ltd., a leading supplier of DSP-based communication technologies, announced today that it has formally released its V.92 modem software suite for existing customers.

This new release covers both server and client applications and is an optional upgrade to VoCAL's V.90 data modem protocol stacks.

The software upgrade provides three distinct improvements over present V.90 modem capability. First, the Quick Connect feature virtually halves modem training time from about 20 seconds to less than 10 seconds for subsequent connections to the same server. This feature allows users to get their mail faster or to speed up connecting to their favorite web site. Second, the maximum upstream speed has been increased from 33.6 kbps to 48 kbps. This is becoming increasingly important to those who wish to transfer digital photos to friends and family on the net. Maximum downstream speed remains at 56 kbps under the new specification. A third major feature is the "modem on hold" capability that allows the modem to work in conjunction with the phone company's call waiting option. This feature enables a PC user to answer a phone call for up to 16 minutes or even more, depending on the maximum limit set by the Internet service provider (ISP), thereby enabling the PC user to resume surfing the Internet after he or she terminates the voice call.

VoCAL's chief technology officer, Dr. Victor Demjanenko, stated "The DSP processing load for the client is only slightly higher under the new specification, mainly to handle the higher transmitter data rate. However, the additional processing load on the server is considerably more because a V.92 modulation receiver has been added." He went on to say that, "Some remote access servers employing competing software stacks may not be able to upgrade operation from V.90 to V.92, because they lack the necessary DSP processing power headroom (in MIPS) required to accommodate the new capabilities. VoCAL licensees generally will not face this limitation because most foresaw the future need for more MIPS in their servers."

The company will further enhance its V.92 software suite with the addition of V.44 data compression capability, which typically improves data compression by some 20% to 60% over the V.42bis compression scheme employed in V.90--and as much as 200% for certain highly-compressible files. Release of the V.44 package is slated for January 2001. Also under development by VoCAL is V.59, a diagnostic feature that allows the modem to hold previous call information in a buffer so an application on the PC can query it for troubleshooting purposes. This is an important diagnostic capability for remote access server (RAS) equipment makers. Release of the V.59 package is scheduled for Q1/2001.

VoCAL Technologies Ltd. is the industry's only one-stop supplier for complete speech (G.7xx), IP telephony (including H.323 and G.168), fax (including T.38 fax over IP and V.34 fax) and modem source code. VoCAL licenses its software to OEM's and silicon suppliers for both standard and custom system-on-chip products. DSP processors currently supported by VoCAL include Analog Devices' 21xx series, DSP Group's Oak, Teak and Palm DSP cores, LSI Logic's ZSP core, BOPS' DSP core, and other confidential proprietary processors.

VoCAL's system expertise allows OEMs to get to market quickly in response to market changes and customer demand. In business since 1986, the company is headquartered in Buffalo, NY. The company's products and services are described on its web page at http://www.vocal.com.