U.S. ROBOTICS ANNOUNCES 33.6 KBPS OPERATION; EXTENDS "V.EVERYTHING" New Software Also Boosts Throughput at Lower Speeds; Increases V.34's Ability to Connect at Higher Speeds SKOKIE, Ill., -- July 12, 1995 -- U.S. Robotics (NASDAQ: USRX) today announced new software for its Courier desktop modems and Total Control systems products that provides 33.6 Kbps capabilities. An extension of the company's "V.Everything" feature set, the new software also provides the added benefit of higher data rates at any speed; built around the V.34 standard, it includes enhancements that enable better performance on any V.34 connection between two products running the new software. U.S. Robotics' new modem software closely tracks the work of the ITU standards committee. The V.34 working group has come to technical consensus on enhancements to the V.34 standard that boost speed to 33.6 Kbps. Formal approval of a new version of V.34 is in process. "The ITU will approve a speed of 33.6 Kbps as an enhancement to V.34, as opposed to creating a new standard," said U.S. Robotics' Dale Walsh, vice president of advanced development and a member of the committee that developed V.34 and the new additions to the V.34 standard. "We expect the new software we've developed will be very similar to the final standard -- if there are any changes to the standard, we'll be able to implement those via software download." U.S. Robotics' New Software Provides Added Benefits at Any Speed "Our new software not only boosts speed to 33.6 Kbps, but also increases overall throughput," added Walsh. "In general, we're seeing that connections between two U.S. Robotics products running the new software will consistently be from 2400 to 4800 bits per second faster than they were using the previous version of software." "For example, on a noisy connection where a customer might typically experience 26,400 bps, it's likely the new software will allow a connection at 28.8 on a regular basis. By pushing the barriers of higher speeds, we've been able to enjoy a dividend of faster connections at lower speeds." The new software, which is available immediately for Courier desktop modem users, allows two new speeds, 33.6 Kbps and 31.2 Kbps, in addition to the enhanced overall performance on V.34 connections. Connections at 33.6 Kbps with other manufacturers' products will be realized when those companies implement the enhanced version of V.34. Availability The company has elected to make the new 33.6 software available at no cost for owners of Courier "V.Everything" and V.Fast Class desktop modems, which include Flash ROM capabilities. The 33.6 software will also be included in all newly shipping Courier desktop products. The new software will also be ported into the company's remote access servers, modem pools and high-end WAN communications systems, for end-to-end interoperability. Availability and pricing for upgrades to systems-level products have not yet been announced; however, the 33.6 software is expected to be available for all systems products by year-end. U.S. Robotics, headquartered in Skokie, Ill., is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of information access systems and products, and has its Personal Communications Division and Corporate Systems Division located in Skokie. Manufacturing operations are located in Skokie, Morton Grove, Ill., and Salt Lake City, Utah. Other U.S. Robotics companies include Salt Lake City, Utah-based Megahertz Corporation, focused on mobile and wireless information access solutions; U.S. Robotics Ltd., with offices in Winnersh and Windsor, England; U.S. Robotics, s.a. in Villeneuve d'Ascq, France; and P.N.B., s.a., based in Suresnes, France. # # # # # Editor's Note: Courier owners may download the new software from U.S. Robotics' FTP site (www.usr.com). Additionally, the software is available on U.S. Robotics' bulletin board, (708) 982-5092. The BBS is located in the United States. END ===