Advantages of 56K

• Introduction

• Speed

• Cost

• Availability

• The cardboard box factor

Introduction

56K modems have two major competitors: the 28.8 and 33.6K modems that are already available, and the up and coming technologies that offer speeds several times greater than 56K modems. 56K will gradually replace 28.8K and 33.6K modems just as those modems replaced 9600 and 14400 bps modems.

The real competition is with high-speed technologies like ISDN, cable modems, and the xDSLs (ADL, SDSL, etc.) All of these technologies are faster than 56K, and some are much faster. 56K has real-world advantages that ensure that it will be more popular than all of them for the near future.