Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!mcvax!ukc!stc!imtec!russell
From: russell@imtec.co.uk (Russell Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Bandwagon not Bandwidth
Keywords: modem prices limit high speeds
Message-ID: <752@imtec.co.uk>
Date: 11 Oct 88 10:48:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: imtec.752
Organization: Imtec Computers Ltd, Peterborough, England
Lines: 35

There have been a number of articles talking about the (lack) of high
speed modems in the U.K.  Although there are now a few sites using
trailblazers and V.32 modems most folks still use V22 or V22.bis
beasties.

Why? Well maybe the price of these exotic modems has something to do
with it.

Until (very) recently, the standard V.22bis modem in the U.K. was the
Dowty Quattro - this retails at #795 (:bc -l..... $1300 ish).  Exotic
devices like trailblazers (also sold by Dowty) retail at around the
#1395 mark ($2300).

Reading between the lines these seem to compare with $400 for a
V22bis and $1500 for a trailblazer in the US of A.

Why a price differential of 50-300% ? A friend ( :-) ) has used
unmodified US sourced modems in the U.K. so there are no great
technical changes required.

It seems that the prices were initially fixed high and the other
manufacturers have just jumped on the bandwagon.

How do these prices compare with others around the world?

PS. We don't even get the special offers for BBS sysops or usenet
registered sites - sniff sob :-(
-- 
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