Cable modems take one small step >BY SHIRA McCARTHY, Associate Editor-News

The quest for a standards-compliant cable modem moved forward last week, as five cable modem vendors-Com21, General Instrument, Hewlett-Packard, LANcity and Motorola-submitted data interface specifications to CableLabs.

The interface specifications process was set in motion last November at the Western Cable Show, and interim specifications for several interfaces have been set since then. CableLabs has said it expects standards-compliant, interoperable cable modems to be commercially available by the end of 1997.

But late 1997 is more likely to be the earliest that a standards-compliant modem may be available in any quantity, said John Aronsohn, senior analyst at The Yankee Group, Boston.

"Cable operators need time to roll out their current modem services and test modems on existing systems before they can decide exactly what kind of standard they want to use," Aronsohn said. "The rollout process is more of a learning process, not a full-speed-ahead horse race to see who can install more modems."