U.S. Robotics introduced the Courier HST modem in 1986 and pioneered the market for high-speed modems in the IBM PC environment. Many modem manufacturers have implemented similar Sysop discount programs, but most BBS sysops remain loyal to the U.S. Robotics modems. The original Courier HST modem ran at 9600 bps. Robotics later improved the speed of the Courier HST to 14400 bps. While the Courier HST is popular among BBS, Telebit modems dominate the UNIX UUCP and Usenet communities.
PEP also performs well even with noisy telephone lines.
The actual throughput is around 14400 bps. The V-series modems have not been as successful as the U.S. Robotics or the Telebit modems. While every modem manufacturer is jumping on the V.32 bandwagon, CompuCom bucked the trend and came out with the SpeedModem Champ in early 1991. The SpeedModem Champ has one strong selling point. It is the only modem with a proprietary protocol that costs less than a generic V.32 modem.