Compac Computer, Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp first announced the formation of a group in the United States in January along with the country's six largest local telephone companies to use the new technology based on ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line). Foreign groups that will now join the Americans are British Telecommunications, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone and Singapore Telecommunications, according to US media reports.

The support of these overseas phone giants to the American behemoths vastly increases the group's prospects of developing a global standard for the phone technology for the benefit of customers worldwide.

The support of the foreign companies should make it easier to win the support of the International TelecommunicationsUnion (ITU), which coordinates global technical standards.