Once-mighty US-based modem-maker Hayes Corp closed down last week after failing to find a buyer to rescue the bankrupt firm.
Two local electronics firms that were the primary manufacturers of Hayes modems are unlikely to recoup millions of US dollars in debts.
Meanwhile, users of Hayes modems worldwide, including the SAR, are likely to soon find their warranties useless.
Led by entrepreneur Dennis Hayes, who in the late 1970s invented the modem, which lets computers communicate through telephone lines, Hayes Corp dominated the market for these devices in its first decade.
By 1985, Hayes was raking in US$120 million in sales and controlled 60 per cent of the world modem market.
But by the time Hayes filed for bankruptcy for the second time last October, the company held only 3.3 per cent of the modem market.