In an age when broadband Internet services offer speedy and constant connections, computer users who still dial a phone number to go on the Internet may be considered an endangered breed.
But before long, dial-up users will have something to brag about as a new modem standard promises faster speeds and enhanced features that may make some think twice about switching to cable modem or a digital subscriber line service.
The new standard, V.92 -- up from V.90 -- will allow the user to put an Internet session on hold to take a phone call, shorten the time it takes to log on and increase the upload speed of data transmissions.
The International Telecommunication Union, a worldwide standards body chartered by the UN, ratified the V.92 standard last year, and modems using the standard are already on the market.
While computer users will be able to go online by using the new modems, most Internet service providers are not expected to offer the enhanced features of the V.92 standard until at least this fall.
"Until now, the expectation was that if you're on the Internet, a `Do Not Disturb' sign goes up on the house," said Kevin Lacey, who directs research and development of analog and integrated service digital network technology for US Robotics, the world's leading seller of modems.
"The new standard will make being on the Internet interruptible and make your ability to transfer files go more smoothly."
The V.92 standard will help solve one of the most annoying drawbacks of a dial-up modem for phone customers who use call waiting: the call waiting signal is often mistaken for a disconnect tone. To avoid the disruption, most users suspend call waiting while they are online, sometimes missing important phone calls.
With the new modem standard, users can pause during an Internet session to take a voice call, then go back to the Internet without ever breaking the online connection.
While the modem can be put on hold for an unlimited period, most Internet service providers will probably place time restrictions on that feature because the pauses will probably result in longer sessions for dial-up customers.
Some software applications will provide a countdown clock allowing users to decide whether to continue the voice call or disconnect from the Internet, Lacey said.
"V.92 will bring choice without people needing a second phone line or feeling they are shut out from the rest of the world," he said.
The new standard also shortens the time it takes to log on by storing information about the user's phone line.
A dial-up modem goes through a long, complicated and noisy "handshake" process to identify the most efficient route to connect the user's computer to the server at the Internet service provider.
The V.92 modem can compare the new call with a previous call and, if the phone line conditions are similar, can bypass some steps in the dial-up process. By remembering the information, the new modem could cut the time it takes to establish a connection from about 30 seconds to less than 10.
"The concept is `instant on,' so that you'll no longer have to go for a cup of coffee after you dial up," said F. Matthew Rhodes, senior vice president and general manager for personal computing at Conexant Systems, a modem chip maker based in Newport Beach, California. The company provides the Web site with the "connect" demonstration and other information about V.92.
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