Modem On Hold

MOH, or Modem-on-hold, is a feature found in V.92 modems that allows users with dial-up connections to seamlessly switch to an incoming voice call when a call waiting signal is detected while connected to the Internet. This allows users to take the incoming call and then resume their Internet use once the voice call has ended, without the need for redialing or a new handshake between modems. It should be noted that in order to utilize MOH, the user must have call waiting service provided by their telephone service provider. Moreover, for users who wish to have caller ID functionality while connected to the Internet, a subscription to caller ID on call waiting service is necessary from the telephone company, as opposed to just ordinary caller ID. Additionally, MOH enables users to initiate a voice call while already connected to the Internet, with the program pausing the data connection between the modem and a dial tone appearing on the telephone handset. Once the call is complete, the modem seamlessly returns to the Internet connection. In the event that a user's modem is V.92 while their Internet Service Provider (ISP) only supports V.90, MOH will drop the Internet connection and answer the voice call when an incoming call occurs. This function resolves the previous issue where a call waiting signal would cause the Internet connection to be dropped without establishing a voice connection. MOH also provides a hold time during which the user must end the voice call in order to prevent the Internet connection from being dropped. The length of this time is set by the Internet service provider (ISP) and can range anywhere from 10 seconds to an infinite duration. Additionally, the MOH application typically displays both the allotted hold time and a countdown showing how much time is left for the phone conversation directly on the user's screen.