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Call Waiting Alerts Busy Modem Users

Window pops up on screen with Caller ID info, response options.

By Brian McWilliams, PCWorld   

Internet Call Waiting, a new system developed by Northern Telecom, could eliminate this nuisance. Nortel%squots senior manager of network business development, Gary Shechtman, explains: %dquotWhen the user is logged on to the Internet, [when] they receive an incoming phone call, a pop-up message appears on their computer screen--it%squots actually a Java applet--and if the info is available it identifies the caller%squots name and phone number.%dquot

Shechtman says Nortel is marketing the service to telephone companies and Internet service providers. When a logged-in subscriber gets a voice call on the line, the telephone company or Internet service provider%squots server software sends a message to the browser plug-in offering four options: take the call, redirect it to voice mail, redirect to another phone number, or play a recorded message.

In the future, Nortel plans to add an option to route the call as Voice Over IP. This option would allow you to keep your Internet connection live while you take the call, although your modem bandwidth would probably be consumed by the Internet call.

Nortel says its market research suggests that consumers will be willing to pay up to $8 per month for the service. The company declined to specify pricing for the server software. To use Internet Call Waiting, subscribers would also have to sign up for forwarding service from their telephone company. Nortel says the technology is ready now and will be tested in two Canadian cities (not yet specified) later this month.