Modem and system with call waiting switching facilities and method of supporting customer access to a service provider

A method of providing voice and data services to customer premises serviced through a communication resource between the customer premises and a switch, the method comprising:

• establishing an end-to-end data connection from a data device in the customer premises to a data service unit coupled to the exchange. the end-to-end data connection supported by a first modem at the customer premises and a second modem associated with the data service unit and wherein the end-to-end data connection is via a combination of the communication resource and a communication link between the exchange and the data service unit,
• within a data session, at the exchange, identifying a presence of a request for establishment of a voice call to the customer premises;
• and at least one of:
• generating a control signal at the exchange in response to the presence of the request and communicating the control signal to the first modem over the communication resource, the control signal arranged to cause the first modem to terminate the data session by going on-hook;
• and
• at the exchange, in response to acceptance of the voice call, generating at least one control signal for communication to at least one of the first modem and the second modem to cause temporary suspension of data traffic across the communication resource, thereby to at least initially maintain the end-to-end data session through maintenance of at least the second modem in an off-hook condition.

A switch for an exchange that provides selective interconnection of a first modem to one of a voice telephony unit and a second modem associated with a data service provider, interconnection between the exchange and the first modem occurring, in use, across a communication resource and such that a data session can be established between the first modem and the second modem over a combination of the resource and a communication link and a voice call can be established across the communication resource to the voice telephony unit, the switch having a controller configured to identify, during a data session, a presence of a request for establishment of a voice call, the controller further arranged to support at least one of:

• generation of a control signal in response to the presence of the request and an ability to cause communication of the control signal to the first modem over the communication resource, the control signal arranged to cause the first modem to terminate the data session by going on-hook;
• and
• generation of at least one control signal in response to acceptance of the voice call, the controller capable of routing the at least one control signal to at least the first modem to cause temporary suspension of data traffic across the communication resource, thereby to at least initially support the end-to-end data session through maintenance of at least the second modem in an off-hook condition with respect to the communication link.

A computer program product for a controller within an exchange. the computer program product comprising:

• code that establishes an end-to-end data connection from a data device to a data service unit coupled to the exchange, the end-to-end data connection supported between a first modem associated with a customer premises and a second modem associated with the data service unit and wherein the end-to-end data connection is via a combination of a communication resource and a communication link between the exchange and the data service unit;
• code that identifies a presence of a request for establishment of a voice call to the customer premises during a data session, and at least one of:
• code that generates a control signal at the exchange in response to the presence of the request and communicates the control signal to the first modem over the communication resource, the control signal arranged to cause the first modem to terminate the data session by going on-hook;
• and
• code, active in response to acceptance of the voice call, that generates at least one control signal for communication to at least one of the first modem and the second modem to cause temporary suspension of data traffic across the communication resource, thereby to at least initially maintain the end-to-end data session through maintenance of at least the second modem in an off-hook condition;
• wherein the codes reside in a computer readable medium.

A communication system comprising a modem coupled to a switch across a communication resource supporting an end-to-end data session between the modem and a data service unit coupled to the switch, comprising:

• means for generating an alert associated with a desire to establish a voice call with the voice telephony unit over the communication resource and through the modem;
• and at least one of:
• a) means for terminating the data session in response to the alert;
• and
• b) means for causing temporary suspension of data traffic across the communication resource in response to the alert and acceptance of the voice call whilst maintaining the end-to-end data session.

A computer program product for controlling a modem providing a narrowband line interface between a telephony sub-net within a customer premises and a data sub-system of the customer premises, the computer program product comprising:

• code that suspends a data session in response to a tonal alert, on the communication resource, indicating existence of a desire to establish a voice call to the telephony sub-net over the communication resource and during the data session;
• and
• code that maintains at least a remote modem, involved in the data session with the modem, in an off-hook condition;
• wherein the codes reside in a computer readable medium.