NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/comp/dcom/telecom/12114

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-22 | 1.6 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!telecom-request
Date: 22 Nov 92 07:41:58 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Radu Hambasan)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Can I Use a US Modem in Switzerland?
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Does anyone know if there is any reason why a modem made for use in
the United States would not work correctly in Switzerland?

The Swiss government says you must use modems that are "homologue"
(approved) by the PTT, the Swiss postal/telecom authority. However
such modems cost hundreds of dollars more and I am skeptical as to
whether there is any functional difference -- it seems more like a
form of economic protectionism.

Then there is the problem of jacks: Swiss phones apparently do not
plug into the wall via the tiny plastic connectors used here, but use
much larger connectors that would never find room on the back of a PC,
much less a modem card.

I would appreciate it if anyone could tell me, from experience or
otherwise, if Switzerland uses a different voltage in its phone lines,
if touch tones are of the same frequency as here, and where I could
get the appropriate connectors, or would simply patching the wires be
OK?

Thanks in advance for your help. (I'd rather not pay $500 for an
"approved" 2400 baud modem!)


Radu Hambasan   -->   [e-mail]