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This used to be possible over GSM, at least in the UK, and so I assume most places that use(d) GSM. I did it from various generations of the Nokia Communicator
by LeoPanthera 7y ago
This used to be possible over GSM, at least in the UK, and so I assume most places that use(d) GSM.
I did it from various generations of the Nokia Communicator. The phone would initiate a special kind of phone call (from memory, the same AT string used to start an ISDN connection) and then send digital data over the link, not audio tones directly.
This would emerge onto the analogue phone network as fax tones.
I suppose it's possible that the cellular networks simply don't support this anymore, but my first guess would be that it's handsets that lack the software to do it, now.
- techsupporter 7y agoThis was called circuit-switched data (CSD). The handset would emulate a serial modem to the attached computer and the mobile network would know how to emit the correct "noises" to the far end of the connection. It was brilliant for getting into systems I managed via a dial-in modem before Internet access was broadly available. In its twilight years, carriers that had a tariff to support it would charge something like $1.35/minute to discourage its use until the tariff could be updated.
- AnssiH 7y agoYeah, I had fax on my mobile plan in Finland as well (and if it just requires CSD I'd guess it still works). Never had any use for it, though. There was also an optional assigned special phone number to have it work in reverse (receiving faxes via your connection).