Now Internet Fax, which provides a related user model, promises to move fax technology to the next level by integrating the fax with the Internet. On February 26, the IESG approved the four standards-track documents as Proposed Standards and assigned them formal RFC numbers. The IETF Internet Fax Working Group is not the only standards body pursuing Internet Fax standards. ITU-T is the standards body responsible for Group 2, Group 3, and Group 4 specifications used by traditional fax machines and fax modems. Fortunately, the organizations are working together to ensure that two different standards aren't finalized.
Internet Fax offers many benefits.
Substantial cost savings can be realized by routing fax traffic over the Internet, free from long-distance toll charges. And high-bandwidth Internet connections facilitate more robust fax content, including color images. Steve Klingler is president of Programming Solutions Inc. in Salt Lake City.