If an ISP has more than 20 users per dial-in phone number, it usually means you'll routinely get a busy signal. Before switching to another ISP, ask the prospective ISP these same questions. Most ISPs use trunk hunting and groups of dial-in lines called hunt groups. Trunk hunting is a method used to switch incoming calls to the next consecutive or available number in a hunt group. If the first number called is busy or unavailable, the call should be automatically switched to the next number in the hunt group.
Problems related to hunt groups are difficult to detect and troubleshoot.
If you're experiencing dropped connections, you may want to contact your phone company. It is recommended that you only contact your phone company about chronic problems. It is recommended that you wait until this count exceeds ten before contacting your phone company. This practice will minimize flooding your phone company, Webmasters, system administrators, and ISPs with E-mails and calls about intermittent problems. Most modems sold today sense and adapt to the quality of the phone line.