New way to pay bills online introduced

The eCharge Corp.'s technology works by disconnecting users from the Internet and using their modems to place a 900-number call to a number associated with that product. Once the product is transmitted, the customer is connected back to the Internet, right where they left off.

The entire process takes about a minute, depending on modem speeds, said eCharge spokeswoman Erica Beyer. The charge for the product will show up as a line item in the customer's phone bill, she said.

Currently, the service can only be used to buy digital products or services, such as software downloads or pay-per-view articles and pictures, because of federal regulations, and is limited to purchases of $50 or less.

Intershop and eCharge did not release financial details of the deal.