sl-modem on Ubuntu Hoary...grrr

[hacker (of golf)]

It sounds like you need to use the slmodemd in alsa mode.

Suggest you try going to linmodems.org and use the scanmodem script to
identify your modem and find out which driver to use.  Neither the
sl-modem-daemon or -source nor the smartlink site slmodem-2.9.10 are
up to date.  At linmodems.org you will find slmodem is under constant
development.

It should work.