PURPOSE: To shorten the transmission time of facsimile communication and to provide the sureness of communication by detecting that the prescribed information of the facsimile information field of non-standard signals is specified information.

CONSTITUTION: A demodulator 14 inputs procedure signals from a hybrid circuit 6 by a signal line 6a, performs V21 demodulation and transmits demodulation data through the signal line 14a to a control circuit 22. A reception, decoding and recording part 16 decides a transmission speed, a decoding mode and a recording mode by the instruction of the signal line 22d, inputs modulation picture signals outputted to the signal line 6a and performs demodulation, decoding and recording. The control circuit 22 detects that the prescribed information of the facsimile information field of the non-standard signals is the specified information. At the time of detecting the non-standard signal included in initial identification signals, when it is the specified information, registration as a maximum specified transmission speed within a maximum bit rate allocated to a private converter is performed in a circuit 18. The transmission of the specified speed is performed in a standard mode and the transmission is shortened.