Providing facsimile communications in a system wherein an originating facsimile terminal equipment (FTE) connects to an intermediate digital network of unknown and unpredictable delay via an originating facsimile interface unit (FIU) and wherein a destination FTE connects to the network via a destination FIU. The originating FTE sends data to the destination FTE via the originating FIU. The originating FIU sends the data to the destination FIU. While the destination FIU is waiting for data from the originating FTE, the destination FIU sends made-up data to the destination FTE to prevent protocol timeouts of the destination FTE. The FTEs operate under the G3 protocol. The made up data is either fill data or stall data, depending on the amount of data accumulated at the destination FIU and on the types of network delays.