A lot of effort goes in to supporting a new modem on a companion computer. The kernel needs to be modified, drivers need to be developed. We sell specific accessories that we put that effort in to so they can work with VOXL.
Without knowing what type of modem you are trying to connect, it is difficult to suggest where to begin.
Some things that might help:
What type of modem is it?
What interface are you connecting with? USB, serial or Ethernet?
Does it have an available Linux driver?
If it is USB, and you type 'lsusb', does it appear?