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Mobile phones for the deaf
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September 23, 1999: 6:09 p.m. ET
Telesta offers real-time-text exchange for hearing- and speech-impaired
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NEW YORK (Global Telephony) - The convenience of using a mobile telephone is usually limited to those who can speak and hear. But Telesta Inc. in Sweden has found a way to help those who are deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired enjoy mobile communications.
The company has developed a technology for real-time text phone conversations and has been testing the service in Sweden for the last year and a half. Now the company is offering its mobile text phone service to GSM (global-system-for-mobile-communications) operators worldwide.
The technology enables text-based telephone conversations on GSM mobile telephone networks that are able to carry data for those who have Nokia 9000il Communicator smart phones. Right now, both the sender and receiver need to have the same phone for text communication, but that likely will change in the near future.
The company expects other mobile phone manufacturers to produce similar devices that can handle the text phone service along with future Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Bluetooth, an open specification -- or design -- for wireless communication of data and voice, will allow devices such as mobile phones, computers and personal digital assistants to communicate wirelessly within 10 meters (32.8 feet).
Not just for the deaf
Telesta executives say there are 70 million deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired people worldwide, but that the mobile text phone service can be used by anyone.
"If you are in a meeting and you had to ask a question of someone in your office, people would not appreciate it if you made a phone call. But you could use the text phone, type a message and get an answer in real time," says Tom Mullaney, president of Telesta Americas.
Mullaney says the company provides network operators with a switch residing inside a central office that will allow for text-phone services.
"It's non-intrusive and just processes calls from the end user," he adds.
In Sweden, the company receives a percentage of airtime revenue derived from the text phone calls and expects to use the same model with wireless operators in other countries.
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