VoIP: Are we there yet?

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How will the TTY work over VoIP

How will the TTY work over VoIP if the caller who is deaf signs up with Vonage or Comcast to recieve VoIP?

Here's the quote and the URL:
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http://tap.gallaudet.edu/VoIP.htm

VoIP will often garble TTY messages. This happens especially when there is heavy traffic on the network, so that some of the data packets get lost or arrive late. If there is some packet loss, hearing customers can understand speech; but TTY transmissions are more sensitive and will show garbling. Sometimes an organization or a carrier will choose to save bandwidth by using lower-quality speech coding for the call. This will also garble TTY messages. Another TTY barrier is that most TTYs cannot connect to VoIP phones and some VoIP phones cannot connect to any TTY except by acoustic coupling. Some government agencies and businesses with VoIP systems address this problem by installing systems such as NXI's Nextalk for Networks, which allows IP-to-IP text inside the organization's IP network, and allows outside communication with TTYs that are on the public switched telephone network. But this solves the problem only for calls to and from organizational phone systems, not for calls that can go across a variety of networks. Garbling can still occur there.
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So with TTY, you won't be able to send and recieve clear text, just like a cell phone. Yet I have problems using my cell phone along with the TTY in digital mode so I have to switch my cell phone (Motorola V710) to analog mode to recieve and make TTY calls. But even if I don't use my cell phone, my cell phone will switch from analog mode to digital mode in about 10 minutes. If I recieve a phone call who use a TTY, I have to connect my TTY to my cell phone, change to analog in my cell phone, and answer the call. The TTY I use is Ameriphone Q-90D. However during last Friday when I order a pizza from Pizza Hut with my TTY and cell phone, even if I have my phone in analog mode, I typed in a phone number with the "GA" for "go ahead" and the relay service told me my text is garbled so I have to hang up and try again, for the second time, switching my cell phone to analog mode. I don't know what's going on in my phone but it worked OK for me.

While this is not related to VoIP but about using TTY with cell phones, I would like to point you over to the website which talks about four features that could be built into Standard Cell Phones that would benefit users with hearing impairments or deafness (and other users):
http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/four_cell_features/cell_features.html

One of the feature that applies to me is Two Way Silent Communication (2WSC) Feature, as I'm speech impaired (not only hearing impaired).

The cell phone and VoIP industry will need to keep up with those who are disabled.

Posted by: Grayson Peddie   Posted on: 03/16/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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