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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - July 7, 2004 - Sprint (NYSE: FON), the leading
provider of telecommunications relay services (TRS), is working with the
General Service Administration (GSA) to provide up to fifty (50) free
CapTelSM phones every month for federal government employees (civilian and
military), Federal retirees and veterans. CapTel offered by the Federal
Relay, fully FCC compliant, is an assistive technology aimed at easing
communications for the more than 24 million Americans who are hard of
hearing, have experienced hearing loss later in life or deaf individuals
with good vocalization skills.
CapTel relay service is a leading-edge technology developed by Ultratec,
Inc. of Madison, Wis., which allows people to receive both voice and text
captioning, nearly simultaneously. A special CapTelTM-equipped phone is
required in order to place a call through the CapTel Relay Service. The
CapTel phone works like any traditional phone with callers talking and
listening to each other, but with one very significant difference -
captions are provided live for every call. The captions are displayed on
the CapTel phone's built-in screen so the user can read the words while
listening to the voice of the other party. The conversation can flow
naturally, allowing for normal interruptions and expressed emotions.
CapTel through Federal Relay is available 24 hours a day, seven days a
week (Spanish - 8am to Midnight Eastern daily)
"Sprint is pleased to provide yet another communications alternative for
federal employees who are hard of hearing or deaf," said Mike Ligas,
region vice president, Sprint Relay. "Using CapTel through Federal Relay
can be a life changing experience for many by allowing them to communicate
better with their family, friends and for business purposes."
For further information on Federal Relay or CapTel service or to obtain a
free Federal CapTel phone, qualified Federal employees/retirees or
veterans need to complete and submit an application form, visit
http://www.captionedtelephone.com/availability/FRS.phtml.
Additionally, you can contact Randy Murbach, Contract Manager, by e-mail
at randy.g.murbach@mail.sprint.com.
How CapTel Works
As the user dials the phone number of the person they wish to call, the
CapTel phone automatically routes their call through the CapTel call
center and connects them to their called party. At the call center, a
specially trained operator uses a customized voice-recognition computer
and re-voices whatever is said by the called party. The voice-recognition
software transcribes the operator's voice into captions that appear on the
CapTel's bright display screen for the user to read. The user also hears
the other party's voice on the phone to the best of their ability, just
like any other amplified phone.
Sprint Relay Background
Sprint has nearly 14 years of experience in providing relay services to
persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled to
communicate with hearing persons on the phone. Relay service is available
24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the number of
calls placed or call length. Sprint is one of the leading employers of
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people in the industry. The 'Sprint Relay' team
is comprised of individuals who are daily users of the service, and have
greatly influenced the development and quality of Sprint's products and
services. For more information on Federal Relay, visit
www.fts.gsa.gov/frs/ and Sprint
Relay at www.sprintrelay.com.
Sprint Government Systems Division is based in Herndon, Va., and offers
the full range of Sprint product and service offerings for federal and
state government customers.
About Sprint
Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26
million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 65,000
employees worldwide and over $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003,
Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying
state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first
nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1
Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39
states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent
digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more
information, visit www.sprint.com.
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